About Me

Emily West, LICSW

Therapy is much more than just helping unhappy people be less unhappy. Therapy is about working together toward the contentment and happiness that can come through expanding our understanding and acceptance of ourselves. I was inspired to become a psychotherapist by my experiences with therapy and the profound changes it has helped bring about in my life and in the lives of others. Practicing psychotherapy is a privilege. I deeply value the relationships my clients and I create together.

I practice integrative psychotherapy, which means I draw on approaches to therapy that complement and support one another. My foundation is in Relational Psychotherapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, including elements of Positive Psychology. As the events of the pandemic have affected our relationships with work and career, I have been training in Organizational Psychology; the practice of psychology as applied to the workplace. Each client is unique, and clients’ needs often change throughout the course of therapy. My integrative approach allows me the flexibility to meet clients where they are at any point in our work together.

I attended Barnard College at Columbia University where I studied Philosophy and French. After college, I worked for many years in politics and business in New York City and in Washington, DC. I later earned my Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work at Catholic University. During my graduate program, I completed on-site training at the George Washington University Hospital and at Children’s National Hospital. Since graduating, I have worked at the Children’s National Hospital and the Psychiatric Institute of Washington. I have also served as a full-time school therapist for middle and high school students and as a staff psychotherapist in a large mental health clinic. Recently I have been studying Organizational Psychology at the Harvard Extension School with a focus on motivation, leadership, and productivity in the workplace.

I am committed to continual learning and enhancing my skills as a therapist. This process includes training in Advanced Clinical Psychotherapy, Group Psychotherapy, and Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy at the Washington School of Psychiatry; Couples Therapy at the Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy at Alvord, Baker & Associates; and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with leading peer-reviewed ACT trainers; and Organizational Psychology at the Harvard Extension School.