Welcome and thank you for visiting!  I'm Emily Mechtenberg (pronouns - she/her/hers) and I provide counseling services for adults living in Alaska, including seasonal residents.  I am based in Anchorage and my services are accessible across the state as I offer tele-health appointments via HIPAA-compliant video chat or phone.  Following is a bit more about my background and my areas of focus.

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Sometime in 2012, I learned about the growing fields of adult sex education and sex therapy.  I was immediately fascinated and sought after as much media and research regarding those topics as I could find.  At that point, I had been working as a nurse for about 5 years and understood that my health science background would give me a leg up if I ever wanted to shift gears in my line of work.  I launched in August 2020 and I continue to work with individuals and couples 18 years and older experiencing challenges around sexuality, gender identity or gender roles, and within their relationships.  I counsel from a framework of anti-oppression and intersectional feminism and I support people of all genders and sexual orientations. I am also happy to work with people in non-conforming relationships such as open relationships, swinging, or with people who identify as polyamorous.  In addition, I have experience working with people struggling with anxiety and depression, and who are working through trauma.

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I hold a Masters in Counseling Psychology, I am working toward licensure as an LPC Supervisee under the guidance of Ebony McClain, PhD, LPC, and I am a future candidate for full licensure in the state of Alaska.  In addition, I hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and have been practicing as a registered nurse in the state of Alaska since 2007.  

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My experience as a therapist includes 3600+ hours accrued between my private practice and my counseling internship at APU's Counseling and Wellness Center. I teach and apply non-violent communication and mindfulness skills, somatics, IFS theory, attachment theory, reality therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy while counseling from a person-centered approach. I apply concepts from John and Julie Gottman and Esther Perel when working with couples. I graduated in April 2018 summa cum laude.  I continue to be captivated by the fields of psychology and sex research and I strive to use  my natural curiosity to help my clients better understand themselves.