Hi, I’m Em. Nice to meet you.

As a human, I hold a few core beliefs. 

All individuals are the embodiment and culmination of those that have come before them, as well as those with whom they have been in relation. Everyone is the expert of their own lived experiences, expressions, and emotions, and this holds true regardless of information provided by those in positions of power. We do not exist within a vacuum, like western individualistic culture would like us to believe. We all operate under, benefit from, or are intentionally-marginalized by multi-layered oppressive systems designed to isolate and impact both community and individual wellbeing. These systems inflict violence, intergenerational and historical trauma, soul-wounding, and general suffering onto individuals who then seek relief through various survival strategies. As a practitioner and member of the collective, I believe in and advocate for equity, the abolishment of colonialism, collective liberation, bodily autonomy/consent, exploration and discovery through nuanced-specific narratives, and community-based/culture-based healing. 

As a practitioner, I believe that my role in the therapeutic relationship is to offer support, collaboration, help, and knowledge where applicable. I do my best to limit my engagement with pathology-centered practices or diagnoses as a means for “treatment”, as they don’t acknowledge or honor a person in all of their wholeness. However, as with all traditionally-taught western therapeutic modalities that may be applicable and provided during our time together, (such as CBT, DBT, somatic experiencing, narrative therapy, solution-focused, feminist therapy, etc), I invite the humans that I work with to take what is useful and leave behind what is not. I strive to be affirming of all emotions, expressions, and experiences that may arise throughout the duration of our relationship. The therapeutic space is one of constant learning and unlearning, for both the practitioner and the participant - this is a journey and a process that I seek to embrace wholeheartedly.

I locate myself as a nonbinary gender-expansive, autistic, queer, white person from a mixed family of European, Mexican, and Indigenous descent. As a practitioner, I cannot separate myself from the intersectional identities that I embody, as they inform the lens through which I see and navigate the systems of the world. It is my highest priority to honor and show reverence for the individuals I collaborate with, in all of their wholeness, both in and out of the therapeutic space.

Outside of the therapy space, I find reprieve through developing new recipes and cooking for others, resting in my home with my family and animal relatives, spending time outside on my motorcycle, or exploring in the woods and near bodies of water.  

In gratitude,

Emery Nelsen-Barbosa, MS, LMFT, NEDA Proficent

© Killian Collaborative Therapy, LLC 2024