About Me
Hi, I’m Emily
she/her, gender diverse, queer, human being
A lot of adults in your life have strong feelings about how you should live your life. This makes it hard for them to see you. Perhaps it’s why you feel small, unseen, angry, and maybe even unsafe.
I am familiar with these feelings. When I was growing up, I felt like most adults didn’t understand what it was like to live in my skin. I didn’t feel like my parents “got” me. Teachers made me feel anxious about my grades. I felt the constant pressure to fit in. Sometimes I hid parts of myself just to belong.
My favorite part of being a therapist is creating a space where you feel safe to be yourself. I aim to provide a judgment-free zone (truly) where you can safely explore who you are and what you want. I want to see you and support you without conditions or expectations.
How I’m Different
CONSPIRE
You can often find me looking up the etymology of words. The word I love the most is conspire. The lesser-known meaning of conspire is to breathe together.
That’s what we do in counseling. When we conspire, we are present and work together as a team toward a common end. From here, we can do anything!
CURIOSITY
In a world that prioritizes performance, presentation, appearances, likes, fitting in, and being ‘fine,” I want to flip the script. Instead of putting all the focus on the outside, let’s look on the inside. We’ll get curious (not judgy!) about your inner thoughts, feelings, and values. As you do this, you’ll come to understand your needs and desires and uncover your real kick-ass self.
CONFIDENCE
What if you had a special power that took all the muscles out of anxiety and fear? You could live with them, but they didn't control your decisions or stop you from pursuing your goals. That would be pretty cool, amirite?
You’ll be surprised to know that you already possess this special power. With my help, you will be able to harness this skill so you can confidently go after everything you want in life. When we quit letting anxiety and fear run our lives, we are unstoppable!
I’m in Your Corner
I know you can smell inauthenticity from a mile away. That’s a good thing because not being myself just isn’t my jam. It’s hard to relate to someone who isn’t being genuine. The Emily you’ll meet in therapy isn’t much different from the Emily my friends and family know.
While I am a good listener, that’s not all I will bring to the table. I’ll challenge, inspire, support, and advocate for you. I won’t pretend to have all my ducks in a row or to be an expert on your life. Only you get to decide how you want to live your life. My job is to walk alongside you so you don’t have to do the hard stuff alone.
Whatever your goals are, I want you to meet them. And I’ve done this work long enough to know that when you feel accepted and safe, you’ll be more likely to engage fully in therapy and meet all your goals.
If you’re ready, I am too.
More About Me
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Sociology from Colorado College
Master’s in Education (M.Ed) from Seattle University
Educational Specialist (Ed.S) from Seattle University
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
Certified Mindfulness Instructor (CMI)
Worked as a School Psychologist and School Counselor in a public school district for seven years
Podcast Interview: https://jennylisk.com/podcast/wpp024
I have provided training/presentations on teen mental health and using mindfulness to build resilience in young people
I have training in:
Emotional Freedom Techniques (Tapping)
Using expressive arts with therapy clients
Treating clients who experience neurodiversity, learning differences, ADHD, Autism, and Sensory Processing Disorder
Treating anxiety and OCD with exposure and response prevention (ERP) through International OCD Foundation
Teaching and utilizing mindfulness with young people through Mindful Schools
Treating clients who are queer and gender diverse (e.g. trans, non-binary, gender fluid)
Let’s Work Together
As your counselor, I aim to respect what is important and meaningful to you, no matter how unconventional or out of the norm. I will use that to help you achieve what you want in life.