Emma F. O’Rourke is a Counseling and Psychotherapy specialist who has been an instructor in the Merced Area Counseling Program for over fourteen years; she is certified in Marriage and Family Therapy and specializes in Emotional Healing, Collaborative Therapy and Respite Care. Ms. O’Rourke has additional experience working with clients with Autism, OCD and other anxiety disorders; she served as a peer counselor and a staff trainer at Pacific Healthcare College in Livermore, California. She enjoys teaching couples and family therapists how to create a strong support system to help them deal with their unique problems; she believes that everyone has a unique need for emotional, spiritual, physical, and psychological support. Her website mentions her past experience working with clients with substance abuse problems; she also states that she regularly receives “cute calls” from clients who are in distress. In her professional bio, Ms. O’Rourke states that she enjoys teaching couples and families about healthy relationship building and communication skills; she believes that building a relationship based on love, trust, and spirituality can heal emotional and physical wounds.
In addition to offering a weekly service, Emma F. offers a weekly chat on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. in the office. She welcomes clients of all ages and references that include her co-workers, her friends and her children, as well as her relatives and friends. The chats are fun and pleasant and are very informative and do not talk about her personal life or any private issues; instead, she invites individuals to share their story with her. She wants her clients to know that the staff is not “judgmental” and appreciates all forms of support provided to her.
Emma F. is very organized; she has a large file cabinet for paperwork, which is loaded on a weekly basis. She has a separate file for speaking engagements and telephone calls, so that clients have her number if they need to contact her. Her professional work schedule is fixed and she is available for scheduled appointments on a 24 hour basis. She works in a fast paced world and adheres to professional ethics; she values the time and does not get sidetracked.