Emily Young, LCSW-C

HEALING WORK

Therapy with me: I believe that the therapeutic relationship is the most important part of therapy. When working with me, you will find a collaborative and down-to-earth space that prioritizes building safety, trust, and authentic connection while also acknowledging the ways systemic and relational factors impact mental health. My work is grounded in trauma-informed care and integrates somatic therapy and Internal Family Systems (IFS), with a particular focus on supporting individuals navigating traumatic grief, complex trauma, and the impact of sudden or unexpected loss.

My primary goal is to support clients in developing their own insight and internal resources so they can better understand their triggers, what’s happening in their body, and what does and does not work for them. I work especially well with individuals experiencing the intersection of trauma and grief, including loss due to suicide, homicide, overdose, medical trauma, accidents, or other violent or sudden deaths. These experiences can often bring waves of shock, intrusive memories, dissociation, numbness, social isolation, or suicidal thoughts, and therapy can offer a space where these responses are contextualized and understood rather than pathologized.

Together, we move at a pace that feels safe and sustainable. Our work may include gently processing trauma responses, creating space to honor grief, and building a greater sense of safety and connection within the body and in relationships. I recognize that trauma and grief live not only in our thoughts, but also in our nervous system, body, and relationships.

My impacting identities/roles that inform my work: I am a therapist whose social identities hold a significant amount of privilege in our society. I am a white, cisgender, heterosexual, able-bodied, mid-size-bodied woman, and I recognize that these identities shape both how I move through the world and how I show up in the therapy room. I aim to hold ongoing awareness and accountability around the ways power, privilege, and systemic factors influence mental health and the therapeutic relationship. Alongside these identities, my personal experiences with loss, trauma, neurodivergence, and mental illness have deepened my capacity for empathy and understanding. These lived experiences inform my commitment to creating a therapy space where clients feel seen, believed, and supported as they navigate complex trauma, grief, and life-altering transitions.

I work best with clients who: 

• Are 16 years old and older
• Identify as having experienced trauma and/or traumatic loss, including sudden, violent, or unexpected death
• Navigating their own end-of-life process
• Are navigating the intersection of grief and trauma, or coping with ongoing impacts of complex trauma
• May have had challenging or unhelpful experiences with therapy in the past
• Are looking for a therapist who takes a relational, somatic, and trauma-informed approach
• Are navigating the complexity of chronic health issues, chronic pain, or long-term medical challenges

I am not a good clinical fit for clients who:

• Are under the age of 16
• Are seeking treatment exclusively for present or past substance use, eating disorders, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Are looking for a therapist to tell them exactly what to do or provide a strict, manualized, directive approach
• Are primarily seeking top-down approaches such as CBT or DBT without integration of somatic, relational, or trauma-informed methods

What makes me unique: Outside of therapy, I am a Trauma-Informed Personal Trainer (TIPT), and this lens deeply shapes how I work with clients. I take a bottom-up, body-first approach, prioritizing movement and somatic interventions to gently support clients in noticing and releasing the ways trauma, grief, and mental health challenges can be stored in the body.

I also bring significant experience supporting individuals and families through hospice care, end-of-life, and sudden or traumatic loss. Those experiences taught me a lot about the intersection of trauma and grief and how complex bereavement shows up differently for every person.

By combining body-based awareness with grief and trauma-informed care, I tailor therapy to each person, meeting them where they are in their body, emotions, and relationships, and helping them feel more grounded, supported, and understood.

I also aim to make therapy feel approachable and relaxed. Sessions with me are a casual, down-to-earth space where humor and authenticity are welcome, so clients can feel comfortable being themselves while doing the sometimes heavy work of healing.

LEARNING AND GROWING

I believe it’s okay, and really impossible, to know everything. Growth, both as a person and as a therapist, comes from being open to learning, making mistakes, and receiving feedback.

I’m always exploring new ways to support the people I work with. Right now, I’m diving deeper into somatic approaches, parts work for dissociation, polyvagal theory, oppressive dynamics within the field of Social Work, and decolonizing therapy practices. I’m also looking forward to becoming a certified death doula and a social work supervisor.

I continue to learn from the work of Resmaa Menakem, Alua Arthur, Jennifer Mullan, and Deb Dana, and I bring what I learn into sessions to make therapy social justice-oriented, inclusive, grounded, and relational.

FUN FACTS/RESILIENCE BUILDING

Taking care of myself is a big part of how I show up for others. My “recharging” rituals include different kinds of movement, keeping up with my ever-growing collection of plants, spending time alone, outdoor adventures with my energetic pitty puppy Kobe, reading, traveling, and laughing with the people closest to me.

These little rituals help me feel grounded, connected to my body and emotions, and bring a bit of joy into my everyday life. I try to model that same balance in sessions, reinforcing the importance of balancing deep healing work and rest, play, or joy. I believe this kind of rhythm, honoring both pain and rest/joy, is essential for sustaining this work and navigating the ever-changing world we live in.

EDUCATION

B.S University of Maryland College Park

MSW University of Maryland Baltimore

CERTIFICATIONS/TRAININGS

• Internal Family Systems Therapy, Level 1
• Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, Level 1
• Prolonged Grief Therapy, Level 1
• Trauma-Informed Personal Training, Co-Creator, Trainer/Consultant
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

WHAT I’M CURRENTLY READING…

Recent fiction favorites: Anything and everything by R.F Kuang, Red City, The Will of the Many, The Everlasting, The Sirens, Prophet Song

Recent nonfiction favorites: On Tyranny, Joy is the Justice We Give Ourselves, The Comfort of Crows, Briefly Perfectly Human