Jessika Szatny
I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who is passionate about helping children and adults reconnect with themselves and navigate life’s challenges with greater compassion, understanding, and self-awareness. My clinical work centers on the relationship between emotional well-being, chronic stress, and the mind-body connection. I support individuals experiencing anxiety, burnout, chronic pain, chronic illness, and the emotional exhaustion that can come from constantly pushing through. My approach is humanistic and person-centered, integrating Internal Family Systems (IFS)-informed parts work, somatic awareness, and neuroscience-informed practices. I believe our thoughts, emotions, experiences, and bodily responses are deeply interconnected. Together, we explore the parts of you that may carry fear, perfectionism, self-criticism, or the pressure to keep going, approaching these experiences with curiosity rather than judgment.
Your body deserves compassion, your mind deserves rest, and you deserve support beyond simply pushing through.
I am especially interested in helping individuals move beyond survival mode, develop a more compassionate relationship with themselves, and cultivate greater emotional flexibility and resilience. Therapy is a collaborative process where your experiences, values, and goals guide our work. My hope is to create a space where you feel understood, supported, and empowered to develop meaningful, sustainable change.
First session
Your first session is an opportunity to feel heard, understood, and supported without judgment. We will explore what brings you to therapy, your experiences, and what you hope to change. Together, we begin identifying patterns, understanding your needs, and developing goals at a pace that feels comfortable. You can expect warmth, curiosity, and a collaborative approach focused on helping you feel safe and understood.
Strengths
What stands out about my approach is the way I integrate evidence-based therapy with a strong focus on the mind-body connection. Many of the individuals I work with feel overwhelmed, emotionally exhausted, stuck in patterns of overthinking, or are navigating chronic stress, anxiety, burnout, chronic pain, or illness-related challenges. Rather than focusing only on thoughts or behaviors, I help clients explore how emotional experiences, stress responses, and learned patterns influence both their inner world and their relationship with their bodies. My work goes beyond symptom management. I integrate Internal Family Systems (IFS)-informed parts work, somatic awareness, attachment-informed exploration, and neuroscience-informed practices to help clients understand the underlying patterns contributing to distress. Together, we explore the parts of themselves that may carry fear, perfectionism, self-criticism, or the pressure to keep pushing through, approaching these experiences with curiosity and compassion rather than judgment. I also emphasize nervous system regulation, neuroplasticity, and therapeutic pacing, recognizing that meaningful change develops through safety, connection, and consistent practice rather than force or pressure. Therapy is collaborative and individualized, honoring each client's experiences, needs, and capacity. Over time, clients can develop greater self-awareness, emotional flexibility, self-compassion, and confidence in navigating relationships, boundaries, and life's challenges. My approach balances insight with experience, helping clients not only understand their patterns but also develop new ways of relating to themselves, their emotions, and their bodies.
Ideal clients
My ideal clients are individuals who feel overwhelmed by the demands of life, disconnected from themselves, or exhausted from constantly pushing through. I work with children, adolescents, and adults navigating anxiety, chronic stress, burnout, chronic pain, chronic illness, and the emotional complexities that accompany persistent physical symptoms. Many of my adult clients are high-achieving, perfectionistic, or accustomed to prioritizing others while neglecting their own needs. They may struggle with overthinking, people-pleasing, self-criticism, difficulty setting boundaries, or feeling that slowing down means falling behind. Others are navigating the uncertainty, frustration, and emotional exhaustion of living with chronic illness or pain and want support developing a more compassionate relationship with themselves and their bodies. I am especially drawn to working with individuals who want to understand themselves more deeply rather than simply manage symptoms. Clients who are curious about their inner experiences, open to exploring different parts of themselves, and interested in understanding the relationship between emotional experiences, stress responses, and the body often find this approach meaningful. I also support children and adolescents experiencing anxiety, emotional overwhelm, stress-related physical symptoms, and difficulties with emotional regulation or school engagement. Whether you feel stuck in familiar patterns, disconnected from your body, or unsure how to move forward, therapy offers an opportunity to slow down, reconnect with yourself, and develop new ways of responding to life's challenges with greater awareness, self-compassion, and resilience.
Origin story
My journey into social work was shaped by a deep appreciation for the power of compassion, connection, and emotional understanding. I became drawn to this profession through witnessing how meaningful it can be when someone feels genuinely heard, supported, and understood during difficult experiences. These experiences strengthened my belief that healing begins with safety, connection, and the freedom to explore our experiences without judgment. Today, I bring that belief into my clinical work, creating space for individuals to reconnect with themselves, develop self-compassion, and navigate life's challenges with greater understanding and resilience.
Ongoing work together
Our ongoing work is collaborative, individualized, and paced to your needs. We explore underlying emotional patterns, inner parts, and mind-body connections while building practical skills for regulation, self-compassion, and navigating stress. Through reflection, experiential practices, and meaningful conversations, you develop greater self-awareness, resilience, and new ways of relating to yourself, your body, and life's challenges.
Treatment methods
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
I use IFS-informed parts work to help clients understand the different parts of themselves that carry anxiety, perfectionism, fear, self-criticism, or the pressure to keep pushing through. Together, we approach these parts with curiosity and compassion, exploring their protective roles and underlying needs while fostering greater self-trust, emotional understanding, and internal connection.
Somatic
I integrate somatic awareness to help clients recognize the connection between emotions, stress, and bodily experiences. Through grounding, body awareness, and gentle experiential practices, clients develop greater awareness of physiological responses, emotional regulation, and a more compassionate relationship with their bodies. I help clients explore how emotional experiences, chronic stress, and learned patterns of responding to threat can influence their physical and emotional well-being. This approach is particularly meaningful for individuals navigating chronic pain, illness, fatigue, anxiety, and burnout, while honoring the complexity of their symptoms and medical experiences.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
My practice is grounded in a humanistic approach that honors each person's individuality, strengths, and capacity for growth. I prioritize empathy, authenticity, and a nonjudgmental therapeutic relationship, creating space for clients to explore their experiences, reconnect with themselves, and move toward greater self-awareness, self-compassion, and meaningful change.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I integrate CBT to help clients identify and understand patterns of thinking and behavior that contribute to anxiety, stress, perfectionism, and emotional distress. Through collaborative exploration and practical strategies, clients develop greater cognitive flexibility, healthier coping patterns, and confidence navigating challenging situations.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
I integrate mindfulness practices to help clients develop awareness of thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations without judgment. Through grounding and present-moment awareness, clients cultivate self-compassion, emotional regulation, and greater flexibility in responding to stress and familiar patterns.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Top specialties
Doesn't specialize in
Licensed in
- New JerseyLicense 44SC06245400
- TexasLicense 67808