Today we’d like to introduce you to Em Capito, LCSW, MBA, E-RYT.
Hi Em, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Like so many other stories, mine is about reinvention. While I have been in practice as a psychotherapist in the Salt Lake area since 2007, the path has had many twists and turns. I graduated from the University of Utah that year and began working in addiction treatment at a behavioral health nonprofit. Soon after, I shifted my focus to the administrative side of the work and moved into a development role, which led to my becoming the organization’s Chief Operating Officer in 2009.
During my tenure, my team successfully obtained Joint Commission Accreditation and launched an integrated behavioral health medical clinic to meet the needs of uninsured adult patients. In 2012, I pivoted into self-employment and began consulting as a Virtual COO, specializing in supporting solo entrepreneurs and nonprofits. All along, my skills and knowledge as a psychotherapist were an incredible asset, and a private practice evolved alongside consulting and nonprofit leadership roles.
In 2016, I pursued and became certified as a yoga teacher and meditation teacher, reflecting a passion for experiential, holistic resilience. These days, I offer individual therapy, couples therapy, and relationship coaching, while facilitating a variety of retreats, workshops, and training for the community and fellow helping professionals in my studio in South Jordan, Utah, or in adventure-based destinations.
I also serve as the Executive Director for the Jung Society of Utah, a nonprofit organization curating immersive lectures, workshops, and experiences that foster collective consciousness.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Following the call to adventure is always a bumpy ride. When I first began work as a psychotherapist, I was quite young and out of my depth. I felt incompetent, and truly it took years of life and professional experience to become a seasoned therapist who relished the surreal opportunity to support the brave vulnerability of others as they walk their own paths.
I also never considered myself an entrepreneur. When I left full-time employment, I faced an existential crisis. I knew in my heart that I was no longer able to work within the bureaucracy of a large organization, but I also resisted the idea of starting something from scratch. It took a year before I began producing any revenue, and that was perhaps one of the most important years of my career.
Our contribution to the world through our talents and passions is such a critical foundation for a meaningful life. I don’t know that I ever really considered it a choice, but I am profoundly grateful that I did not take the path of least resistance. Every year of following the needs of my community has consistently required invaluable personal and professional evolution.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The common through-line for all of my work is resilience. In 2016, I developed the Hierarchy of Resilience framework, recognizing six research-based protective factors that determine our resilience on a day-to-day, sometimes minute-to-minute basis. In 2019, I spoke at TEDx Salt Lake City on my personal favorite: Resiliency Field Trips, otherwise known as intentional discomfort.
In my private practice, my approach and specialization are rooted in rediscovering our inherent strengths and learning to rapidly triage and sink deeper roots across this hierarchy, ideally while in the midst of the real-life experience. This foundational philosophy underpins every session, yoga class, meditation group, skill workshop, and retreat.
Our group Resiliency Field Trips have ranged from summiting peaks to shooting skeet with a 12-gauge shotgun. It’s not your typical, sterile therapeutic experience, because life and the adversities we face around each corner are anything but.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Few people are aware that my deepest passion is writing.
As a child, being an author was what I wanted to be when I grew up. I feed this joy through composing a weekly essay for my community, writing personal poetry, and current work on a travel memoir documenting the simple, hard, and sometimes odd lessons within my own Resiliency Field Trips, both close to home and around the world.
I wholeheartedly believe that our passions need not become our careers, and I am also hopeful that my next chapter will open up more opportunities to master the craft and create a broader impact and legacy.
Contact Info:
- Website: emcapito.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/emcapito
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emcapito
