Dr. Emma Unruh-Dawes

My name is Dr. Emma Unruh-Dawes and I’m a licensed clinical psychologist. I have been practicing for 6 years under supervision and I recently received my license to practice independently. I earned my PhD at Oklahoma State University where I specialized in suicide prevention and depression. From there, I completed my residency at The Ohio State University where I specialized in PTSD, suicide prevention, and women’s behavioral health. Currently, I am completing my fellowship at The Ohio State University where I am working purely in research. Currently, I am accepting clients that wish to address PTSD and trauma, women’s health issues such as postpartum depression and anxiety, traumatic birth experiences, fetal loss and miscarriages, etc., as well as clients experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and mild to moderate depression and anxiety. I can offer a variety of evidence based treatment options including Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD, Prolonged Exposure for PTSD, Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention, Behavioral Activation for Depression, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety and Depression, the Unified Protocol, Concurrent Treatment of PTSD and Substance Use Disorders Using Prolonged Exposure (COPE), and Brief Psychodynamic Therapy.

My approach to therapy consists of providing evidence-based care using a structured approach. It’s important to me to strike a balance between structure and flex in order to provide client-centered care while providing symptom relief through the structure of evidence-based therapy.

During our first session, clients can expect to get to know each other a little bit, discuss their symptoms, impairment, goals for therapy, and discuss the structure of treatment. Throughout treatment, clients can expect to set an agenda at the top of every session to make the most use of our time. Clients can expect to follow a treatment protocol that is backed by extant evidence and research. I find that it is most beneficial to find a balance between having structure within session while also offering the flexibility to maintain a client-centered approach to sessions.