About Me
Hello, I'm Emily — a nature-guided healer and spirit worker rooted in the living landscape of Mni Sota Makoce. My work happens where the wild things are: outdoors at parks, nature preserves, and Spiritwoods, as well as virtually for those further afield.
For those who feel the ache of disconnection from the Land — I offer a different kind of medicine. Many of us have inherited a bone-deep rupture from the living world and from our own ancestral roots. This disconnection is not a personal failing — it is a wound passed down through generations of displacement, extraction, and forgetting. Part of my work is creating space to honestly reckon with that inheritance-particularly those carrying settler and colonizing white identities- grieve what was lost, and begin the slow, sacred work of reweaving relationship — with the Land, with plant allies, with the ancestors who knew how to belong somewhere.
I specialize in supporting folks navigating anxiety, fatigue, stress, and the particular weight of climate grief and eco-anxiety — walking alongside you as you loosen fear's grip and learn to inhabit your values more fully. Together we practice the radical art of embracing uncertainty rather than battling it into submission.
Forest bathing, herbalism, plant ally connections, and HeartMath practices weave together with Spirit work and energy healing to create immersive, embodied experiences that meet you where you are. I call in guides and helping spirits, work with the drum, and trust the more-than-human world as a co-healer in every session.
This is tending work. And it matters — because healing ourselves is inseparable from healing the planet we belong to.
Sessions available in person and virtually. Reach out to learn more.
Healing ourselves is the first step in healing the planet.
-Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor #01946
-Registered Art Therapist #14-198
-Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Certified
-HeartMath Certified
-Master’s of Herbalism- Green Wisdom School of Herbal and Botanical Medicine
-Board Approved Clinical Supervisor
-Climate Aware Therapist
Braving Uncertainty- A coloring book
Check out my coloring book! This coloring book features aspects of creativity and Exposure Therapy-a unique type of therapy that aims to help folks manage and understand their distress or discomfort. Each coloring sheet depicts a variation of fear in the artwork and is accompanied by a description of symptoms experienced. There are many variations of OCD and Anxiety—this coloring book only scratches the surface!—so if you do not experience OCD or a related Anxiety Disorder, I hope you become curious about Exposure Therapy and learn more about these disorders. If you do experience OCD or Anxiety, I hope this book causes you some discomfort in true exposure form!
Land Acknowledgement
Still Wild Healing does not have one location. Sessions are held at various parks around the Twin Cities. But I live and tend land located on the ancestral lands of the Dakota people. Humbly, I offer respect and honor to the Dakota people, the Plants, and the Land themselves. All foraging and gardening are done respectfully and with immense gratitude. Pilamayaye.
I am still learning and working through being a “land owner” on Indigenous stolen Land. Here is a brief, historical, snapshot of the vibrant living history of Kaposia Village:
The primary Indigenous group that lived in the area of what is now South St. Paul-Kaposia Village was the Mdewakanton Dakota, specifically the Kaposia band.
Kaposia, also known as "Little Crow's village," was a significant seasonal village for the Mdewakanton Dakota. It was established around 1750 and led by a succession of chiefs all known as Little Crow.
While the location of Kaposia Village shifted over time due to factors like flooding and treaties, it was consistently situated along the Mississippi River, moving from the east bank in what is now St. Paul to the west bank in present-day South St. Paul after the Treaty of 1837. The Dakota people were eventually forced to move to reservations on the Minnesota River following the Treaty of Mendota in 1851.
Today, the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Tribal Community continues to live in the region and celebrates its connection to the historic Kaposia Village and its leaders.
Do you have additional information about Kaposia Village? I would love to hear more. Please email me at emily@emilyrisinger.com to share your own stories or research.
National Park Service. (n.d.). Kaposia Indian Site. Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. Retrieved July 24, 2025, from [https://www.nps.gov/miss/planyourvisit/kapoindi.htm](https://www.nps.gov/miss/planyourvisit/kapoindi.htm)
Saint Paul Historical. (n.d.). Chief Little Crow's Village (Kaposia). Retrieved July 24, 2025, fromhttps://saintpaulhistorical.com/items/show/115
Plains Art Museum. (n.d.). Kaposia. Retrieved July 24, 2025, fromhttps://plainshistory.org/tours/show/6
~What Clients Are Saying~
“Flower Essence Session Review 🌿 Emily led me through my first flower essence nature experience, where I had the freedom to choose a stunning ravine as our location, complete with water features, vibrant flowers, trees, and lush grass. During our session, I shared with her my thoughts and questions about the natural elements, guided by my intuition. Throughout the clarity and grounding, appreciating Emily ’ s attentive presence as she held a sacred space for me to explore my senses, thoughts, feelings, and visualizations while working with the flower essences. Feeling accepted and secure to delve into my sensory journey was important to me. Emily even selected fresh flowers for teaching purposes (one of which resonated called to me!), guided me through interpreting what the flower essences meant to me in a self-directed exercise, assisted me in creating personalized flower essence misting sprays tailored to my needs, and concluded our session with expressions of gratitude. Now, I spritz myself with these unique concoctions, sans scent but packed with soul-soothing powers - I noticeably can feel a spiritual adjustment/cleanse after using them. I LOVED my experience and highly recommend enjoying a guided session with Emily, she has so many gifts to share and I look forward to working with her again!” -Katherine
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“Emily has been an informative and empowering therapist to work with. I appreciate that our sessions feel focused on actionable shifts in perspectives and behaviors that I can apply to every day life. Highly recommend!” -Siri
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“Working with Emily was transformative. She provided a safe space to engage in a process that was cathartic and enlightening. I was able to express myself in a variety of mediums using color shape and texture revealing insights I had in consciously recognized. Overtime I developed new coping strategies and a deeper self- understanding. For anyone seeking a unique approach to personal growth I highly recommend Art Therapy with Emily! ” -Carol
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“Emily is a breath of fresh air. She helped me when I was at a super low point in my life and with my struggles with obsessive compulsive disorder. During sessions, she guided me through steps to alleviate the anxiety and panic. She gave sound advice and therapy progressed each week. She always went with the pace that I felt comfortable with and needed. Emily truly is great at her craft and is an expert when it comes to anxiety and OCD. I am forever grateful for her! ” -Amanda
Contact
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