Emily Pellegrino (she/her)

I have experience working in a residential treatment center for teens with eating disorders and have provided individual therapy for folks as part of an outpatient treatment team. I deeply believe that recovery is possible.

As a queer therapist, I have a deep passion for working with folks who are part of this beautiful and brave community. You may be questioning your sexuality, trying to figure out how to come out of a cis-het relationship or even how to tell your family and how to tell your partner. You might also already have an understanding of your sexuality and just want someone who has lived experience as a queer person - I get both of those things.

I work with a lot of folks who are coming to me with anxiety. Anxiety can show up different for a lot of different people, so I like to work with folks to begin to identify what the anxiety looks like and how it is manifesting in your life. From there we can then use tools such as cognitive behavioral therapy or dialectical behavioral therapy to begin challenging these thoughts.

Ecotherapy is more than just taking a walk in the woods. It holds the belief and perspective that humans are innately connected and intertwined with nature. What happens in nature and the world inevitably affects us. And so ecotherapy can help reconnect our mind and body to nature while using nature as a means of healing. A lot of people find that they feel better when they remove themselves from the hustle and noise of every day life. For many, nature is where that solace can be found. I can help you harness that feeling of rejuvenation and calm that you may find after a hike on the beach or a walk through the Redwoods and use it as a means of support and healing in our work together. I incorporate mindfulness and somatic, or body-based therapy, into this work as well while conducting sessions either indoors or outdoors. If you think this type of work might be a good fit for you, I encourage you to reach out to learn more!

I love incorporating mindfulness into my work with folks with help people learn to claim a sense of calm and clarity into their life. There's no right or wrong as to what mindfulness can look like. Sometimes it's looking at what's going on in our bodies, and other times it's noticing how it feels to have our feet on the ground. There a type of mindfulness for everyone and I'd love to help you find what works for you.

Depression is the monster in the closet that makes you want to hide and to also put on a face to the world of being, "just fine." It's exhausting, isolating, and scary to be in this place. I can help you get out of the initial grips of depression and find ways to identify why these patterns are occurring in your life. I want to help you live a life where depression isn't running the show, and where you are able to live a life that's meaningful to you. It's possible!

Holistic therapy looks at all parts of you. It holds the idea that you are a member of a family, you are a member of society, you are a member of a particular culture. Through a holistic lense we can look at how all these different parts intersect to create who you are.

Somatic Therapy helps us focus on what is happening in your body and how that relates to what you're feeling. What happens when we give some space to the body that you are experiencing in your body for example - what happens if instead of shoving all these parts of you down we allow them to have a voice. We hold so much in our bodies, and using a somatic lense it helps to support you in releasing some of that.

Brainspotting is a powerful tool that can help individuals move through trauma, anxiety, depression, PTSD, stress, limiting beliefs and patterns, and so much more. Through brainspotting I help you identify, process, and release emotional experiences that are keeping you stuck. We can use brainspotting in addition to other therapies, or it can be used on it's own. Feel free to reach out to learn more about what a brainspotting session with me can look like!

Therapy for highly sensitive people (or HSP) can often mean untangling the messages you’ve been told. You’ve heard it so many times, “you’re too sensitive, you need to grow a thicker skin.” As a highly sensitive person you might feel overwhelmed by the world, or feel like there’s something wrong with you. As a highly sensitive person, you don’t have to feel this way. The world is overwhelming, but it doesn’t mean your life has to be overwhelming.

I've worked with folx who have experienced sexual abuse or assault since starting my career. Many people come to me feeling like it's their fault, that they should have done something differently, or so much shame at what did happen. I believe you and I believe that none of this is your fault. Together we can process the effects of this trauma, knowing that you can take the lead as to what that looks like. It can change, and it can get better.

Seeing a trauma therapist, or a brainspotter, can help almost any area of your life where you are feeling stuck. Together we can help release trauma, constant worry, the darkness of depression, feelings of not being good enough, artistic blocks, increase hope, support emotional regulation and so much more. Many folks have come to me after seeking sexual abuse therapy or traditional trauma therapist and continue to feel stuck. Brainspotting can help change that.

It is really hard to be a woman in today's society with politics, the patriarchy, the exhausting standards, the glass ceilings and the constant high expectations for a life that you might not even want. I can help you set boundaries with yourself and others, determine what you do want in life, and figure out how to get it while holding an understanding of what it's like to be a woman in our world today.