LMFT, 15 years of experience
New to Grow
I enjoy meeting new people. Each client I have is a new story. My objective is to listen and work collaboratively with you. Everybody gets challenged in this life. I would like to hear your needs and help you find your way through them. Life is short. If I can help you discover a happier life, that will be outstanding. I have a sense of humor. I thinks that's necessary in this life. Please feel free to call me Jen.
I usually start with an assessment. I will ask you a lot of different questions that may or many not be relevant to your current challenge. I will also ask you to complete the PHQ -9 and the GAD-7. These are surveys that will help me know how serious your anxiety and depression are and they will begiven once every other week. They will let us both know if I am helping you. The assessment will act as a baseline for where you are when you first meet me.
I love what I do and I will always be happy to see you. I have anxiety so I am very educated about how it operates. You will each have a different life story and challenge. That is what makes this work interesting to me. You are each individuals with different background, upbringings and adventures. I think it is a privilege to hear someone's personal story and help them get past the hurdles.
I have worked with a lot of different clients. I have worked in adoption, with child abuse victims, LGBTQ+ clients, and clients who are challenged by anxiety and depression. I have worked with many different adults. I am half Mexican and half White, so I understand that ethnicity and I am open to understanding many others. Empathy is key to my work. I won't be your judge. I exist to encourage you and come up with new strategies. I am a big fan of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I am also very flexible, so if that modality is not the ticket, we will use something else.
I really like CBT because I do believe that what we think is what we do. I use weekly homework because it helps clients speak to their mental health challenges. I am always open to receiving feedback from my clients. If they are not open to the homework and it doesn't address their challenges, we can address their needs in a different way.
I like to work with clients and encourage them to pull from the strengths they already possess. Clients often underestimate the courage they bring to the table. Many mental health challenges push people to see what is "wrong," instead of all that is very "right" in their lives.