From a young age, Emily Patridge knew that she had an innate ability to help others love, value and believe in themselves.

The Mississippi native first made a name for herself as her town’s most sought after babysitter when she tamed two of the city’s wildest toddlers with ease. By the time she graduated from high school and enrolled in Auburn University, Emily had enough experience to know that whatever her professional aspirations, she wanted to continue to spend time with children, and she majored in Human Development and Family Studies with the hopes of becoming a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS), working in hospitals.

As Emily’s interests evolved, however, she felt she wanted to work with all children, not just kids confined to the hospital, and after graduating from Auburn, she went on to teach at the Susan Gray School at Vanderbilt, where children with special needs play and learn in classrooms alongside typically developing kids.

Continually challenged and gratified by her experiences with children and their parents, Emily went on to attain her Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy (MMFT) at Nashville’s Trevecca Nazarene University, aspiring to help children by helping their parents, as well.

Today, Emily’s passion for children and their families overflows as she counsels them in all areas of life using play therapy. With the help of Emily’s bright, welcoming playroom, kids play out their fears and frustrations, shedding light on a variety of issues from potty training and bedtime battles to grappling with learning disabilities, divorce, the loss of a parent, general anxiety and more.

Emily is also trained to counsel teens and adults in pursuit of a better life, serving as a guide as they discover how their choices and relationships affect them, for better or for worse.

“I want to empower families to communicate with each other in a healthy way, and to encourage them to function as a team in the best ways they can,” she says. “I want to people of all ages to understand who they are, what they believe, where they’ve been and where they are going.”

Emily Patridge Counseling is a safe place for children to engage in therapeutic play, for parents to receive guidance, support and counsel, and for teens and adults of all ages and stages to repair themselves with the help of an honest, nonthreatening guide.

Written by Towles Kintz

To make an appointment, call Emily at 615.545.5785, or email her at emily@emilypatridge.com