We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Hemendinger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Authenticity. All of the other qualities I possess, my ambitiousness, conscientiousness, persistence, passion, and empathy, all come out most when I’m being authentic to myself and my values. I notice that when I’m truly embracing my quirky, imperfect self, I’m most able to show up how I want to show up for both my clients and myself. By being authentic and letting go of self-judgments, I’m able to tap more into my creativity and productivity. Being authentic means being vulnerable, and while some clinicians might shy away from that or try to fit into a box of what the right type of therapist is, I’ve learned that being myself and learning from both my strengths and weaknesses have helped me have the most success in my career.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m currently an Assistant Professor, Lead OCD Therapist, and Deep Brain Stimulation Coordinator with the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Program in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. I see clients for individual and group therapy who are dealing with OCD, body focused repetitive behaviors, eating disorders, tic disorders, anxiety, perfectionism, and other related disorders.
One thing that sets me apart from other therapists is that I’m working in academia and functioning as an outpatient therapist. I currently have my LCSW (license in clinical social work, along with my masters in in social work MSW) and my Masters in Public Health (MPH) and Certification in Public Health (CPH). In addition to my degrees and certifications, our OCD Program is unique because many OCD therapists in Colorado and the US do not take private insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare. I chose to work with the University because we have the ability to help a diverse group of clients without having to charge them out of pocket fees, other than a co-pay if their insurance requires.

Dr. Rachel Davis implemented the OCD Program for the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus around 2013 and I joined her, as a team of two, in May 2019. I’m proud of the growth of OCD Program and having been a major part of the growth. I’m also really excited for the many projects and outreach that we’ve been able to provide. In 2021, our program developed a quarterly newsletter, Intrusive Thoughts, which is a newsletter containing articles about OCD, tips and skills for managing OCD, and exposure ideas, to name a few things. Recently, we initiated research projects and additional scholarly pursuits as we continue to work on providing additional trainings and consultations to community providers. OCD therapy requires a specialty of therapeutic skills ongoing trainings. It is a mental health condition that can be extremely impairing for clients and providers reach out to us for support, oftentimes feeling overwhelmed or unsure of where to start. This is why it is important to provide more training opportunities for community providers. We are going to have our first official training in May 2022, which will be virtual and a 3-day training.

As far my life and career journey as to where I am today, well, it was “easy” in the sense that I’m extremely ambitious, driven, motivated, have a very supportive family, and I knew what I wanted in my life and for my career. I knew I wanted to be a mental health therapist when I was 16 years old. So, again, it was easy in the sense that I knew what I wanted and knew the direction I had to go in order to get there.

However, my journey was not always an easy one. For one, I’m a neurodiverse individual. I’ve had obsessive-compulsive disorder since I was a toddler and I’m currently 15 years recovered from an eating disorder. Throughout my adolescence and young adult years, I had to learn how to manage symptoms and also accept that my brain does not always work in the same way as my peers. I had to discover how that showed up in school, conflicts, friendships, work, with partners and move towards having more cognitive flexibility and self-acceptance in my life. That self-acceptance was a big part of my journey. Accepting: that I wasn’t perfect and that perfection would never exist, that I couldn’t make everyone happy or meet their needs, ESPECIALLY if I was ignoring my own needs, that I could not fix others or systems until I took care of myself, that personal growth happens outside of my comfort zone, and that life is awkward and we have to embrace those awkward moments.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If we are talking food, I’d have to go with Blue Pan Pizza or Fire on the Mountain, can’t beat those seitan wings and tater tots. Follow that up with ice cream from either Sweet Cow or Little Man and that’s a perfect meal right there.

There are so many beautiful places to hike or explore, so it’s hard to narrow this down. I’d want to show my friends the Sangres and San Juans because those mountain ranges are awe-inspiring, plus we could stop at the Sand Dunes for some adventuring or Ouray for some climbing. I’d take friends to an awesome mountain town like Basalt or Steamboat Springs to spend the day snowshoeing, skiing, and hiking. If we were in Basalt, I’d take them to Jalisco Grill because the food is amazing and the staff is super friendly and fun. Then we could drive a little ways to Avalanche Ranch Hot Springs to soak and relax. If we went to Steamboat, I’d take them to Skull Creek Greek for some delicious food, after a day on the mountain. Salida, Lake City, and Silverton would be on the must-visit list too.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people who have shaped who I am and helped me throughout my life, however my family deserves the biggest shoutout. I would not be where I am today if it weren’t for the unconditional love and support from my mom Nancy, dad Jerry, and twin sister Ashtyn. Thank you for giving me the opportunities and experiences, the acceptance, and sounding boards to grow and thrive.

And thank you to my partner, Kevin, for loving and accepting me for all my stressed out moments, edges, quirkiness, and my very long dog who also loves you dearly. Thank you to Billy (goat) for the support over the years and also being a sounding board, as well as wonderful brother-in-law. Gotta give some love to my dog, Harrison Ford, for all the snuggles, unconditional love, and hikes; my best friend Laura, who I wouldn’t have gotten through college or life in general, if she wasn’t around; Dr. Rachel Davis, the medical director of the OCD program for believing in me and taking a chance on me; the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus for supporting me in my growth as a clinician and leader; my good friends and supports Lyla, Mandy, and Danielle for all the unconditional acceptance, silliness, and support; my co-workers and team members in the OCD Program for doing the meaningful and hard work they do each and every day, especially Stephanie for the support and sarcasm; the rest of my Colorado support and friends, especially the original MC/BHC crew at Pine and the friends who adventure in the mountains with me, thank you for all the years of friendship, weirdness, and acceptance. And shoutout to my piano and violin teachers, Robyn and Fred for helping me grow my creativity and resilience, for always believing in me. Gratitude to Joan for being the support and eventually mentor I needed all those years ago, your wisdom helped guide me all these years. Shoutout to my high school swim coach, Dan McBride., who held hope for me and believed in me when I didn’t. And gratitude to Dr. Colleen McGuire and Cindy Campbell for being clinical therapeutic wizards who guided me in my early clinical years and for the support and laughter.

There are more, I’m sure, and I want to extend gratitude to all of them. I’m grateful for those who also helped me grow through pain; those who doubted me, those who hurt me, and those who never gave me a chance. While it was not enjoyable, those people taught me lessons that continue to shape me today and have helped me realize just how important it is to embrace authenticity.

Website: https://www.erp4ocd.com

Instagram: cu_psychiatry

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-hemendinger-56b000176

Other: https://medschool.cuanschutz.edu/psychiatry/programs/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-program

Image Credits
First photo: Amanda Engel Photography

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.