About Our Name
People and communities need depth and interdependence to sustain themselves and grow—just like roots.
When we talk about our roots, we’re referring to the experiences, thoughts, feelings and patterns that form our pasts.
When we refer to the work, we mean the sustained, collaborative effort it takes to create the present and future our clients desire.
Our Purpose
Our founders, Emily and Jasmine, share more about our purpose and the community we serve.
Meet Our Creators
Emily Zoller, LCSW (She/They)
It takes courage to know yourself deeply. I want to create a space where you can begin to know yourself better, uncover connections between past and present, and build out a life that makes you proud. I believe that understanding who we are, and what experiences and relationships have helped form us, creates pathways forward to finding joy, safety, and connection in our present. I want to honor the strength and knowledge you already hold, and create a partnership where we can talk about what feels most tender, scary, and exciting. We can work together to explore ways in which you can feel safer in your body and more confident in your ability to handle life’s challenges.
I come to this work with curiosity and compassion, and am happy to meet you wherever you are. I work hard to create a space to be safely vulnerable, and bring a warm and engaging energy to our work together. I am a trained sex-educator and sex therapist, social worker, and relational psychodynamic therapist. I use a queer and feminist lens, and often work with people around sex, identity, relationships, anxiety, depression, and trauma.
I received my undergraduate degree in Anthropology from Brandeis University, and a Masters degree in Social Work from The University of Chicago. I completed a two year Post-Graduate Fellowship in Psychodynamic Therapy at the Chicago Center for Contemporary Psychotherapy, and a Certificate in Fundamentals of Psychoanalytic Thought from the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute. I received a Certificate in Sex Therapy from California Institute of Integral Studies and am a member of American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT).
Specialties: Gender, Sex, Sexuality, Life Transitions, Identity Exploration, Interpersonal/Systemic Trauma, Relationships, Depression, Anxiety, Chronic Pain/Health Concerns
Location: In-Person and Virtually in Chicago, IL and Virtually for all of Illinois
Jasmine Atwell, J.D., LCSW (She/Her)
I help people make their thoughts and feelings more conscious, alive and manageable. Maybe you are coming to therapy or mediation to make life changing decisions or take urgent action. In my experience, people are best equipped to accomplish those goals when they cultivate enough self-awareness and trust to handle the outcomes of their choices.
In therapy, I work with individual adults, couples, families and groups from a relational and psychodynamic perspective that incorporates Black diasporic and feminist thought, respect for the body’s wisdom and centrality to your well-being and family systems theory. In mediation, I collaborate with loved ones, neighbours, coworkers and other community members to support their compassionate and well-informed decision making.
You can rely on me to offer curiosity and active engagement, compassion for how hard encountering yourself can be and belief in your growing capacity to handle your life. Sometimes my contributions to our work will look like questions and observations. Other times, I may seem more like a historian, reminding you of your progress. And, when we need, I will share clinical theory and my professional opinion as options for understanding yourself.
In addition to life experience and self-study, my practice is informed by formal education that includes a bachelor’s degree in sociology and legal studies from Northwestern University, a master’s degree in social work from the University of Chicago, a juris doctor degree from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, mediation training through the Center for Conflict Resolution in Chicago, two years of postgraduate fellowship training in psychodynamic psychotherapy through the Chicago Center for Contemporary Psychotherapy, collaborative divorce coaching and child specialist training with Collaborative Divorce Illinois and ongoing somatic experiencing training with Somatic Experiencing International.
Specialties: Family and Intimate Relationship Conflict, Parent and Caregiver Support, Identity Exploration, Grief and Loss, Interpersonal and Systemic Trauma, Depression and Anxiety and Workplace Stress
Location: Virtually in Florida, Pennsylvania and Illinois