FOCUS AREAS:
OCD, Eating Disorders & Anxiety
To book an initial appointment with Emma, call (517) 258-0026 or click here to send a message.
Emma Astley, LLPC
Therapist
Providing In-Person & Virtual Services
she / her / hers
About Emma
I strive to create a warm and welcoming environment for anyone I come in contact with. Trust is an essential element of therapy, and it is not something that can always be freely given; my goal is to earn yours. I hope that together we can work as a team to help you reach the goals you have set for yourself. Therapy can come in many forms, and together we may laugh, cry, and reflect as we move along this journey of healing together.
I work primarily from a person-centered approach to therapy. I believe that you know yourself best, and I am here to understand and help guide you towards your goals. I enjoy helping clients increase their understanding of themselves and their struggles. I work with teens and adults specializing in OCD, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, life transitions and stressors, and couples.
I received my Master’s in Counseling from Palo Alto University.
Emma's Introduction video
Emma shares what lead to become a therapist, what the most common mental health concerns are that she addresses with her clients and her collaborative approach she takes in session.
Video Transcript
Interviewer: "Hey Emma, tell me why you wanted to become a therapist."
Emma: "Well I became a therapist just because listening to people has always been something that I enjoyed. I like to hear their stories, their triumphs, all their struggles. I like to know what brings people in and what their background is. "
Interviewer: "Perfect. Who are your ideal clients and how do you help them?"
Emma: "I really like working with people who tend to have a fear of a lack of control. They may feel stuck on decision making. Decisions can be really small, whether that's, 'Where are we going to eat'? Where they still get stuck on decision making and making the wrong choice. I really like working with people who struggle to fall asleep because they can't turn their brains off at night. I like to work with them using ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention). That's really just exposing [people] to their fears and seeing if they can do it at an easy level that doesn't overwhelm them at first. There is the I-CBT method I like to take, which is the inference based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and that really deconstructions how we look at our cycle of OCD whether that, having the obsessive thought, then the anxiety comes, how does that all work out is what I-CBT tries to look at."
Interviewer: "Emma, what style of therapy do you do?"
Emma: "I think sometimes we get a little wrapped up in, 'Is it Adlerian? Is it Freudian? Things like that.' I really don't take an approach like that for therapy. I really just want it to be a collaborative environment where you and I can work together. It is all collaborative. I don't want you to feel like you are coming in for a lecture. I want you to feel like you have a say in what goes on in this room, and in your life for that matter. And I want you to know that you are really the authority in the room. You're always going to know yourself better than I know you.