Emily Thompson, LMSW
she/her
Trauma Therapist
Healing begins with feeling safe.
I believe meaningful healing begins when you feel genuinely seen, heard, and understood. My goal is to create a warm, supportive space where we can explore your experiences together while building insight, confidence, and practical tools for moving forward.
I believe that every person deserves a space where they can show up exactly as they are and feel truly seen, heard, and understood. That belief guides the way I approach therapy and shapes every relationship I build with my clients. My goal is to create an environment that feels safe, genuine, and supportive while remaining purposeful and clinically grounded.
My path into this profession was deeply personal. Through my own experiences with difficult life events and trauma, I learned how powerful it can be to have someone who helps you feel understood without judgment. That experience continues to influence the way I show up as a therapist today. I strive to approach each client with curiosity, compassion, and a trauma-informed perspective, recognizing that every person’s story is unique and deserving of respect.
Over the years, I have worked across multiple levels of care, including inpatient, partial hospitalization, outpatient, integrated care, care management, and family-focused services. I also have extensive experience supporting biological and adoptive families through the foster care system. These experiences have allowed me to work with individuals from many different backgrounds and life circumstances while developing a flexible, person-centered approach.
In our sessions, you can expect warmth, authenticity, and collaboration. I am intentional about building a strong therapeutic relationship because meaningful change often begins with trust. At the same time, I believe therapy should offer more than just a place to talk. I integrate emotional processing, skill development, and psychoeducation in ways that feel practical and approachable. Understanding how trauma, emotions, patterns, and the nervous system work can help people make sense of their experiences and feel more empowered in their daily lives.
People often describe me as positive, calm, and easy to talk to. I value honesty and believe there are times when gentle, direct conversations are necessary for growth. I work hard to meet clients where they are while also helping them explore patterns, beliefs, and behaviors that may no longer be serving them. Above all, I want therapy to feel like a place where you can be yourself, feel supported, and know that you do not have to navigate life’s challenges alone.
EDUCATION
- BS in Psychology, Eastern Michigan University
- Master of Social Work, Michigan State University
WORKS WITH
- Teens
- Young Adults
- Adults
TYPES OF THERAPY
- Person-Centered Therapy
- Strength-Based Therapy
- (EMDR) Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
- (TF-CBT) Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- (IFS) Internal Family Systems (IFS)
- (ACT) Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- (DBT) Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Healing rarely happens all at once. More often, it unfolds through small moments of awareness, understanding, and intentional change. Therapy creates space for those moments to build over time.
Many people come to therapy feeling disconnected from themselves after years of stress, difficult experiences, trauma, or simply focusing on survival. Together, we work toward understanding the patterns that developed along the way and exploring how those patterns may be affecting your relationships, emotions, confidence, and daily life. As insight grows, many people begin responding to themselves with greater compassion and less self-judgment.
I believe healing happens best when it feels manageable. There is no expectation to share everything immediately or move faster than what feels safe. We work collaboratively, paying attention to your needs, your comfort level, and your pace. My role is not to push you beyond what feels sustainable, but to help you gradually build trust in yourself and in the therapeutic process.
Over time, therapy can become a place where you reconnect with strengths that may have been overshadowed by difficult experiences. You may begin to recognize that you are more than your trauma, more than your struggles, and more than the circumstances that brought you to therapy. Growth often looks less like becoming someone new and more like rediscovering parts of yourself that have been there all along.
There will be opportunities for reflection, learning, challenge, and even moments of laughter. Healing can be meaningful and serious while still allowing room for hope, connection, and lightness. My goal is to help you move forward with greater self-awareness, confidence, and trust in your ability to navigate whatever comes next.
FAVORITE SELF-CARE
My favorite forms of self-care are the things that help me stay grounded and connected to myself. I try to practice a lot of self-awareness and pay attention to what my body and nervous system actually need, and honestly, a lot of the time that’s movement. I take walks daily, make time to get outside, and try not to underestimate how much small moments of movement and fresh air can reset me.
When I’m overwhelmed, I’ll brain dump in my journal instead of holding everything in my head. I also prioritize slower mornings as that sets the tone for my day, and try to build in small moments of nervous system regulation throughout the day – even if it’s just taking a breath, stepping away for a minute, or giving myself a chance to reset between responsibilities.
And – surprise – I go to therapy, too! I really believe in practicing the same things I encourage in my clients. Self-care for me isn’t about perfection, it’s about staying intentional, self-aware, and making space to care for myself in realistic ways.
FUN FACTS
Before becoming a therapist, I actually used my psychology degree to train dolphins – which is definitely not the most traditional path into this field.
I also worked at Walt Disney World and I’m still a huge Disney lover. Honestly, there’s probably a little inner-child healing tied into that, too.
I’m also someone who genuinely enjoys learning about people, psychology, and the nervous system both professionally and personally, so even outside of work, I tend to nerd out over topics related to healing, growth, and human behavior.
LIFE MOTTO
One quote I live by is, “Just keep swimming.” It’s simple and kind of silly, but honestly it captures so much about healing and life.
There are seasons where growth doesn’t look big or impressive. Sometimes it’s just getting through the day, trying again, showing up for yourself, or taking one small step forward. Especially with trauma, people can put a lot of pressure on themselves to “have it all figured out,” when really healing is often messy, non-linear, and built through consistency and self-compassion over time.
So “just keep swimming” has become one of those lighthearted reminders that you don’t have to do everything perfectly – you just have to keep going.
