When Emory was feeling utterly overwhelmed by her strong-willed two-year-old, she took her first parenting classes at the Parent Encouragement Program (PEP).  After blazing through the program, she went on to become one of their most active Certified Parent Educators in 1995.  Her experiences with teaching parents inspired her to want to do even more to help families, leading Emory to seek training as a family therapist .  In 2004, she earned her Masters Degree in Couples and Family Therapy from the University of Maryland.

Since 2004, Emory has provided therapy to individuals and families and taught thousands of parents how to create happier and more highly functioning families.

Before retiring from the Parent Encouragement Program in 2020, Emory taught “Parenting Babies and Preschoolers,” “PEP I, Becoming a More Encouraging Parent,” “PEP II, Putting Your New Skills to Work,” and “PEP III, Expanding Your Understanding.”

Emory has also created and taught more than a dozen specialized classes, including: “Setting Limits with Your Extra-Challenging Child,” “Afraid to Try, Quick to Cry, Helping Your Anxious, Fearful Child,” “Helping Your Underachieving Child With Self-Discipline and Motivation,” “Argumentative Teens,” “Connecting With Your Children Through Play,” and many more.

Emory also has an unusually effective way of helping parents and children when she works with one volunteer family in front of a live audience on topics such as “Getting Homework Done,” “Winning Cooperation,” and “Sibling Fighting.”  These events, called Open Forum Counseling, are completed unscripted and unpredictable!  They give both grown-ups and kids the opportunity to learn from another real family by watching how they work together with Emory to find fair and friendly solutions.  Open Forums also provide a great opportunity to watch Emory at work, as she uses her skills to help the volunteer family uncover the real reasons for their dilemma and gain new understandings about how they can join together to solve their family problems.

Many people have gotten to know Emory through her writing. From 2005-2020, she wrote regular parent advice columns in the Voice Newspapers and Washington Parent magazine. In 2009, she received the “Silver Award for Child Development and Parenting Issues” from the Parenting Publications of America. Many of these articles are archived here, and you can be sure to read her latest articles by subscribing to her blog on this website.

Licensure

Emory is licensed as a Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist in both the State of Maryland and the State of New York.  In Maryland, her certification number is LCM212, issued by the State of Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists.

Personal

Emory has been married since 1986 and has two grown children. Her son Carter is employed by LEGO as a model designer in Denmark. Her daughter Claire is an artist and writer who works for an environmental non-profit in Maine.