Staff Spotlight, Annie Root

Tell us about yourself!

Hello! I’m Annie Root, the Site Director at The Emily Program’s Cleveland outpatient location. I started with TEP in 2018 as a program coordinator for the adult DBT program. Additionally, I’ve worked as an outpatient DBT therapist, intake clinician, and clinical manager before becoming the site director in April 2021.

Describe the path that led you to The Emily Program.

In 2013, I graduated with an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from John Carroll University. Following graduation, I spent the summer at Penn State as an academic advisor, and then as an individual and family therapist at a teen crisis shelter for a few years. Seeking a new challenge, I came to work for The Emily Program in the adult DBT program in 2018!

What have our clients and your colleagues taught you?

Both have taught me that the learning never ends. We can gain expertise with time and education, but there are always new clients, new presentations, and new treatment strategies. Knowing this feels both hopeful and humbling, but most of all, it challenges me as a clinician and leader to seek out new perspectives.

What three words would you use to describe The Emily Program?

Since starting with TEP, I’ve always felt the company culture to be collaborative, inclusive, and supportive.

What are you most enjoying about the summer?

Being outside, seeing family, and recently taking a trip to Chicago for my sister’s COVID-delayed wedding.

Strangest job you’ve ever had?

I was a tour guide on my college campus, and part of the training was learning to walk backwards and talk at the same time. This was a skill I never quite mastered!