Dr. Emily Crawford-Thompson, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Founder/Owner of Columbia Psychology Healing Center LLC
Emily Crawford-Thompson, Ph.D. is a Licensed Psychologist who is trained as a clinical psychologist and has specialized experience in Psychological Evaluations and individual and group counseling with teens (ages 16 and up) and adults since 2009, including those who wish to be evaluated for possible Autism Spectrum Disorder. She and her husband, Chaplain Laird Thompson, M.Div., opened Columbia Psychology Healing Center LLC in June of 2020 in Columbia, Missouri, to provide a healing space for the mind, soul, and spirit in the midst of the pandemic.
Dr. Emily specializes in comprehensive strengths-based psychological evaluations of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and the range of mood, anxiety, thought, and Learning Disorders. She is trained in the ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule), MIGDAS-2, and other measures to assess Autism Spectrum Disorder. Dr. Emily genuinely enjoys helping people, and offers an empathetic, collaborative, and strengths-focused approach with her clients. Dr. Emily is well known in Columbia, Missouri as a trusted and compassionate psychologist with impeccable work that both providers and clients respect. She does comprehensive psychological evaluations to determine diagnoses and treatment recommendations for a range of issues including independent living skills to provide concrete information about what kind of help individuals need to be more independent and enjoy their best quality of life. She also does evaluations to determine readiness to participate in bariatric surgery, spinal cord stimulator, and transplant procedures. Evaluations include a comprehensive written report with thorough, specific, and detailed recommendations for treatment and services, tailored to individual needs, and emphasizing strengths. Feedback includes a thorough discussion of results in which the client is encouraged to ask questions and share their feelings about direction moving forward.
Dr. Emily also enjoys supervising interns and postdoctoral psychologists for licensure, and offers trainings to other mental health professionals on a variety of topics including Assessment in Counseling and Autism in Adults. In addition to published articles and book chapters on trauma and resilience, Dr. Emily authored God is Talking: How a Green Iguana Taught me to Listen. Dr. Emily and her friends began organizing annual Walk for Water-Columbia in 2012, and Dr. Emily and Columbia Psychology Healing Center have helped raise funds for Charity: Water global clean water efforts with monthly donations.
Dr. Emily believes in holistic health; spirituality is an important component of mental health and Total Well-Being. While she sees the world through a Christian “lens,” she also is very knowledgeable about other worldviews, and meets clients where they are at, to help them achieve their own unique goals. She offers a Christian approach to clients who are interested, and respects those of other faith beliefs or no identified faith belief.
Dr. Emily works with ages 16 and up, and she offers individual counseling sessions for $200/hour. Psychological evaluation rates are as follows:
- Initial interview (1st session) $250
- Testing (2ndsession) $2000 (most testing is 3-4 hours, and an additional 7-10 hours is spent scoring/interpreting tests, compiling collateral information, reviewing any available records, gathering treatment recommendations/resources, and writing the report. You are not being charged for the cost of the testing materials, which are significant.) Dr. Emily Crawford-Thompson or her post-doc personally administers, scores, and interprets all tests. NO psychometrists are utilized. Learning Disorder Evaluations are $2500 as they require additional testing and report-writing time.
- Feedback (3rdsession) $250
Financing options are available through Advance Care Card.
Schedule a free telephone consultation to find out if Dr. Emily is a good fit for you. Telehealth appointments are also available.
Contact Dr. Emily at emily@columbiapsychology.com. Please note that Dr. Emily does NOT work with children under the age of 16.
Please email me at emily@columbiapsychology.com. Your message is important to me and I will respond as soon as I am available; please know that I am typically in session with clients during the day and therefore I am unable to immediately respond to messages. Please do not send multiple messages if you do not hear back right away, as I receive dozens of messages daily and so that tends to delay things further. If you are concerned for your welfare or that of someone in your care, please call 911 or go to your local emergency room. If you or someone you provide care for needs someone to talk to, but are not in an emergent situation, you may call the confidential National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and Mental Health Crisis number at 988 or the Burrell Central Missouri Crisis Line 1-800-395-2132, or visit Centerpointe Hospital (573-615-7188) at
As a member of PSYPACT, Dr. Emily offers telehealth in 40 participating states.
What Clients say about Evaluations with Dr. Emily
“I am really grateful to have found Columbia Psychology Healing Center and will recommend your practice to anyone in need. Thanks again for giving me clarity with your answers, it’s super helpful and understood. I feel like I am headed in the right direction towards healing.”
“Of all the people we’ve worked with, you have taken the most time to really understand and this is so thorough and helpful. Thank you. You’ve given us hope.”
“I feel better and less alone. You’ve helped me more than my five previous counselors combined.”
“You are a Godsend. (She) mentions you every once in a while in a positive thought.”
“This is amazing, there are so many resources. It closes a door and opens up others.”
“Such a positive and validating experience. She really liked you and said you made her feel comfortable and that you were genuine.”
“You were a great doctor to work with and this has been a very positive experience; I highly recommend you.”
“Your guidance and support from the very first day has definitely made a difference, and your energy and calming spirit has carried with me.”
“You are really easy to talk to. I’m surprised how much I opened up. I didn’t think I would. Thank you so much for all your hard work. I’m feeling relieved and very hopeful.”
“This was definitely a good idea. You are amazing. This was a great experience. Often people on the spectrum feel drained after testing, but I didn’t because you made this very comfortable and put me at ease.”
“Thank you – I thoroughly enjoyed getting your expertise & your personal down-to-earth-ness! You made my experience so light and enjoyable.”
“I feel validated. This is so informative and spot on, but worded in a different way than what I would have thought of myself, which is super helpful.”
“You are clearly doing what the Lord has called you to do.”
“This is the best thing I have ever done. This explains so much, and I feel better already just knowing what is going on.”
“This is so amazingly helpful. I will be reading this again several times; there is so much in here I find valuable. Thank you so much!”
” I feel relieved. Things are a lot less scary when you have a name for it. I’m glad to have direction rather than just trying different medications and questioning whether I am being treated for the right diagnosis.”
“It’s been more helpful than I can describe.”
“I could tell all along it was your goal to find answers and give direction, so I felt relieved already.”
“This is a beautiful document. I’m amazed at the amount of work you did and how many helpful resources there are and how well-organized it is.”
“I feel like I have a narrative to my struggles, which accurately reflects my experience.”
“I am excited that my therapy will now have a direction.”
“I am so glad I did this. I have closure and I know where to start. It is very helpful. I really appreciate it, it’s definitely worth it!”
What Other Providers say about Evaluations with Dr. Emily
“You were recommended to us as ‘one of the most kind, caring, patient, and loving people.'”
“I have been testing and reading others’ reports for the past 50 years and want to congratulate you on a very well-written and helpful one. I found your paragraphs to be very pithy, well-written, accessible, and useable. Thanks for doing a good job.”
“WOW!! This is wonderful! I have a feeling that we will be referring to your report, and to other resources suggested in your report, for years to come.”
“Your work is impeccable.”
COUNSELING WITH DR. EMILY
I believe that everyone benefits from some counseling/therapy at some point in life. We are not meant to get through this life without help from one another. The mind and the body are connected in our overall health and well-being, so it is just as important to take care of our mind as it is to take care of our body. At different times in life, we might go to physical therapy to strengthen some muscles. I like to think of counseling as a kind of mind therapy that helps us build and strengthen the “muscles” of mindfulness, distress tolerance, focus, and values-based living (to name just a few of the many ways a therapist can help coach you in life). Most of us haven’t learned coping skills to help us deal with difficult life circumstances and intense emotions. You are not expected to have learned this; after all, this stuff still isn’t taught in most schools, and so if you didn’t learn it at home, now is the time. Why not get some “continuing education” to increase your Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and be the best you? Let go of shame; you are not expected to have it all figured out, and you are certainly not expected to go it alone! When you strengthen your muscles, you will find yourself having more and more “full circle moments” when you are able to help build others up with the same skills you have learned.
Seeking help is a very courageous thing to do, because it means that we are invested in being the best people we can be, and we are committed to living a life of meaning and value. Seeking out counseling requires a vulnerability, which makes it all the more commendable-you are wise to risk feeling vulnerable so that you can move forward into your full life purpose. It is an honor for me to walk alongside you in your 
journey, and I promise to listen to you without judging you. You deserve to have a safe place to share your hurt and struggles. Please know today that it is possible to heal from past pain, wounds, hurt, and trauma, and I am here to help you do just that.
To me, this is much more than a job or even a career. This is my life’s calling, and on some level I knew it at a young age. My parents kept this picture of me when I was four years old, sitting in a chair with my legs crossed and a clipboard in my lap while looking intently at the dolls and stuffed animals on my bed.
Dr. Emily at age 4, in the middle of a Psychological Evaluation with Raggedy Ann (Diagnostic Conclusions unknown)
More seriously, I simply cannot imagine anything in life more rewarding than seeing you live into the fullness of who you were created to be. It is a wonderful feeling to have a part in helping you uncover and rediscover all the wonderful traits and talents that make you uniquely you, and to walk with you as you celebrate a new freedom that comes with discovering just how terrific you are. I love people, and I love the whole beautiful variety of people. I am so honored and feel privileged indeed when people open their hearts to share their life journey with me, and allow me to help them write their stories and heal from their pain.
I am often inspired by the resilience of the human spirit, and I specialize in helping to foster resilience from a variety of traumatic experiences. I have experience helping people recover from a wide range of traumatic events including sexual assault/abuse, physical abuse, emotional/verbal abuse, neglect, domestic violence, combat, and other traumas.
I have experience counseling trauma survivors since 2009 with Cognitive Processing Therapy, an evidence-based treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). You can read more about it here or click here for a brief video explaining CPT. Several randomized clinical trials and effectiveness studies have provided evidence for CPT significantly reducing symptoms of PTSD and depression among survivors of various trauma including combat, sexual assault, child abuse, and domestic violence.
In addition to helping trauma survivors, I am experienced in working with anxiety, depression, Bipolar Disorder and other mood disorders, thought disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, and a number of adjustment/life transition issues. People who work with me consistently report improved confidence, a feeling of “freedom,” more clear self-image, a sense of hope, increased awareness of their strengths, more insight, decreased worry, and improved self-worth. I often hear relief expressed by clients who learn to make connections and insights into why they do what they do. It is not uncommon for me to hear that they used to think that what they were experiencing wasn’t “normal” or that things couldn’t improve, and now they have hope and are even excited for their futures. Few things bring me more joy than to hear that I have had some part in helping someone be more connected with their loved ones, better assert their needs, and be able to be more focused and present with the people and work that they value.
THE PROCESS WITH DR. EMILY
Ideally, I begin my counseling with a comprehensive psychological evaluation, and I incorporate strengths-based assessment approaches throughout the counseling process, because I believe in having data that guides the most efficient and helpful treatment for you. My approach is person-centered, which means that I collaborate with you and encourage you to discover and build on your inner resources and strengths. I incorporate evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, and Cognitive Processing Therapy. I wholeheartedly believe that every person has a unique and important purpose, and I am passionate about helping you discover yours. I am a genuine, authentic, and compassionate person who can also be direct with you if you need a little challenge; yet, my style is gentle enough that you may not even realize you are being challenged! I am often told that people feel very comfortable and at ease with me, and that I am skilled at asking questions that really help them understand themselves, gain insight, and accurately evaluate life direction, values, strengths, and purpose.
“Other people are going to find healing in your wounds. Your greatest life messages and your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts.” -Rick Warren
