Emily Pittenger

As a Black therapist who has personally experienced obstacles in receiving quality care, I am deeply committed to empowering individuals, youth, and families to take charge of their mental health and their lives. My experience includes working with clients who struggle with anxiety, trauma, relationships, depression, parenting, and family conflicts. I firmly believe that each client should be the leader in their own treatment, and my objective as a therapist is to equip you with the tools needed to harness your strengths. I aim to establish a therapeutic space for you that cultivates trust, comfort, and collaboration. I am affirming of LGBTQIA+ identities, and I integrate a social justice and anti-oppressive lens into my clinical practice. I emphasize using a strengths-based approach in my clinical work and have experience offering various modalities, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). I have experience working with the following: Racial/Ethnic identity development Trauma recovery- historical and familial Parenthood (including fostering and adoption of youth) Perinatal mental health Anxiety/Depression/Stress/Transitions Teen Issues, especially related to intersectional identities About me I am of mixed Haitian and Korean heritage, the daughter of immigrants, and the child of an adoptee. I also identify as bisexual. My combined identities and experiences have allowed me to empathize with the challenges that can arise from navigating intersectional identities. While I have lived on and off in Seattle, Portland, and the Bay Area, I primarily identify as a Washingtonian. I love all that the PNW has to offer! Alongside being a mother and a wife, I consider myself an amateur gardener, traveler, baker, hiker, video gamer, yoga student, and reader. Training I have a Masters in Social Work from Seattle University. I also have training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (skills only), Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Collaborative Problem Solving, and Motivational Interviewing