With a clinical background of 25 years, Jennifer McKenzie is an exceptionally seasoned psychotherapist who specializes in working with adults and couples. Her vibe is direct and compassionate, as she strives to provide a safe, nonjudgmental space for people. Jennifer has training in addiction medicine, attachment-focused treatment, trauma/EMDR, grief, and palliative care. Mostly, she values growth and healing and is honored to be a companion to people on their journeys.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
Jennifer will invite you to share what is happening that prompts you to reach out now. She will share a little bit about her training and how she works with clients to resolve their issues.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
Jennifer is known for her warmth and compassion, but also for her ability to identify and share what she sees and thinks. This means you will not be left guessing what her perspective is and how she feels about you and your difficulties.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
There is very little that Jennifer has not been exposed to in her clinical work. This positions her to respond with well to a diverse clientele who are struggling with emotional, psychological, physical and spiritual issues. Reach out for a consultation (or request email/text communication) and let's see how you feel because THAT is the key!
About Jennifer McKenzie
Identifies as
Specializes in
Serves ages
Licensed in
Accepts
Address
659 Cherry St, Santa Rosa, CA 95404, Suite 206Appointments
Virtual & in-personMy treatment methods
Compassion Focused
Emotionally focused therapy that validates your experience and encourages shifting to self compassion as the key to transformation.
Attachment-based
Linking current issues to developmental history is a fundamental source of healing and recovery.
EMDR
Explanation of EMDR by Laurel Parnell, PhD. When a trauma or significant stressor occurs, we understand that it seems to get locked in the nervous system with the original picture, sounds, thoughts and feelings that went in at the time of the event. The bilateral stimulation (BLS) we use in EMDR seem to unlock the nervous system and allow the mind and body to process the experience. That may be what is happening in REM or dream sleep – the bilateral stimulation helps to process the unconscious material. It is important to remember that it is your own brain that will be doing the healing and that you are the one in control. We will begin by bringing up a memory you want to work on with the thoughts, feelings, and body sensations associated with it in order to stimulate the memory network. Then we will begin the bilateral stimulation and you are to let whatever happens happen without censoring it. It is like a mind-body free association. When you feel like you are at the end of a piece of processing and you are ready to check in, we will pause the bilateral stimulation, I will ask you what is happening, and you simply report back to me your experience. We will then begin a new set of bilateral stimulation. At times I will ask you to return to the memory you started with and to tell me your experience. It is most important that you not judge or censor your experience. We’ll do the BLS for a while and then we’ll talk about it. We’ll keep doing bilateral stimulation and check-ins until the memory you started with is no longer disturbing to you.
Somatic
Somatic Experiencing (SE™) aims to resolve symptoms of stress, shock, and trauma that accumulate in our bodies. When we are stuck in patterns of fight, flight, or freeze, SE helps us release, recover, and become more resilient.