About Me

Once she finished her undergrad education at Occidental College in Los Angeles and worked in the entertainment field, Emelia pursued a graduate degree at Antioch University Los Angeles specifically to continue her studies with emphasis on social justice. In 2012 she received her Masters of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on LGBTQ psychotherapy.

During and after her time in graduate school, she studied and practiced psychoanalytic psychotherapy at one of the only object relations-focused training clinics in California: Valley Community Clinic (VCC). There she received rigorous training and education in theories of psychoanalytic psychotherapy, as well as started a practice for adults and children. She received one-on-one supervision and training from two well-regarded psychoanalysts in object relations, developmental and play therapy modalities. As just a trainee, she was given the opportunity to work with her patients multiple days a week, which is unusual in a clinic setting.

One year into her intern training, she was accepted to train at The Maple Counseling Center (TMCC), the premier psychodynamic/psychoanalytic training site in Southern California. There she was able to continue working in a community clinic setting while studying psychoanalytic psychotherapy with two more well-trained psychoanalysts. She broadened her practice using object relations, interpersonal and Laconian psychoanalytic theories.

While at VCC and TMCC, she began to participate at the Los Angeles Institute for Psychoanalytic Studies (LAISPS) as an associate member in their pre-licensed program. She also began to take classes and attend workshops at The Jungian Institute and The New Center for Psychoanalysis.

In 2014 she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and began advanced training at The Psychotherapy Institute (TPI) which is an intensive post-graduate program. There she continued consultation individually with various psychoanalysts trained at The Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California (PINC). At TPI, she focused her specialty on working with adults struggling with trauma. Simultaneously, she worked with elementary-aged children in an after-school program which allowed for more training and practice in play therapy and organizational psychology.

Since opening her private practice, she has been associated with PINC by participating in their Early Career Case Conference and attending various training seminars. Currently, she is a member of the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis and is a student in their 2-year Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy program.