Emily Parks

Emily specializes in relationships, intimacy, and betrayal with a specific focus on attachment and trauma healing. She understands that life can become unbearable when faced with hardships and believes receiving the right support is crucial during certain chapters to heal.  Emily creates an environment that is safe and validating, where you feel understood. She believes self-compassion, identity building, and communication skills are foundational to creating meaningful connections and fosters this in her work. She helps her clients build on the connection they have with themselves and others who are important in their life. She provides empirically-based techniques to help clients heal individually, or as a couple. She is both culturally and spiritually aware and brings a collaborative approach to therapy. 

Emily is passionate about working with individuals and couples who are healing from infidelity and working through betrayal trauma.  As a trauma therapist, she understands the devastation intimate betrayal can have on a relationship and the painful toll it takes on nearly every aspect of your life.  If you are feeling lost, overwhelmed by emotions, struggling to find the truth about what happened, and afraid to confide in others, Emily will offer validating support and strategies so you can make sense of what happened, calm your mind and body, and create a healing path forward.  Emily wants her clients to know that there is hope and healing is possible even if you are feeling consumed by the devastating weight of betrayal.  You can feel like yourself again and live a full, connected, and joyful life.

Emily also enjoys working with individuals who are looking to foster their curiosity about their own way of making meaning in their life.  She enjoys supporting clients who are finding distress with difficult life transitions, adverse childhood experiences, depression, anxiety, and those suffering with grief from a recent loss. With couples, she offers support for clients struggling with parenthood, relationship satisfaction, intimacy and desire, and other sexual concerns. Emily understands that difficult life events can be disorienting, create distress, and cause you to pull away from those closest to you. This can leave you feeling isolated and alone during the most difficult time and when you need the most support. Emily believes restoring healthy relationships and establishing a sense of community is one of the cornerstones in the healing process for clients.

Emily also helps clients seeking to rebuild their sexual intimacy.  Often times past experiences can make intimacy uncomfortable, difficult, or even triggering. Emily offers support and structured guidance at your own pace, as you work through barriers and feelings of discomfort to get the intimate connection you desire. She supports individuals who have experienced sexual trauma, sexual betrayal, and a variety of other sexual concerns. 

About Emily

Emily attended the University of Washington for her undergraduate degree, she completed a degree in Society, Ethics, and Human Behavior.  She then went on to complete a Master of Arts at Seattle University in Marriage and Family Therapy. Both experiences tailored her therapeutic lens to look at the world in a systematic way.

On her off days Emily enjoys spending time with her son outside while hiking, skiing and backpacking.  She enjoys creative writing on the side, and spending time with friends and family.

Education

Master of Arts (MA) in Marriage and Family Therapy

Bachelors in Society, Ethics, and Human Behavior

Scientific Publications

Lauren F. Lichty, Emily A. Parks & Amy Nelson (2018) Shifting Lenses to Deepen Reflection and Connection in Human Sexuality Education, American Journal of Sexuality Education, 13:2, 232-244, DOI: 10.1080/15546128.2018.1459998

Professional Presentations

Reflection, Expression, Connection, and Change: Integrating Photovoice in Sexuality Education.Workshop at the National Sex Education Conference, Newark, NJ. (2019)

Connecting Content to Context: Using Photovoice to Examine Sexuality. Poster presented at the Community Research and Action in the West (CRA-W), Regional Conference of Society for Community Research and Action (APA Div 27) at Portland, OR. (2016)