Staff Spotlight, Courtney Saylors

Tell us about yourself!

Hiyee! I’m Courtney. I’m the Site Director for our Seattle residential location. I started this role in December 2020, but have been with The Emily Program at our Seattle outpatient site since June 2016. I was the Clinical Manager for the Seattle outpatient nutrition team and the majority of my client experience was as a dietitian, primarily with our DBT PHP/IOP program. Prior to that, I worked at another ED residential program in multiple roles (milieu therapist/EDT, diet tech, individual therapist, dietitian). I’m both a therapist and dietitian, and it has been really fun to bring both of those lenses to my new role as Site Director.

What do you like most about your job?

I selfishly love this work because it’s forced me to take a good hard look at myself and my life and really ensure that I’m walking the walk and talking the talk. You cannot pour from an empty cup. To do this work, YOU have to be your top priority. Knowing your limits, holding boundaries, doing your own therapeutic work, doing what you need to do so you can be your very best you – that is how to have a positive impact and how to have a sustainable career. I’ve been incredibly lucky at The Emily Program to be surrounded by both clinical and executive teams who wholeheartedly support this and hold me to following my own advice.

What do you like to do when you aren’t working? 

Given how stressful this work can be, I really strive to keep my life outside of work as interesting as possible! I have a lot of physical energy and I’ve found a number of fun outlets for it, including scuba diving, rock climbing, volleyball, biking, camping – all the activities! I also moved to Woodinville, WA in the last year, so it’s been really fun to explore my new neighborhood as things have re-opened. I’ve especially loved all the breweries and wineries nearby.

What is one thing most people don’t know about you?

I really am an introvert! Despite having lots of physical energy (I’ve been called Tigger a time or two), when it comes to social energy, I get drained pretty quickly. Between engaging with clients and my team, work meets a lot of my social needs. It takes a good chunk of alone time for me to recharge, which is why most of my hobbies are solo or with very small intimate groups of one or two others.

What are you most looking forward to post-pandemic? 

Travel. Travel. Travel! My partner and I were planning a trip to climb and dive in Thailand, our friend group was trying to plan a walk-about tour through Ireland, and my mom and sister had been talking about biking around New Zealand when everything got turned upside down. I love immersing myself in different cultures from the language to the food to the daily rhythm and everything in between, and I’ve missed that greatly.