Hello there! I’m Jennifer Mendoza, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who specializes in child and adolescent mental health based out of Northern California. I’ve served a diverse range of populations in my last 10 years of post-graduate clinical experience with an emphasis in child, adolescent, and family assessment, diagnosis, and treatment as well as have experience with young professionals, and adult work. My professional experience has primarily taken place in community based mental health where I’ve served both as a therapist and supervisor for children and youth-based programs, seeking to provide specialty, trauma informed mental health treatment through evidenced based practices that integrate culturally sensitive and person-centered approaches. I also have experience in a group private practice setting, with my most recent experience as a mental health therapist at LPCH Stanford Child and Adolescent Psychiatry where I served in their outpatient Mood Disorders Clinic.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In our first session together, we'll start with brief introductions, then dive into the specific challenges that lead you to seek therapy for your child/adolescent. This will help me create a tailored plan for us to work through in follow-up sessions.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
My strengths lie in my 8 yrs. of experience with at with children, adolescents, at risk youth, trauma- informed care. I' m also provide culturally sensitive practices and am bilingual in English and Spanish.
About Jennifer Mendoza
Appointments
Virtual
My treatment methods
Attachment-based
Attachment Theory is an evidence-based framework I’ve integrated into my practice for the last 10 years as it teaches two invaluable skill sets essential to all age groups: how to form healthy relationships and take care of our safety.
Therapy begins with the initial assessment process where we’ll start exploring early emotional bonds in the parent-child relationship to gauge your child/adolescent’s individual attachment style, gain understanding for their view of self in the world, and their approach to forming and sustaining positive relationships across various life domains (home, school, social, community). After assessment, we’ll create a treatment plan to identify goals that strengthen your child/adolescent’s daily social emotional functionality and needs. This ushers in the “active” phase of treatment where I’ll integrate tools that support your child/adolescent’s goals and their ability to foster healthier relationships based on trust and vulnerability.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is one of the most highly endorsed evidence-based treatment models in mental health as it’s proven to be most effective with addressing a range of mental and behavioral health symptoms related to anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, and life transitions, and can be integrated into treatment with various populations and age groups. Even with children as young as 7 years old when concepts are explained in a simple and relatable manner! Thus, it's a model I've integrated in the last 8 years of practice and sought further training for, helping many of my clients reframe how they identify, interpret, and assess their emotional and behavioral reactions to unfavorable experiences.
During treatment, my focus will be to work jointly with your child/adolescent and support them with better understanding how their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are interconnected and affect one another. This is followed by exploration and application of thought testing and perspective taking strategies that support healthier thought patterns, behaviors, improved mood, and overall mental well-being.
Strength-Based
Strengths Based Therapy is an evidenced based approach I’ve integrated in my practice for the past 10 years. This framework allows me to partner with children/adolescents to help them identify their personal strengths, notice strengths in others, and encourages them to develop and use their skills to create positive changes in their lives. Research shows that having a clear idea of our internal resources and how they can be used helps us feel happier, have better self-esteem, and are more likely to accomplish goals they set for themselves.
Psychoeducation
Psychoeducation is a therapeutic intervention I’ve used in my practice with children, adolescents, and families for the past 10 years and is effective in treating anxiety disorders, mood disorders, trauma, and PTSD.
This intervention is intended to help you and your child/adolescent better understand and navigate their mental health needs as well as equips you both with healthier coping and emotional problem-solving strategies that empower their active participation and progress in treatment. Psychoeducation provides increased self-awareness, alleviates feelings of stigma and shame, encourages accountability, and helps clients make informed decisions to maximize positive treatment outcomes.
Trauma-Focused CBT
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT) is a structured, short-term evidence-based treatment created to help your child/adolescent recover after trauma. I’ve implemented this model in my last 8 years of practice as it’s effectively improved a range of trauma-related outcomes and many other trauma impacts including depression, anxiety, cognitive and behavioral problems with children and adolescents and creates a space for me to address your personal distress about the traumatic experience from a caregiver perspective, to support your with effective parenting skills, and healthier, positive interactions with the child.
