LPC, 14 years of experience
I received an MA in Humanistic Psychology in 2007 from the University of West Georgia. I use a client-centered, humanistic approach focusing on aspects of Mindfulness, Existentialism, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I have experience working with anxiety, depression, and trauma-related diagnoses as well as other life experiences. My learning and healing journey has been full of the unexpected and the changes have come in a variety of forms. Some I have savored, leaving me filled with a sense of wonder. Others have left me picking up the broken pieces, wondering in what possible way I might ever come back together again. I have been lucky, I think, to have the lens of Psychology to help me along the way. Along our way together I will offer this lens to you.
Our first appointment together will be an open and honest discussion about where you are. An easy going get-to-know type thing. I'll also be open to any questions you might have.
In 2002, before my formal education in Psychology, I traveled with two close friends to southern France where for a brief time I stayed at Plum Village, a little Buddhist monastery. Over the years it has been a joy to watch mindfulness work its way into the vernacular of psychology and counseling and it will give us direction in the work we do together.
I love to work with older adolescents and adults. If you enjoy delving deep into your experience to mine out the gold, we could be a good fit. Looking closely at the experience to understand how it was understood and framed, the meaning that was made from it, and how that plays a very important role in your current thoughts, feelings, and responses will be a theme in our work together.
11 ratings with written reviews
July 22, 2025
Very nice to speak with J. Overdorff. I know that there is much work to do, but I do believe we can get through it. The purpose and spirituality about life is quite similar, if not identical. Very refreshing and I look forward to our future appointments.
July 18, 2025
Being able to talk to Jeff is such a highpoint in my week. Jeff challenges me in healthy ways while also helping me articulate what can be challenging at times. I appreciate everything he does for me
July 17, 2025
Jeff is a genuine pleasure to talk to. His approach to helping you overcome obstacles in your life is subtle yet effective. He listens, genuinely cares, and can truly help guide you to the path. Just when you think he's leading you off on a tangent that has nothing to do with what you were talking about BOOM! He brings if full circle and you have a greater understanding of not only the answers you were seeking but also why the question arose in the first place. The guy truly helped me.
After graduate school and full licensure I studied under a seasoned psychologist and several other practitioners for five years. These wonderful teachers taught and utilized a CBT method with an emphasis on pattern recognition. CBT is a way of examining thought patterns and how they generate emotional experiences, then driving our patterned response/behaviors. If necessary we will use this tool to examine the meaning/decisions made during these difficult experiences. This meaning and past decision making oftentimes drive the avoidant thoughts that keep getting in your way. Together we will aim to process through these experiences through a different set of eyes, making more healthy and constructive meaning/decisions. New meaning = new thought patterns = different emotional content = different behavior patterns.
My graduate degree was in Humanistic Psychology. This way of practicing psychology is the origin of client centered therapy and unconditional positive regard. A humanistic approach adheres to a belief that we, as humans, tend to grow in a positive direction when obstacles are removed. In the above section I spoke of avoidant thought patterns, their generated emotional content, and the resulting avoidant behavior patterns. These would be considered obstacles to a humanistic psychologist and gotta go.
Existential meaning is a big topic to a student of humanistic psychology. Accepting that these are short little lives we live and the meaning and decisions we make as well as the meaning we project onto the world are fundamental in how we experience our lives and relate to others. In other words it's in the repression of these truths, most prominently our mortality, that our lived experiences are dimmed, so to speak. A goal of existential therapy is to understand it's in the embracing of these things that the very dear value of our lives comes into sharper focus. This approach will be threaded into our work together as it presents itself.