Emily Salukas LCSW

Hello, I’m Emily, a Mental Health Therapist.

I know how heavy life can feel when you’re carrying too much on your own. Maybe you’ve been putting off asking for help, telling yourself you should just “push through.” But if you’ve landed here, something inside you already knows it’s time for a change.

I’m not here to hand you a checklist of things to fix. I’m here to sit with you in the hard stuff and help you sort through it—at your pace. We’ll look at the patterns that keep you feeling stuck and build on the strengths you already have (yes, you do have them—even if you don’t feel it right now).

I often pull from approaches like CBT and solution-focused work, but the real “method” is figuring out what clicks for you. Sometimes that means reframing old thought loops, sometimes it means trying small experiments to shift how you move through your day. What matters most is that it feels doable and genuine.

Before joining Empowering Change, I spent years working in the child welfare system. I’ve been alongside kids, teens, and parents through some of their hardest transitions—moments when families were stretched thin and still trying to hold it together. That taught me that real change doesn’t come from judgment. It comes from honesty, patience, and someone who’s willing to stay with you in the messiness until things start to feel different.

Whether you’re a teen overwhelmed by school and friendships, a young adult figuring out who you are, or a parent stretched to your limits—I’ll meet you where you’re at. You don’t have to have it all figured out to start. You just have to be willing to show up, and I’ll be right there with you.