Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Wilson
Hi Emily, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve known I wanted to be a therapist since high school and so I’ve made choices around my education and experiences that largely led me down that path! My undergrad degree is a BA in Psychology at the College of Wooster; I did a year of volunteer work in Belfast, Northern Ireland that was focused on peace-building and reconciliation work with youth in highly segregated areas; I got a Master’s of Research in Psychology at the University of York in England; and I got my Master’s of Social Work from Ohio State University.
After getting my MSW, I worked for a moderately-sized group practice for several years but I eventually grew discontent with the way things were being run– the owners, in an attempt not to alienate anyone, were in fact creating an unwelcome space for marginalized people. During the initial surge of the pandemic and the simultaneous reemergence of the Black Lives Matter movement, I became increasingly more frustrated with their complacency about taking a stand. I decided it was time to create my own practice where I could offer a space that actually catered to the disenfranchised. Chroma Counseling was created with Queer folx, People of Color, and individuals with disabilities in mind. I made a point when starting Chroma to create policies that made mental health care as accessible and welcoming as possible to marginalized communities, and I continue to learn and grow and adapt my practice in order to work toward being as anti-oppressive as possible.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been largely smooth sailing! Starting my own practice in the middle of COVID was a little tricky to manage, but I’m regularly delighted by my success in attracting the client base I’m most excited to work with. Turns out you don’t have to appeal to the masses in order to make a business work!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My focus is on trauma-informed and trauma-focused care for the LGBTQIA+ community in particular. I believe that most mental health issues people face are contextual–context like past traumas, current life circumstances, or long-term societal oppression–and that in order to effectively address what’s impacting someone, we have to acknowledge all the pieces of what’s harming them. I also believe that everyone holds the keys to their own healing and that my job as a therapist is largely to act as a guide by helping my clients see things from a different angle than how they’ve been viewing them.
To clarify what I mean by that: it’s really easy for all of us to get stuck on old trauma narratives (thoughts like “I am broken” or “there’s something inherently wrong with me”), but if we can recognize the larger factors reinforcing those narratives (things like internalized racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, fatphobia; white supremacist, patriarchal, and colonialist mindsets; late stage capitalism) it’s a lot easier to confront the systemic trauma being inflicted on us daily. If I can acknowledge that I am disadvantaged as a neurodivergent person *because* society has created numerous spaces where I will fail unless I can function as though I am neurotypical, it’s a lot easier to recognize myself as a whole human living in a flawed system rather than a just broken person.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Mental health care being accessible (both in terms of finances and emotional safety) to the people who need it the most.
Pricing:
- Intake assessment: $150
- 60 minute session: $125
- 45 minute session: $110
- Sliding scale prices available with reduced rates for BIPOC clients
- Most major insurances accepted!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chromacounseling.com/
- Instagram: @chromacounseling
- Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/834412
Image Credits
Mark Poprocki, Google images
