Emma utilizes her foundational upbringing in Lakota culture, spirituality, and language to support others on their path to healing. Emma has been a psychotherapist for Oneida Behavioral Health for the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. As a survivor of sexual assault, Emma has a passion for helping others heal, and she draws from her personal, professional, and cultural experience to facilitate this. Understanding the impact of intergenerational trauma was instrumental in her finding healing through traditional Lakota spirituality and reconciling deep traumas that plague Indigenous communities.
Emma combines a number of healing modalities including culturally informed ones like smudging, facilitating healing circles, and utilizing healing programs like the White Bison’s “Mending Broken Hearts,” which specializes in healing of unresolved grief from intergenerational trauma. As a compliment, she employs Western modalities including brainspotting—a technique similar to eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy discovered by renowned therapist David Grand. The therapy is effective for treating and processing traumatic memories and it works on a somatic level.
Throughout her career, she has chosen to work with some of the most difficult populations in her field including at-risk Native youth, extremely traumatized individuals who suffer from thoughts of suicide, and women who have suffered domestic and sexual violence. She spent five years working as a youth advocate for Native American children in the public-school system, and another five years as a domestic violence advocate in both community and court settings. She also served as adjunct staff at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh teaching domestic violence classes to undergraduate students.
Emma holds a Masters in Counseling with a Community emphasis from Lakeland College, a B.A. in Educational Policy and Community Studies, and an Interdisciplinary Degree in American Indian Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.