EMALEE J.W. QUICKEL, PhD

EXPERIENCE

I have been at Well Life since 2017 where I see individual adult clients in person and via telehealth. Before that, I've worked in a variety of clinical settings, including state correctional facilities, community mental health clinics, medical settings, hospitals, and school-based health settings with adolescents. My diverse experiences have prepared me well to help tackle the daily struggles of diverse clients! I also supervise provisionally licensed folks and provide training in outpatient psychotherapy. I teach classes and provide continuing education workshops on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), working with LGBTQ+ clients, and clinical supervision.

CURRENT TREATMENT FOCUS 

I enjoy working with many different types of clients, including those who are chronically stressed, coping with a medical diagnosis or physical limitation, struggling with depression or anxiety, reentering the community following incarceration or inpatient treatment, LGBTQ+ individuals, persons in recovery, and folks who just want to learn how to be their best selves. If I feel as though your situation is something that I do not have the expertise or training to help you with, I am committed to helping you find the right therapist to meet your needs. However, people of ALL races, genders, sexual orientations, ability levels, religions, etc., are welcome in my office.

TREATMENT APPROACH AND MODALITIES

The decision to start therapy is a deeply personal and meaningful decision, and it is important to find a therapist who will be a good fit with your personality and communication style. The most important thing to know about me and my style of therapy is that it is individualized, holistic, and present-focused. I tend to work from a mindfulness-based framework, which seeks to understand how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interfering with our ability to live fully present and deeply meaningful lives, and then working towards building values-based actions to reach target goals. I believe that the client gets to chose where we're going in therapy - my job is just to help you draw the map. My style is informed by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). I am happy to provide more background information about those techniques and how they inform my treatment approach at any time before or during the therapy process. It is an honor to do this work with you!

OUTSIDE OF SESSION

When I'm not at Well Life, I'm at Loyola University Maryland where I am an Associate Professor and the Director of the MS Program in Clinical Professional Counseling. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my partner, remodeling our house (we're trying to do most of it ourselves!), going to see Phish, and spending as much time outside as possible.