About Me

Office with blue chair, gray sofa, and a desk with a lamp and digital clock, against a colorful mountain mural wall.
A dog with a mottled coat resting on a vintage brown velvet sofa beside a side table with a potted plant and other items.
Two women having a conversation in a cozy living room with a wooden coffee table, potted plants on the window sill, books on a shelf, and a natural light coming through the window.
A cozy living room corner with a gray upholstered sofa, a decorative pillow with a checkered pattern, a white side table with three drawers, a modern silver desk lamp, a digital clock displaying the time 10:18, a small decorative plant, and a window with closed blinds.
Interior wall with beige paint and white shelves holding potted green plants, including a hanging plant, a leafy plant, and a tall cactus, with an air conditioning unit above.
Four women sitting on the floor in front of a wall with a circular sign that reads "sprout therapy pdx" surrounded by green moss. They are smiling and appear happy.
A young woman with blonde hair and a black satin shirt standing outdoors in front of green leafy foliage, smiling at the camera.
A woman with long brown hair, smiling, sitting on a black chair in front of a sign that reads 'sprout therapy pdx,' with a leafy green decoration behind her.
Potted succulent plants on a windowsill behind a sheer white curtain with sunlight filtering through.

I’m Emelie Douglas, a therapist, CEO, and systems-builder - and the founder of Sprout Your Practice.

II grew my first business, Sprout Therapy PDX, from a solo private practice in 2017 into one of Oregon’s most beloved and respected mental health organizations. Today, Sprout employs more than 40 clinicians and staff serving over 1,000 Oregonians annually. We’ve been honored as one of the Portland Business Journal’s Fastest Growing Private Companies and Best Places to Work, and named Willamette Week’s Best of Portland therapy practice, and I was recognized as a Portland Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree for leadership and community impact.

When I launched Sprout, I had no roadmap, just my vision. I wanted to create a place where therapy could be practiced in a comfortable, modern environment with excellent, warm, and authentic clinicians, and where everything was done ethically. Along the way, I learned everything I could about what it truly takes to build a business that works.

I created Sprout Your Practice to share that knowledge with others - because every therapist deserves to love both the work and the way their business runs. We’ve proven that a mental health practice can be both financially strong and radically compassionate.

What I Believe

A business thrives when it aligns with your values. My goal is to help therapists build something that supports your life, your clients, and your community - not the other way around.

When I founded Sprout, I wanted to create a place where therapists could do their best work without burning out - where clients receive excellent care because clinicians are supported, not despite it.

At Sprout Your Practice, I help therapists and group practice owners design businesses that feel grounded, ethical, and alive. My approach blends the practical with the purposeful: business strategy, clinical insight, and leadership coaching designed for people who care deeply about what they do.

What I Bring

  • Real-World Expertise.
    I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor, Clinical Supervisor, and MBA graduate. I know how to blend clinical integrity with solid operations and sustainable growth.

  • Proven Results.
    Under my leadership, Sprout has achieved ~90% annual staff retention in an industry where 50% turnover is standard. That success comes from building systems that honor both people and profit.

  • Industry Leadership.
    I’ve served as President of the Oregon Counseling Association, where I launched the Workforce Equity Project to support early-career clinicians and advance equity across the profession.

My Story, in Brief

I grew up in a loud, loving Sicilian-American family as an adoptive child and learned early what it means to navigate complex dynamics with humor and heart. I’ve been the burnt-out clinician, the advocate, the executive, the author, and now the mentor. I know the chaos of building something from scratch… and the quiet pride of seeing it flourish.

I live in Portland with my partner, our daughter, and our rescue animals. I love the small things: cooking for friends, bad puns, and the first sunny day after a long Oregon winter.

Why I Do This Work

Because I believe therapy should be both good for the world and good for the people who provide it.
Because clinicians deserve workplaces that reflect their care, not exploit it.
Because thriving therapists help their clients thrive.

Sprout Your Practice exists to make that possible - one thoughtful, values-driven business at a time.

Let’s grow what’s next. 🌱