LP, 15 years of experience
Welcome to my practice at Grow Therapy! I'm Dr. Jessica Fritzges, a licensed clinical psychologist. I work with clients who are seeking care for complex concerns like trauma, PTSD, personality and dissociative disorders. I work from a collaborative, relationship-based model where the relationship built together in therapy is a core part of the healing process. Using treatments like EMDR and ego state therapy, as well as DBT and motivational interviewing, we can work together to build upon your strengths and find new ways to work through challenges. In addition to therapy, I offer diagnostic psychological evaluations to address various referral questions. For those who need to clarify what mental health concerns they are facing, such as ADHD or cognitive impairment, psychological evaluations can answer these questions by using testing.
In each initial session I listen to the patient's story and strive to develop a warm and safe place to explore what challenges brought them to therapy. I take a history of the person's past, ask about any mental health symptoms, and set goals for treatment. By the end of the session I share my thoughts about an initial diagnosis and treatment plan, and make any recommendations needed for the work to begin.
As a psychologist trained in treatment of complex trauma, I bring both a diagnostic and treatment mindset to the relationships I build with those who entrust themselves to my care. This is useful in ensuring that we make good use of our time together in your sessions, and that we're striving to address the problems using the right framework and approach to help you feel better. I bring a genuine, collaborative relationship to the therapy room, informed by valuing the human person and thinking through a developmental lens about how you arrived at this point in your life. I offer patients the opportunity to be seen, heard, cared for, and helped to thrive.
I invite people from all walks of life to be patients in my practice. My training and experience has been broad, allowing for connection with many presenting concerns and communities. I have a background in treating those with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse concerns; veterans; abuse and trauma survivors; first responders and healthcare workers; the bereaved; and those from traditionally marginalized or disadvantage communities due to race or cultural group membership.
I'm a trained EMDR therapist. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) sounds unusual if you've not heard of it, but it is an extremely effective way of healing past trauma. It is also very effective in lessening depression and grief; desensitizing patients to vivid, unwanted memories; and bridging the gap between your logical mind ("I know I want to move past this") and your emotional mind ("I feel so strongly about it still!"). EMDR is highly effective for many concerns, and effects real neurological change.
Many people come to therapy with early childhood wounds. Attachment-based therapy relies on a strong therapeutic relationship between patient and therapist to compassionately look at, and heal, wounds from early life.