Meet Emily Dunleavy

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Dunleavy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
When I first began my career as a therapist, I was full of enthusiasm and a touch of self-neglect. My passion for helping others quickly led to burnout as I became overwhelmed by the emotional needs of my clients while ignoring my own needs. The same passion that brought me to this career was now draining my joy and creating significant anxiety.

After a few months at this pace, the weight of this responsibility was rapidly becoming unsustainable for me. In a moment of clarity, I realized if I wanted to continue in this career, I needed to make drastic lifestyle changes.

To be a competent therapist, I must engage in self-care activities and set realistic boundaries. Self-care and developing a sustainable lifestyle is not only good for me but also essential for my clients’ well-being. Self-care, as a therapist, is an ethical principle.
When I am well-rested and rejuvenated, my clients receive the best care. Through this process, I learned that prioritizing myself is the best thing I can do for my clients.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m Emily Dunleavy, and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate and Licensed Professional Counselor Associate. I am supervised by Chelsey Kinney, LPC-S, and Keith Cobern, PhD, LMFT-S, LPC-S.

I work with individuals, couples, and families who want to make sense of distressing behaviors and find meaningful solutions to conflict. I focus on creating a safe, judgment-free zone for clients to unpack their feelings, thoughts, and fears. My specialties include relationships, sexual concerns, and trauma recovery.

I received my undergraduate degree in Psychology and my Master’s of Arts in Professional Counseling from Dallas Baptist University. After earning my master’s degree, I pursued dual licensure to become a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate. The next step in my counseling journey was starting my own private practice, Haven House Counseling. I founded Haven House Counseling with the intention of creating an approachable, safe, and informative atmosphere for individuals, couples, and families.

There were certainly many challenges along the way, as well as many moments of imposter syndrome. The process to become a licensed counselor is thorough, somewhat complicated, and lengthy. It takes approximately 8 years of training to complete this process. Despite the stress, I am grateful for these experiences. They have equipped me well for my career, and I appreciate the support and training I’ve received. The rigorous path to becoming a licensed counselor is necessary, as it ensures that people seeking mental health services receive ethical, competent, and passionate care.

The more I learn about counseling and myself, the more convinced I am that this career is a perfect fit for me. Most often, we try to avoid pain and suffering—and for good reason. However, in counseling, we must turn towards pain and suffering to find healing and wholeness. I am continually in awe of my clients’ bravery as they move towards the pain. It truly is a sacred experience, witnessing individuals find strength and compassion within themselves to walk towards restoration.

As a counselor, I am known for empowering my clients while validating their real pain. In our sessions, I’ll cheer you on as you make meaningful changes, but I’ll also addressing self-sabotaging behaviors, often with a touch of humor. I aim to address not only outward behaviors but also the underlying reasons for them. Often, we can know the right answers without it impacting our feelings or behaviors. I want my clients to understand truth intellectually and experience it bodily.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I were creating an itinerary of my favorite spots in the city, I would include the Space Center in Houston and the Houston Museum of Natural Science because I am museum fanatic. Plus there are so many fun activities there! We’d find time to get breakfast at the Breakfast Klub and then head to the Waterwall Park, after which we would wander around the Galleria and window shop. I would take my friends to dinner at Ciro’s because their Chicken Parmesan is to die for. You will also definitely catch me at Summer Moon drinking as much moon milk as possible in my latte. I have unsuccessfully tried many times to recreate the moon milk recipe, but nothing is as good as the original.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would not be where I am today without the excellent training I received in my master’s degree at Dallas Baptist University. I am deeply grateful for the professors within the Master’s of Arts in Professional Counseling program. These professors encouraged and equipped me by compassion and tough love. Although it has been years since taking some of these classes, I can still hear the voices of my professors in my mind. In addition to the comprehensive and rigorous training I received, my professors cared about me as an individual and advocated for me throughout graduate school and employment upon graduation.

Website: https://www.havenhouse-counseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/havenhousecounseling/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558472104320

Image Credits
Not Applicable.