Provisionally Licensed Professional Counselor (PLPC)

Do you find yourself feeling overwhelmed in life but are unsure how to find peace?

Do you feel stuck in unwelcome patterns or cycles but don’t know how to change?

Do you long to feel seen and known but are afraid of vulnerability?

So many obstacles can stand in the way of living our best life possible. Maybe you find yourself experiencing relational challenges, shame, emotional confusion, or feeling out of control and hopeless. These and so many more experiences in life can feel overwhelming, and we don’t know where to go from here or how to get out of this “funk.”

If you are feeling stuck in life, or you feel isolated and alone, I would love to come alongside you and help you! I firmly believe that every person is worthy of love and belonging – and sometimes the hardest part of accepting that truth is believing it about ourselves. If you’re in the midst of a season of transition, or you feel like you’re drowning in a sea of worthlessness, or your relationships are falling apart, I can help!

Individuals

Often, we find ourselves going through the motions or simply surviving each moment without ever experiencing true joy, peace, or contentment. I want to help you move from a place of dysfunction, fear, trauma, disconnection, and discomfort to abundant life where you experience true connection, compassion, safety, and flourishing. Counseling with me is a safe space where we can walk together into those dark places of life and shine some light, illuminating the path to healing and growth.

You CAN live a life full of meaningful and satisfying relationships, confidence, and flourishing. You CAN live a life where you don’t have to worry about how you’ll respond when another obstacle pops up as we develop the tools and strategies that work best for you and as you heal from the pains of your past!

Pre-Marital Couples

Marriage is a big commitment and a big change! I want you to feel ready and equipped to walk into marriage with realistic expectations and tools to build a strong foundation for your relationship. During premarital counseling, we’ll talk about each individual’s story, your story as a couple, and how knowing the past that each of you brings with you can help create compassion and understanding for each other and yourself!

Together, we will address practical questions like where you’ll be living and roles and expectations, while also developing skills like conflict resolution, communication, and growing and maintaining connection. I have often found that understanding where each partner is coming from and what message might be activated by certain behaviors is more than half the battle to having a productive conversation where each person walks away feeling heard, understood, and loved.

College Students

College and entrance into adulthood is hard! You’re still figuring out who you are, what you want to do, and how you want to live. Maybe you find yourself struggling with friendships or dating relationships in ways you haven’t before. Or you might feel lost and confused about your identity and who you want to be. Maybe you’re realizing, potentially for the first time, that the way you grew up isn’t “normal” and isn’t what you actually needed or wanted. So many transitions and challenges are happening and you may feel ill-equipped to deal with them. Let me help you navigate the questions you’re facing and allow you to move forward in a meaningful and satisfying way!

In my work with college students, I have found the best approach is a mixture of looking at the past in order to figure out why we do what we do and figuring out what practical changes and strategies are most helpful to see progress starting now!

My Approach

I approach counseling from a holistic, “whole person” perspective. I believe we cannot separate our emotional and mental lives from our physical and relational selves. I address all of these aspects of humanity from a compassionate, non-judgmental perspective. I also believe we are who we are today because of where we’ve been – so healing now might mean looking into the past and exploring why we do what we do because of what we’ve experienced earlier in life.

I utilize various techniques and theories and cater my approach to each person that comes into my office. Some of the modalities I draw from the most include:

  • Narrative Therapy
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Internal Family Systems
  • Person-Centered Therapy
  • Mindfulness

With couples (both pre-marital and married), I use principles from Emotion Focused Therapy and the Gottman Method.

My ultimate goal is to provide a safe and empathetic environment where you leave feeling more heard, seen, known, and accepted.

Specialty Areas

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Shame
  • Relationship Issues
  • Parenting
  • Trauma
  • Family of Origin Issues
  • Spiritual Issues
  • Stress
  • Attachment
  • Transition & Change

My Education and Training

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology: University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

Master of Arts in Counseling: Covenant Theological Seminary – St. Louis, MO

(If you’re interested in integrating your Christian faith with counseling, I am happy to provide faith-based counseling that incorporates Spirituality in a way that feels authentic to you!)

Emily Barnes is a provisional licensed professional counselor (PLPC) under the supervision of Amy Evans, a licensed professional counselor (LPC) and approved supervisor in the state of Missouri.