Jennifer Schalow
Jennifer Schalow
(she/her)
Hello, I’m Dr. Schalow, I’m not the kind of therapist who hides behind clinical language or offers quick fixes. I’m a trauma-informed traumatologist with doctorates in both psychology and theology. My work is grounded in evidence-based treatment, spiritual integrity, and honest, human connection. I don’t just study trauma, I’ve lived through it, healed through it, and now walk with others in compassion and clarity. ✔ Licensed in Tennessee ✔ Licensed in Arkansas ✔ Licensed in Virginia I specialize in trauma recovery, PTSD, anxiety, emotional abuse, religious trauma, and identity restoration. I also work extensively with couples who feel disconnected, stuck, or overwhelmed by communication breakdowns, betrayal, or emotional shutdown. My approach is warm but direct. I combine psychological science, brain-based strategies, solution-focused therapy, and faith-based counseling to help clients move forward with real tools and hope. In my practice, we focus on the whole person, including: mind, body, soul, and relationships. Whether you’re carrying invisible wounds, navigating a major life transition, or simply trying to reconnect with who you are, I provide a safe space for healing, growth, and truth-telling. You do not need to have it all figured out. You just need a place to begin. I work with: ✔ Military service members, veterans, and their families via Military OneSource and TRICARE ✔ First responders and law enforcement ✔ Survivors of trauma, abuse, moral injury, religious abuse, and betrayal ✔ Individuals facing depression, anxiety, burnout, or spiritual confusion ✔ Couples seeking reconnection, repair, and deeper understanding ✔ Clients navigating life transitions, career shifts, or loss of identity Clients often share that for the first time, they feel safe, understood, and empowered to tell their story. If you are ready to do honest, meaningful work and want a therapist who integrates holistically, I would be honored to walk with you.
Get to know me
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
If you’re overwhelmed, burned out, or emotionally stuck, you’re not alone, and you don’t have to figure it out on your own. In our first session, you can expect zero judgment and zero pressure. We’ll get honest about what’s not working and why. I’ll listen deeply, ask the right questions, and help you start connecting the dots between your thoughts, emotions, body, and past experiences. You’ll walk away with clarity, direction, and real insight, not fluff. This is a space for people who are ready to finally feel heard, understood, and supported by a trauma-informed, faith-aware therapist. Whether you’re navigating PTSD, anxiety, burnout, grief, or spiritual confusion, we’ll work together to build new perspectives, find stability, and move toward lasting change. Please be advised that if insurance is not utilized, the cash payout amounts to $150 for individuals and $200 for couples.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
I’m a direct, compassionate, and faith-integrated therapist who brings both clinical training and real-life grit to the therapy room. I don’t sugarcoat, and I don’t hide behind labels; I see people, not diagnoses. My approach blends trauma-informed therapy, neuroscience, and spiritual insight to help you work through the hard stuff: anxiety, PTSD, grief, burnout, and identity struggles. I hold space for the stories most people avoid, the messy, painful, confusing ones, and I don’t flinch. My strength lies in identifying what others overlook, posing the tough questions, and walking alongside you without judgment as you undertake the sacred, life-changing work of healing. Every session brings strategy, soul, and science because real healing demands all three.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
I specialize in working with high-achieving but emotionally exhausted professionals, trauma survivors, and those navigating complicated grief or chronic stress. Many of my clients include first responders, military personnel and their families, and individuals recovering from spiritual abuse or church-related trauma. If you’ve learned to look strong on the outside while silently falling apart inside, I see you. Whether you're facing burnout, PTSD, anxiety, or faith-related wounds, I provide a space where authenticity takes precedence over appearances. No toxic positivity. No sugarcoating. Just genuine, trauma-informed, expert-level therapy grounded in clinical excellence and spiritual depth. If you’re looking for a therapist who understands both strength and struggle, I’m here to walk with you.
About Jennifer Schalow
Jennifer Schalow offers therapy covered by Kaiser Permanente - Medicaid and UnitedHealthcare/Optum - Medicaid in Virginia.
I identify as
Serves ages
Accepts
Appointments
VirtualMy treatment methods
Strength-Based
I don’t believe in fixing people. I believe in unlocking what’s already strong within them. My approach is all about calling out resilience, grit, empathy, and insight that often gets buried under stress, trauma, or self-doubt. Instead of obsessing over what’s “wrong,” we zero in on what’s powerful, real, and ready to grow. I help people see their story differently—not as something broken, but as something that can evolve. This isn’t about toxic positivity, it’s about honest momentum and sustainable change.
Trauma Informed Care
My approach is a no-fluff, high-impact blend of talk therapy, somatic awareness, and real-world coping tools that get results. I work with high-performing professionals from first responders to military to investigators, as well as survivors of deep trauma, including religious, childhood, domestic violence, and sexual trauma. Whether you’ve been trained to suppress everything or you’ve survived something unspeakable, the truth is this: your body keeps the score, and your mind is done carrying the weight alone. In our work, we don’t just talk, we train. We reset your nervous system, sharpen your focus, and build real-life resilience. Somatic techniques are used not as woo-woo rituals, but as methods to get you back in the driver’s seat of your own body and mind. You’ll learn how to stay present, recognize when you are being hijacked by your emotions, and step into strength that’s sustainable, not performative. This isn’t surface-level healing. It’s a transformation designed to make you life-ready.
Christian Counseling
Christian counseling isn’t about plastering a Bible verse over your breakdown and calling it peace. It’s not about suppressing emotions to appear “faithful.” It’s about meeting the Living God in the middle of your storm, not pretending it isn’t raining. If your emotions feel unpredictable, if the weight of the past keeps rewriting your present, or if your faith feels fragmented under the pressure, you’re not alone. I don’t separate Scripture from science, and I don’t shrink back from the hard stuff. With a doctorate in both theology and clinical psychology, my work is unapologetically integrated. We use evidence-based strategies and Spirit-led truth. Why? Because soul-deep healing demands both. You need more than coping skills. You need a mental, emotional, and spiritual transformation. This isn’t fluffy faith or sanitized therapy. It’s real work for real people. People who know how to pray but still panic. People who love God but secretly wonder why they still feel stuck. People who are tired of striving and ready for surrender, but don’t know how to get there. Here, we get practical. We’ll decode the emotional chaos, rebuild self-trust, and confront the lies trauma taught you to believe. Together, we’ll retrain your nervous system, strengthen your God-given identity, and create a healing roadmap grounded in biblical truth and clinical precision. This is a space where it’s safe to question, safe to cry, and safe to feel without judgment, performance, or religious pressure. You’re allowed to be a mess. You’re also called to be whole. We’ll walk one honest, holy step at a time.
EMDR
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is one of the most effective tools I use to help clients heal from trauma. It allows the brain to reprocess painful memories that often stay stuck, continuing to trigger anxiety, fear, or shame even when the danger is over. In my practice, EMDR is offered in a calm and supportive environment where your story is honored and your nervous system is gently guided toward healing. Whether you're carrying the weight of combat, betrayal, childhood trauma, or spiritual wounds, EMDR can help you process those experiences without having to relive them. For those who desire it, I also integrate Christian faith into the process, helping you not only heal emotionally but also rediscover your identity in Christ and restore your sense of peace and purpose. You do not have to live in survival mode. Healing is possible, and EMDR can help you take the next step forward.
Solution Focused Brief Treatment
In my practice, Solution-Focused Therapy is used to help clients shift their attention from problems to possibilities. Instead of spending sessions dissecting everything that feels wrong, we work together to identify what is working and how to build on it. This approach is practical, goal-oriented, and empowering. We focus on your strengths, your past successes, and your vision for the future. Even small steps can create real momentum. You do not need to have everything figured out. You just need a starting point, and I am here to help you find it.