Emily Ruth McIntosh, LAMFT
holds a Master's degree in Marriage & Family Therapy with a specialization in Trauma. She's a Reiki practioner, sound healing facilitator, podcast host & psychotherapist. Emily also has training in self compassion, grief, uncoupling and advanced training in c-ptsd.
Prior to my work in mental health, I worked as a dancer and choreographer. Movement art was my first education in how the body keeps the score. Understanding the way our bodies move and carry lived experiences has always fascinated me.
Shortly after my career as a dancer I entered the world of birthwork. I enjoyed helping families during pregnancy, the sacred space of birth as well as loss and bereavment. This was the start of my passion in supporting couples and women.
While receiving training in various healing modalities, I was simultaneously navigating my own personal work. Multiple diagnoses, death, as well as blending a family are all experiences which continue to not only tutor my heart, but also help me sharpen my clinical skills.
I utilize a somatic, emotional and relational approach specifically designed to work with trauma. Witnessing clients in their process of discovery and rebirth feels equally sacred and transformative to witnessing a woman bring forth new life— In the coaching environment, she is bringing forth her own life and claiming sovereignty. In this way I find there to be similarities between coaching and birthwork. I also find that most clients who are drawn to me are interested in a spiritual component (not necessarily religious) in this work. This is likely related to my two professional and grounding tenets, which are:
1) We are all part of something greater than ourselves.
&
2) We are meant to live a life of wholeness and purpose.
Wholeness, not perfection.
Purpose, not production.
Connection, not isolation.
If you are curious about this work,, I invite you to check out the Transforming Trauma podcast or reach out below to schedule a complimentary call. I'm always delighted to explore if we are a good fit to work together. If we find you have needs that would best be served by another clinician, I am happy to refer you or help you find other resources.
My Philosophy
"The spontaneous movement in all of us is toward connection, health, and aliveness. No matter how withdrawn and isolated we have become, on the deepest level, just as a plant spontaneously moves toward sunlight, there is in each of us an impulse toward connection and healing." -Dr. Laurence Heller (creator of NARM)
I too believe that humans are wired with the impulse for connection and healing. When it comes to this work, I like to think of myself as a traveling companion. I support you in exploring the territory and coming home to yourself-- a self who feels free from societal pressures and protective behaviors that buried who you really are. A self who feels rooted and centered on who your Creator made you to be. And just like a flower, I trust that you will intuitively turn toward the light and heal in our sessions. It is a privilege for me to be in that space and to witness that unfolding.
Growing up in the desert of Arizona, I spent much of my childhood running among these cholla, saguaro cacti, paloverde trees, and creosote bushes. After a long desert rain, the hills explode with color. Grass pushes up between rocks. Cactus flowers bloom & face the sun. Scampering wildlife is everywhere you look. I am still struck by how rich and vibrant the desert is when given the water, light, and refreshment it needs. We, humans, are the same. When we receive the connection and emotional nourishment we yearn for; we too can flourish in ways thought impossible just hours before. I invite you to take this journey with me. Discover how exquisite life can be when we have support and grow through what we go through.