Emily Ott, CSWA (She/Her)

My Approach to Helping

My hope is to help clients find a pathway to healing after experiencing trauma. I provide Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). CPT is a 10-15 week modality that focuses on how trauma has impacted the lens you have of yourself, others, and the world. Together, we will identify and question what beliefs you may have developed that may have been helpful or adaptive in the past, but may not be serving you in the context of today. I also offer trauma-informed Yin style yoga classes to support healing in the body. I am a certified yoga instructor (200 RYT) and enjoy implementing gentle movement and breathing techniques to invoke the “rest and digest” parasympathetic nervous system that puts the body at ease. This can radically counter the typical PTSD symptom of chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system often referred to as the “flight/flight/freeze” response. CPT and yoga both offer healing pathways perhaps worth exploring!

Why I Became a Therapist

Prior to moving to the PNW and becoming a mental health therapist, I was working in the New York City performing arts industry. While I still love the performing arts, the 2020 pandemic allowed me to reflect on my own values and goals, while also providing the time to go back to school for my Masters in Social Work from the University of Southern California. Similar to the performing arts, clinical social work includes the themes of valuing stories, cultivating empathy, and seeking to understand the human experience. This is a wonderful professional fit for me and I'm honored to have the opportunity to be a Clinical Social Work Associate (CSWA).