Cameron Embry, LSW

There are, inevitably, times in our lives when we feel lost, confused, stuck, and alone. Life is incomprehensibly complicated, our struggles are deeply personal, and each of us is staggeringly unique. These facts of life are both bitter pills and beautiful gifts. Regardless, the inner and outer chaos of our experiences make navigating life by ourselves excruciatingly difficult. 

 

If you are struggling with anxiety, depression, grief, shame, identity formation, and/or trauma recovery, therapy may be the tool you need to navigate it all with patience, compassion, and curiosity. My work as a therapist is grounded in trauma-informed queer theory, which emphasizes the importance of honoring our radical uniqueness. Together, we will explore your inner world to help you feel more emotionally and behaviorally aligned with your own values, needs, and desires. 

In session, I primarily practice through parts work, dialectical behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and relational psychodynamics. Through parts work, we will make space for each and every ‘part’, or aspect of ourselves. We will explore their functions, how they currently express themselves internally and externally, and ultimately work so that all our parts cohabitate like an effortless and cooperative ecosystem. Dialectical behavioral therapy, in a nutshell, leans into the nuances of life, acknowledging that almost everything exists as an “and”, not an “or”. Life is both fun and laborious. Our relationships have the power to heal, and the power to hurt. Making room for all of our parts and the dialectics of our lives can be overwhelming, but it is also necessary and deeply fulfilling. Acceptance and commitment therapy is all about building that capacity to hold and accept our life as it is, so that we can work with it and make our desired changes effectively. When the therapeutic work itself feels daunting, I use relational psychodynamics as a tool to acknowledge the emotional experience of what it’s like for you to be in therapy, with this specific therapeutic relationship, in this moment. What happens to us internally in session is just as important as your experiences outside of session. 

 

I work primarily with queer or queer-curious young adults and older adults, though I have experience working with folks of all ages and diverse identities and backgrounds. Ultimately, your mental health treatment will be tailored to your unique life, values, and goals. My practice is aimed toward an anti-colonial and anti-oppressive lens — I do not approach therapy as a tool to help my clients merely cope with a challenging and unjust world; rather, I seek to give my clients a sense of internal liberation. When we operate from that place of inner peace, our pains may persist, but our suffering diminishes. For me, a successful therapeutic experience ends with you being able to hold both the pains of life and also the deep, genuine, directly felt sense of “I will be ok.”