Emily McBay, LMHC

Emily McBay is a Florida-licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) with 13 years of experience. She moved from the Midwest and shifted careers into counseling after realizing how often people are just trying to get through the day. Emily lists stress, anxiety, relationship and family difficulties, parenting concerns, depression, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, anger, self-esteem, career questions, and ADHD among her common areas of work.

She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts and a master’s in Counseling/Psychology from Palm Beach Atlantic University with a concentration in Family and Forensics. Early in her career she provided counseling in correctional settings, worked with students and families at a university, and supported clients at a treatment center. Today she works with a diverse population through a local nonprofit in Florida.

Emily describes her approach as person-centered and integrative. She draws on methods from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Attachment-Based Therapy, and solution-focused techniques. Sessions focus on the client’s goals and practical steps for change rather than a single rigid method.

Clients who struggle with people-pleasing, difficulty setting boundaries, codependent patterns, caregiving strain, or recurring relationship problems will find a therapist who emphasizes concrete skills and steady support. She notes limits to what counseling can do and frames work as collaborative goal-setting rather than promises of instant change.

Emily also brings experience with fertility and pregnancy-related concerns, forgiveness and infidelity issues, midlife transitions, and coping with seasonal mood changes. She works in English and practices as an LMHC in Florida.

How Emily’s approaches translate to online work