About Emily
Dr. Emily Hargrove is a psychologist, researcher, international speaker, philosophical counselor, and self-advocate whose work sits at the intersection of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), spirituality, and living experience. Diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) at the age of one through a Vanderbilt Clinic, Emily grew up amid low expectations for what her diagnosis might mean for her future. Rather than allowing those expectations to define the boundaries of her life, she developed a deep love of learning and a faith that shaped her understanding of identity, purpose, and human worth. Today, she brings living experience and scholarship together to challenge stigma, elevate adult voices, and expand how professionals and communities understand life with FASD.
Since 2008, Emily has traveled as an educator, self-advocate, and speaker, sharing both her personal experiences and professional expertise with diverse audiences. She is a member of the International Adult Leadership Cooperative of the FASD Changemakers (ALC), where she collaborates with fellow adults with FASD to strengthen the collective voice of those with living experience and promote more inclusive, informed approaches to research, practice, and advocacy.
Emily's scholarship has contributed to the growing body of research centered on adulthood with FASD. In 2020, alongside fellow ALC members, she co-authored a chapter in the Routledge Handbook of Social Work and Addictive Behaviors examining chronic healthcare implications for adults with FASD. She later contributed to research examining quality of life among adults with FASD, published in Disabilities. She has also collaborated with the University of Rochester and fellow ALC members in the development of a health-management resource designed with and for adults with FASD.
Emily's advocacy and leadership span more than a decade. She is a founding member of Self-Advocates with an FASD in Action (SAFA), has served as an expert panel member for SAMHSA's FASD Center for Excellence, and has partnered with state affiliates of FASD United and The Arc of the United States to develop and facilitate education and training. She also previously served as President of the Board of The FASD Collaborative Project.
Emily earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Counseling, with a minor in Christian Ministries, summa cum laude, and subsequently earned a Master of Philosophy in Psychology. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology, with doctoral research exploring how adults with FASD describe their faith formation and spiritual experiences. Her research brings together areas that have often been considered separately: neurodevelopmental disability, adult living experience, spirituality, and faith development and reflects her broader commitment to understanding the whole person rather than reducing individuals to a diagnosis.
In addition to her academic and advocacy work, Emily is a certified affiliate and member of the American Philosophical Practitioners Association (APPA), practicing philosophical counseling as an additional avenue for exploring questions of meaning, identity, values, and human flourishing. Her background also includes five years of volunteer service at a family crisis center, where she served as a mentor and group facilitator.
Faith remains at the heart of Emily’s life. She and her husband, Jace, served together as youth pastors for seven years, walking alongside young people as they discovered their strengths, their purpose, and fire inside them. Emily carries that same passion into her work with a local Miss America Scholarship Program, where she enjoys encouraging young women as they grow in confidence, strengthen their voices, develop interview and communication skills, and discover how they can use their gifts in service to others.
Outside of her professional and community work, Emily’s greatest joy is her family. She and her husband, Jace, are raising two young boys who keep life full of laughter and more than a little chaos. Having grown up on a farm, Emily has always loved being outdoors, especially horseback riding, and still feels most at home surrounded by nature. She is also a lifelong musician who plays classical piano and the Native American flute and enjoys exploring philosophy, spirituality, and holistic approaches to well-being.
At the heart of all these pieces of Emily’s life is a belief that has followed her from the little girl who was once given a grim prognosis to the researcher, advocate, wife, and mom she is today: no person should be defined solely by a diagnosis, a limitation, or someone else’s expectations for their life. Every person has inherent worth, strengths worth discovering, a voice worth hearing, and something meaningful to bring to the table.
