Dr. Michelle Emmerling

Currently doing in person and telehealth sessions

Dr. Emmerling strives to ensure that each client is addressed as an individual with unique perspectives and worldviews. With this understanding in mind, the therapeutic journey is specifically tailored to each person’s specific needs and goals and in conceptualized as a collaborative process. She strives to make sure that every client feels seen, heard, and understood so that they are able to feel safe enough to explore into their mental health concerns with an openness and curiosity. In addition, Dr. Emmerling sees her role as supporting the client to better understand their struggles, what is “blocking” them from the healing process and learning how to be more attuned to their inner world. She believes that no one is “unmotivated” for recovery or healing; instead, there is a competing motivation that is often hijacking them from being able to access what they need to begin the healing process.

Dr. Emmerling specializes in the assessment and treatment of Eating Disorders/Disordered Eating and Body Image Concerns. She also has expertise in working with perfectionism, emotional concerns and dysregulation, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, anxiety, social anxiety, relationship concerns, communication skills, self-harm, struggles with boundaries and assertiveness, and family/parenting struggles.

The main clientele that Dr. Emmerling works with are adolescents (12 and up) and adults. She also has a passion for working with caregivers who are supporting their loved one’s recovery. This is done in either a personal therapy or workshop format.

Dr. Emmerling has specific training from the world’s leading experts in Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), Emotion-Focused Skills Training (EFST), and Somatic Experiencing and Body-based Skills. She also has in-depth training in Mindfulness Based Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Existential Humanistic Therapy, and Compassion based therapy. She is also a Emotion Focused Skills Trainer and Clinician and a Powered By Emotion Associate.

Dr. Emmerling works from a family based and systems model and as such, believes in empowering family members and caregivers/parents to take an active role in their loved one’s recovery. She believes the family is often the key to recovery if they are given the right skills and support to help their loved one navigate their struggles and emotional world. Dr. Emmerling uses Emotion-Focused Skills Training as her guiding framework supporting caregivers/parents to learn advanced caregiving skills to facilitate their loved one’s healing journey.

She has experience in a variety of settings including hospital, community, private practice, and non-profit where she has worked with people with various concerns across the lifespan. She has also worked as an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta and is a published author and researcher on topics such as eating disorders, memory, emotions and emotional dysregulation, interoceptive awareness, and the therapeutic relationship.