Emma Lazar, BA

Graduate Counseling Intern

Emma Lazar, BAGraduate Counseling Intern

Emma is directly supervised by Mariya Sirman, LCPC and Dr. Catharine Devlin, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, CEDS-C. Emma has availability in our Chicago Loop office and virtually for clients in Illinois. She will continue her training with Birch Tree Psychotherapy until summer of 2025. Clients are able to utilize their Blue Cross/Blue Shield benefits to work with Emma. For clients whose insurance is out of network, we are proud to offer a need-based sliding fee scale through our training clinic.

Education and Training

Emma received her BA in Psychology from Michigan State University. She is currently completing her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University, with a focus on Children and Adolescents. Her training experiences have focused on treating general mental health concerns and anxiety among young adults from a psychodynamic perspective.

This past year, Emma received graduate level training and supervision at The Family Institute at Northwestern University where she met with young adults to treat anxiety, depression, and general mental health using psychodynamic therapy. Previously, she worked with preschoolers in the Preschool Trauma and Loss Project where she taught the children to practice stress/mood regulation, coping mechanisms, and how to express emotions in positive ways. In addition, Emma was a counselor at a therapy camp: Camp One In A Hundred. There, she worked with children with high functioning autism, ADHD, and anxiety disorders, teaching social language skills, fostering friendships, and mood regulation.

Current Clinical Interests

Emma’s Interests include treating youth and emerging adults with anxiety, ADHD, OCD, and eating disorders. She enjoys counseling work related to: life-stage transitions, self-esteem, managing stress, and emotion regulation. With acute awareness issues related to body image  in youth and young adults, Emma enjoys working with clients and their families in developing a healthy self-concept.  Emma utilizes a holistic approach while using psychodynamic therapy, mindfulness, coping skills, and behavioral therapy. She is also interested in pursuing play therapy and art therapy certifications to incorporate into her work in the future.

On a personal note

In her free time, Emma enjoys spending time with friends and family, painting, and going on long walks along the lakefront. Emma loves to travel and hopes to explore several national parks in the future.