Emma Beale, MA, LAC
Hi, I’m Emma! I grew up in northwest Ohio and moved to Phoenix recently to fulfill my dream of living in the mountains (well, technically the valley in this case). I love to spend my free time outside hiking, kayaking, swimming, traveling as much as I can, and cooking.
I completed my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and French at Ohio Wesleyan University and then completed my Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the University of Toledo. During my Master’s, I was selected as a National Board of Certified Counselors Minority Addictions Fellow and had the opportunity to complete additional training and research in the field of addictions and recovery with a focus on experiential treatments like adventure therapy.
I have experience working with teens, young adults, and adults who are struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, substance use, domestic violence, intrusive thoughts, and phase of life issues. While I do not practice with one single therapeutic approach, I am always guided by a person centered lens, meaning your goals, beliefs, and desires are where I will aim to focus our time. It is my priority that the therapeutic space is always wide open for personal exploration far from judgment. Layering on that foundation, I have experience with CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), Solution Focused Brief therapy, Narrative Therapy, and creative modalities like art and outdoor exploration. Depending on your needs and goals for therapy, I will offer you tools and experiences that I think will serve you best and we will work together to make a plan based on what resonates with you.
At the heart, I see therapy as a partnership. As the counselor, I bring the education and tools I’ve gathered along with an empathetic ear. As the client, you bring the expertise in your own life and a readiness to look inward. With those pieces of the puzzle, we can work together to form a picture that feels right to you, at your pace, in a way that feels healing.
It would be an honor to walk alongside you in your growth.
Expertise
Experiential Therapy
Experiential Therapy
Experiential Therapy
Have you ever felt the kiss of the sun wipe away a negative thought? Gone for a walk and felt calmer? Nature can be extremely healing and experiential therapy harnesses that healing power of nature in combination with the impact of more traditional talk therapy. The result is a therapy experience that addresses the issues for which you s
Have you ever felt the kiss of the sun wipe away a negative thought? Gone for a walk and felt calmer? Nature can be extremely healing and experiential therapy harnesses that healing power of nature in combination with the impact of more traditional talk therapy. The result is a therapy experience that addresses the issues for which you seek help in a way that is more approachable and accounts for the mind body connection that each of us experience.
Depending on your desired activity level, we can work together to create that healing space in nature to complement the work we will do together in our sessions.
“Wilderness touches the heart, mind, and soul of each individual in a way known only to (them)self.”
-Michael Frome
Anxiety
Experiential Therapy
Experiential Therapy
Anxiety comes in all shapes and sizes. It might feel like - your hands sweating and not knowing exactly why, an elevated heartbeat when you enter a room of people, loss of vision that you experience every time you hear a certain noise, and many things in between.
No matter what anxiety looks like for you, we can work together to identify
Anxiety comes in all shapes and sizes. It might feel like - your hands sweating and not knowing exactly why, an elevated heartbeat when you enter a room of people, loss of vision that you experience every time you hear a certain noise, and many things in between.
No matter what anxiety looks like for you, we can work together to identify where it comes from and how you can reduce it. Our minds and bodies are interconnected. When working through anxiety with a client, I focus on that interconnectivity and offer techniques that help you take back some of your autonomy in times of stress, while simultaneously understanding and processing the root of the symptoms.
“For real change to take place, the body needs to learn that the danger has passed and to live in the reality of the present.”
-Bessel Van Der Kolk
Depression
Experiential Therapy
Depression
Depression can feel insurmountable. It can also feel like a dark fog surrounding you as you push through your normal life. It’s different for everyone, but the common thread is that it inhibits your ability to enjoy life as you’d like.
If you’ve been suffering for days or years, there is always time and space to start to work through wha
Depression can feel insurmountable. It can also feel like a dark fog surrounding you as you push through your normal life. It’s different for everyone, but the common thread is that it inhibits your ability to enjoy life as you’d like.
If you’ve been suffering for days or years, there is always time and space to start to work through what is weighing you down. When working with clients experiencing symptoms of depression, I find it is important to go at the pace that feels right for the client, focusing first on small things that can help restore energy while also making space to examine what is at the core of these feelings.
“When we deny our stories and disengage from tough emotions, they don’t go away; instead they own us, they define us. Our job is not to deny the story, but to defy the ending; to rise strong...I will choose how this story ends.”
-Brene Brown