Emma Distler, Intern

As a second-year mental health counseling graduate student at Fordham University, I perceive therapy to be a service that should be accessible to everyone. Taking the initiative to learn more about yourself and becoming the person that you truly want to be is a process that is unique to you; therefore, my goal is to be a part of your journey and create a nurturing and accepting environment in order for you to grow emotionally and personally.

In my practice, I enter your world and understand your own emotions and experiences from your eyes; therefore, I encourage and emphasize vulnerability and being in the present. My goal is to follow your own thoughts and emotions while collaboratively exploring territory that you have yet to traverse or terrain that needs to be explored further.

Prior to SelfWorks, I received a Fulbright scholarship to teach the English language and American culture at a specialized Italian high school in Sicily for about a year. Afterwards, I assistant taught at The Windward School which supports students with dyslexia and other learning differences. Educating my students about their emotions while also recognizing the mental and physical hardships teachers faced inside and outside the classroom made me realize just how interested and passionate I was about joining the mental health field.

I am a Chinese-American adoptee who loves to rock climb, jog, and bake. Learning and immersing myself in diverse cultures also brings me joy especially when I have the opportunity to speak Italian.