Hello, I'm Emily Wilkinson
I'm a psychologist, award-winning poet, facilitator, and coach who believes that creativity is essential, especially for those of us who dedicate our lives to supporting others.
Originally from Naarm/Melbourne, I’ve also lived in London and New York before returning home in 2018. Across these places, I noticed a pattern: the very qualities that draw us to helping work, our empathy, our dedication, our willingness to put others first, can also leave us depleted and disconnected from ourselves and others.
If you're reading this, you might know this feeling intimately.
Why I Do What I Do
My work exists at the intersections of psychology, poetry, compassion and creativity. This is because I’ve seen what happens when we rely on traditional self-care practices alone to prevent burnout. Yes, boundaries and rest matter. But they’re not enough.
The dominant ethos tells us that our worth comes from productivity and that play and rest must be earned. The medical model pathologises our struggles. Ableist frameworks tell us certain bodies and minds are more valuable than others, and that pushing through exhaustion is a strength (rather than recognising that this causes harm).
These inherited structures weren't built to sustain us, or, for that matter, our clients.
What we need is a deeper connection to ourselves, to one another, and to what makes life meaningful. This can also help us challenge the narratives that keep us isolated and depleted, and remind us that interdependence, not independence, is how humans thrive.
Through my own journey and years of working alongside leaders, educators and health professionals, I’ve learned that we don’t just need to recharge. We need each other, and we need to remember who we are beyond our professional roles.
When we reconnect with our creativity and playfulness together, we tap into a well of energy that can’t be restored any other way. This is how we sustain ourselves, resist systems of oppression, prevent burnout, and flourish in our work and lives.
My Approach
I combine evidence-based psychology with the depth and wisdom of ancient Buddhist and contemplative traditions. My work weaves together:
Compassion-focused approaches teach us that compassion works in three directions: the compassion we give to ourselves, the compassion we allow ourselves to receive, and the compassion we offer others.
Mindfulness and contemplative practices: Based on Ancient traditions, these practices ground us in present-moment awareness.
Strengths-based work: This helps us recognise and build on our unique gifts and honour what each of us brings.
Creative and poetic processes can reconnect us with experiences of flow and with our authentic selves, and with ways of knowing that resist the narrow rationality often privileged by Western thought.
This isn't about adding more to your already full plate. It's about remembering the parts of yourself that light you up and integrating them into your daily life in sustainable, nourishing ways.
My Mission
I'm here to help you:
Reclaim the creative, playful parts of yourself that energise and inspire you and bring you joy.
Explore ways to break free from the constant cycle of rushing and exhaustion.
Reconnect with your inner wisdom and unique gifts, and the collective care that sustains us all.
Find sustainable ways to flourish while honouring your dedication to helping others.
When you're thriving, there can be a ripple effect to those around you, and they benefit too: your clients, your family, your community.
My Poetry Work
When I'm not working with clients or facilitating programs, you'll find me delving into the world of poetry.
My work has been featured on Poet's Bridge, and I've had the privilege of reading at the New York City Poetry Festival. I was honoured to be a co-winner of the 2018 Brooklyn Poets Yawp Poem of the Year Award and received a Pushcart Prize nomination for my poem in 2019.
My poetic life isn't separate from my psychology, coaching and facilitation work. It's integral to them. These all involve deep listening, finding meaning in complexity, and discovering new ways to express what it means to be human.
My Qualifications & Experience
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Professional Qualifications
Master of Clinical Psychology
Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Honours)
IECL Organisational Coaching (Level 1)
Fellow of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists
Member of the Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership
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Professional Experience
Clinical Psychologist with experience supporting individuals through complex challenges
Organisational coach working with leaders and teams
Facilitator of numerous programs, including The Flourishing Way, which combines psychology research and skills with creativity
Founder of Flourishing Space
My Positioning
As a white, settler psychologist working on stolen land, I'm learning to recognise how my profession has been shaped by colonial frameworks. I'm committed to ongoing learning about how Western psychology has pathologised, excluded, and harmed those it claimed to help.
My lived experience has shown me how deeply ableism and the medical model harm those of us who don't fit narrow definitions of "productive" or "able." This informs my approach and my commitment to challenging systems of oppression.
This work is ongoing, imperfect, and necessary.
Let's Connect
If you're feeling called to rediscover the vibrant, creative parts of yourself while honouring your dedication to helping others, I'd love to support you on that path.
Whether through The Flourishing Way program, individual coaching, speaking or organisational work, my commitment is to create a space where you can reconnect with your authentic self and find sustainable ways to keep flourishing.
Because you deserve to thrive, not just survive.
