Dr. Emily Massey, Psychologist, Neighbor

Dr. Emily Massey

Licensed Psychologist

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.)

A.P.A.-Accredited Doctoral Program & Internship

Widener University

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Gottman Method Couples Therapist

(Certification Anticipated Winter 2017)

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Areas of Expertise

Couples Counseling & Premarital Counseling

Eating Disorders & Body Image

Life Transitions

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Subspecialties

Generalized Anxiety, Perfectionism, & Social Anxiety

Depression

Stress Management

Alcohol & Drug Abuse

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Trained in psychotherapies ranging from psychodynamic to mindfulness-based, I rely heavily on the following evidence-based psychotherapies, integrated to fit each client’s individual needs:

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT). Observing the futility of directing significant mental energy toward avoiding psychological pain, clients discover how essential this energy is to the pursuit of a fuller, more meaningful life – a life that fits with one’s deepest values and brings lasting contentment.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Learning shortcuts to recognizing and refuting overly negative thinking patterns, clients revise (develop more positive, realistic thinking) their typical ways of viewing themselves, other people, and the world.

Gottman Method Couples Therapy. Following what long-term research shows “successful couples” do, partners purposefully increase the frequency of behaviors that strengthen, and minimize specific behaviors that are destructive to, couples relationships.

Interpersonal Therapy (IPT). The client resolves specific ongoing interpersonal difficulties (interpersonal role disputes, role transitions, grief reactions, or interpersonal deficits) impeding growth.

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My Training & Experience

I am a licensed psychologist specializing in premarital and couples counseling, eating disorders and body image, and life transitions. My work in these areas has lent to my heightened expertise in treating mood and anxiety disorders as well as substance abuse.

Through Widener University, I graduated with my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology while simultaneously completing classes for a Masters in Business Administration (M.B.A.). Both my doctoral program and internship are accredited by the American Psychological Association (A.P.A.).

Having worked several years for The Renfrew Center of Philadelphia as well as in multiple university counseling centers (Widener University, George Mason University, and Johns Hopkins University), I possess 15 years of experience working with eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, & binge-eating) in both residential and outpatient settings.

After completing my doctoral degree, I served as an adjunct professor in multiple graduate counseling programs with courses including clinical interviewing/diagnosis, couples counseling/family therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders, motivational interviewing and substance abuse treatment. Since then, I have worked in college counseling, group private practice, and, in Fall 2012, opened my own practice, The Center for Empowered Living, LLC. From 2013-2016, I joined the Johns Hopkins University Counseling Center as a Senior Staff Psychologist and the center’s Eating Disorders Treatment Coordinator.

Building on my experience conducting family and couples counseling in these settings, I completed Levels 1-3 of the training required to become a Certified Gottman Method Couples Therapist. When I complete my certification in winter 2017, I will be one of only a few Gottman-certified psychologists practicing in the Baltimore area.

I am a member of the Eating Disorder Network of Maryland and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science.

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In 2012, Dr. Emily Massey opened The Center for Empowered Living, LLC, her vision to create a center devoted to psychotherapy incorporating evidence-based treatments (EBTs) with individuals, couples, and families.

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP):

“the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of the individual patient. It means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research” (Sackett, 1996).