Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily DeSalvatore.
Hi Emily, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am a licensed professional counselor in Nashville, TN (LPC-MHSP). I have a BS in Human Development and Family Sciences with a specialization in Middle Childhood Education from The Ohio State University (2014) and an MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lipscomb University with a specialization in play therapy and expressive arts. I found my way into the counseling world after suffering with a debilitating anxiety disorder as a D1 college athlete (Ohio State Cheerleader). To be completely candid, my anxiety disorder started following a traumatic event of having an unexplained seizure my first week of college classes. (cue the panic it would happen again!) I actually ended up dropping out of school, moving home, and “gave up” my scholarship to cheer at Marshall University. It was rock bottom. I tried out for Ohio State and happened to make the team despite paralyzing anxiety. Through Ohio State, I was afforded the experience of working with a sports psychologist while pursuing my dreams as a top college athlete. It changed my life in so many ways that I ended up specializing in exactly that population. I am now an OCD/anxiety specialist who focuses on athletes, performers, artists, and high-achieving individuals. There were times in my career that I came close to giving it all up due to severe anxiety, and I am so glad I get to be on the other side, helping individuals just like myself. I’ve been an athlete, a coach, a personal trainer, and now a therapist. I’ve worked with professionals in sport, music, and career, all the way down to pee-wees. I pride myself on making evidence-based therapy fit my clients (all ages, genders, sports, abilities, religions, beliefs, identities) and showing them that life can be worth living, even when we’re scared. After years of working in small private practices training in DBT, CBT, ERP, and ACT I am now the proud owner of Nashville Anxiety and Performance Counseling, est. June 2024. I believe in making treatment work and seeing my clients, athletes, and performers as humans first.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh my goodness. No. Absolutely not. Just as anxiety recovery is not linear, neither is my journey. Or anyones, as a matter of fact. It’s so easy to look at someone’s success and only see their trending “smooth” journey. In reality, life is not void of challenges and stressors, so the idea of a smooth road is inherently flawed in my opinion. Succeeding and experiencing victory over obstacles and challenges is really about how resilient you can challenge yourself to be. It’s about seeing a setback and saying “okay, I dont know the answer to this yet, but my history shows I have always figured tough things out in the past, so I have every confidence that I will do the same this time.” I don’t think success is about how you avoid bumps in the road, but restructuring your thinking to see those challenges while also holding confidence in your ability to 1) tolerate the discomfort of the challenge and 2) problem solve. Personally, in my journey, I have experienced devastating loss and heartbreak while trying to build my career and fulfill my dreams of helping others. Even during those times I felt myself wanting to give up, but I had amazing support from my community and loved ones. I truly would not be where I am without their support. I also like to say I have “stupid blind faith” in myself. I truly believe we can do or be anything we want- we just have to let our confidence lead and challenge ourselves to see our true abilities.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Nashville Anxiety and Performance Counseling?
Nashville Anxiety and Performance Cousneling is my longtime dream. I’ve always wanted to bridge the gap of athletics/performance and mental health. I come from more of a clinical perspective than just performance enhancement. I care about my clients as humans and believe in treating the ‘person underneath the jersey’, if you will. It’s important to me that what we do in the therapy room ‘sticks’ and so I get creative with interventions to make this happen. I often times take the work with clients out of the office and meet them where they need it. Whether that means random places around town, the client’s residence, school, or training facility then I’m game. Something I am proud of is that all of my clients are word-of-mouth referrals. I don’t spend a dime on marketing. I believe that if you’re good at what you do, people will figure it out. So far, this has been my strategy, and I try to bring my best self to every client session.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I believe no one is “self-made.” We have all had help, whether we realize it or not. From past client referrals to clinician recommendations, I owe it to my community for choosing me and supporting me. I love hearing how people find me and my services. It reminds me of the good and hard work my clients have done. It’s an honor to be trusted by my fellow community clinicians: PCPs, NPs, therapists, and dieticians. Sometimes I hear funny stories of how my name and reputation has been passed around (in Facebook groups, gyms, parent watch areas in sports facilities, coaches, and even Reddit and ChatGPT). I have also had great mentors, teachers, and supervisors along the way. I would not be the clinician I am without them. And last but not least, my family. My parents are definitely the ones who gave me my “stupid blind faith” complex but boy am I grateful. They set such a strong foundation for me to be whoever I wanted, and not only I, but my clients also benefit from that. I must also thank my husband for helping me with the business side and my kids for sharing their one and only mama.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nashvilleanxiety.com/
- Instagram: @nashvilleanxiety
