Serving: Oregon

Supervises: Professional Counselor Associates, Marriage and Family Therapist Associates, Clinical Social Work Associates

Accepting: Private Pay, PacificSource commercial and OHP, Providence, Kaiser NW, Moda

Emily Baran, LCSW

“Be softer with you. You are a breathing thing. A memory to someone. A home to life” 

—Nayyirah Waheed

Hello. My name is Emily Baran (she/her/hers). I grew up in southern California in a white middle-class home. I have lived in urban and rural settings, and I spent a few years living communally. I have been fortunate to have an able body and access to education. Despite dropping out of high school, I completed my GED and earned an undergraduate degree in Eco Dwelling from New College of California and a master’s degree in social work from the University of California Berkeley. I have provided therapy for individuals, couples, and families since 2014 in various settings in California and Oregon. I am a creative person and love to make art, write stories, and dance. I have always appreciated and identified with the odd ones and outcasts but acknowledge that, at this point in my life, I can blend into social norms with ease.

I share these details about my life as I will ask you to share similar things. I also want to foster a relationship of mutual respect and choice-fullness. I am someone who can almost always see many facets of any situation and can hold deep nuance, even when you have experienced things that I have not. Still, I recognize that without lived experience, I may have blind spots. I am deeply committed to learning and growing and always welcome and encourage feedback and dialogue.

Compassion and respect are at the heart of my approach to therapy and supervision. As a therapist I focus on reducing the impact of anxiety, intrusive negative thoughts, relationship challenges, postpartum challenges, body rejection, shame, and the impact of past trauma. I help individuals tap into their own passions and needs to move the focus away from unwanted symptoms and onto what you value most. I understand that there are many factors that contribute to the difficulties each person faces and many paths toward healing. I integrate practices from a variety of therapeutic modalities, including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Narrative Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy. I draw from theories of humanism, attachment, and health at every size (HAES), body positivity and anti-diet culture. I find that these approaches emphasize autonomy and respect for people's innate wisdom about their own lives and bodies. I know that we are more than the problems that we face.

I appreciate the authentic connections I am privileged to have with my clients and supervisees.