ERA Wellness: Approachable Integrative Psychotherapy for Individuals, Couples and Families
Feb 01, 2023 12:00AM ● By Sheila Julson
Standing: Emily Aleksy, LCSW, PMH-C. Seated left: Gabrielle Trecek, LCSW, Seated right: Jeni Everts Beier, LPC, PMH-C
ERA Wellness, based in Whitefish Bay, is an integrative psychotherapy practice specializing in perinatal mental health, trauma, anxiety, stress and obsessive compulsive disorder for adults and teens. Licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist Emily Aleksy, who is the owner and director of ERA Wellness, describes her therapeutic style as conversational and relaxed. She often includes humor, and overall she rejects the idea that therapy has to be boring or look a certain way.
“I’m not new to the therapy and mental health world, but I became deeply interested in perinatal mental health after my own kids were born,” relates Aleksy. “I saw a lot of parents struggling—including myself—and a ton of holes in the ability to find proper support and access it.”
“Any therapist can teach coping skills, but it takes a lot more to help you weather all of those competing ideas.”
ERA Wellness is located at 316 E. Silver Spring Dr., Whitefish Bay. For more information, call 414-301-3234 or visit ERAWellnessTherapy.com.
“I’m not new to the therapy and mental health world, but I became deeply interested in perinatal mental health after my own kids were born,” relates Aleksy. “I saw a lot of parents struggling—including myself—and a ton of holes in the ability to find proper support and access it.”
Aleksy’s personal experiences inspired her to create a business that supports not just her clients, but her employees as well. She strives to make sure that workplace dynamics, scheduling and management issues don’t add additional stressors on them.
For clients, Aleksy says ERA Wellness is a place where counselors truly understand what they are going through and can serve them in an accepting, nonjudgmental way. “Clients can take down their barriers when they enter our office. We just get it. We know how hard parenting is, and with the addition of everything from a global pandemic to social media, it’s more complicated than ever.”
Aleksy recognizes that parents, particularly women, are under immense yet unrealistic pressure to be a superhero. She emphasizes that it’s important to recognize that one cannot do it all. She offers realistic tools to help clients get out of survival mode and process any of life’s challenges while balancing the demands of parenthood.
“We look at how we can help you be okay with not being able to do everything,”
Aleksy affirms.
“Any therapist can teach coping skills, but it takes a lot more to help you weather all of those competing ideas.”
Realizing that it can be intimidating to take that first step toward counseling, the ERA Wellness staff helps break down those initial barriers to get started. They offer online scheduling and a sliding scale or pro bono fees when appropriate. Clients are even allowed to bring their children to appointments when necessary, and both in-person and virtual appointments are offered.
In addition, ERA Wellness offers a New Parent Support Group, which helps individuals navigate the demands of parenting; and has recently added art therapy, which can help treat mental health issues through creativity, such as drawing. Reports in publications such as Frontiers in Psychology state that art therapy can be an effective non-pharmacological, complementary treatment for mental health disorders.
Aleksy’s vision for ERA Wellness includes expanding new and different kinds of services for its clients. “I’m excited to continue to expand and offer more to our community. I want every parent in the area to know that they are not alone in what they are going through, and that it can, and does, get better. I want every human to know that they are worthy and wonderful, just as they are.”
ERA Wellness is located at 316 E. Silver Spring Dr., Whitefish Bay. For more information, call 414-301-3234 or visit ERAWellnessTherapy.com.
