(she/her)
New to Grow
"I will look for the flowers by the side of the road; I will laugh and love and be strong. I will try to lighten another’s load this day as I fare along". --MARY S. EDGAR My name is Jen and I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a Clinical Trauma Professional. I would love to work alongside you as your therapist. I have 20 years of experience providing both mental health and addictions therapy to individuals, couples, families, and groups. My Master’s degree is in Community Mental Health Counseling, Addictions Counseling, and Marriage and Family Therapy (2009), and I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Family Studies (2006). I've worked in in Telehealth, community mental health, schools, shelters, and private practices. Since becoming a counselor, clients, such as yourself, have come to me for a lot of different things, including trauma (particularly in the areas of childhood abuse, domestic violence, religious trauma, and first responder and military trauma), LGBTQ+ issues, personality disorders, family and social relationships, self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. Currently, I work with women and nonbinary clients with a history of trauma and abuse, sexual trauma, eating disorders, and military veterans and their partners. In particular, a lot of my clients with a history of trauma come to process this in treatment; however, trauma doesn't necessary have to be their main focus of therapy. Personally, I have always enjoyed my job as a therapist. It has been good to see change in my clients regardless if they see their change as little or big. Watching growth in the people I work with truly makes my work worth it. After work, I enjoy being outside, watching sports (especially basketball), being at a beach, reading, binge watching TV series, and spending time with my family.
Starting counseling can produce negative feelings, such as anxiety, worry, or fear; but part of our journey together is to work on processing those feelings right from the start. I want to provide a SAFE SPACE environment for you that is warm, respectful, trauma-informed, and meets your individual needs. Here's what I would like to share with you about how I view the counseling experience. However, what really matters is your own view of counseling, because I want you to be in control of your counseling experience. I see counseling as a didactic relationship, "a journey we take together". You are the “expert” of you, not me. Your individualized counseling experience should focus on your own goals. My job is to help “guide” or “lead” you in achieving those goals, while you continue to do your best to achieve them. I will support you as you do so. It’s like we build a house together. I am responsible for the frame and structure of the house; while you get to fill the rest of it in, make it look the way you want it to, and in the end, turn it into the home you want it to look like. My goals for you during our first session are to: 1.) help you feel more comfortable with me and starting therapy; 2.) get to learn about you and what's brought you to therapy, and for you to get to know me; 3.) provide you with something tangible that can help you until we meet again; and 4.) help you feel comfortable enough with me that you want to come back next week. Since this is your session, if you came in with something else in mind, the first session could look very different from this.
If I had to tell you the overall "objective" I have with my work in 10 words or less, it would look something like this: "Providing you trauma-informed therapy that helps you achieve you goals". My therapeutic approach is mainly from family systems theory, which summed up says “we are not islands”. We are influenced by the world, or the “systems” around us starting from birth (and even before). These systems influence how we see the world and make decisions. When things happen to us (good or bad), these systems shape its effects on us and our reactions to them. I also “borrow” concepts from other theories, such as taking our unhealthy beliefs and changing them into healthier patterns to reduce negative feelings; providing support; quick solutions-focused treatment; etc. WHAT SETS ME APART: I am EMDRIA-trained in EMDR, SPECIFICALLY FOR TELEHEALTH, and will provide EMDR treatment to clients found to be appropriate and motivated. Outside from EMDR, I work with CBT, DBT, some IFS, and supportive therapy techniques. I have focused a significant part of my 20 years as a therapist on growing MY SPECIALTY AREAS of trauma and eating disorders. My true passion is to work with people who have gone through significant trauma in their lives creating complex, developmental (childhood) trauma or C-PTSD. MY VIEWPOINT ON WORKING WITH CLIENTS WITH TRAUMA: That is because every step, every change, every new way to trust someone, is growth. It is a big step. Every traumatic event, no matter what it is, has something significant in common: you lose your ability to have choice, so each positive step in therapy represents a choice you now have gotten to make. That belief is what leads to positive change in therapy. If you believe you can do that, you can. I also have an ability to help my client's engage by making them more comfortable early on. I try hard to make you comfortable. You do not have to disclose trauma right away under this therapeutic approach. You don't even really have to disclose it in detail ever. It is about how you want to and when (if ever) you want to. Again this is about choice. The more choice a client is given, the more ability they have to heal. This has been observed in the success I have witnessed in their growth over the years.
I work with ADULT WOMEN. While my practice works with many things, my main focus is working with trauma and PTSD, including the areas of complex trauma (C-PTSD), developmental (childhood) trauma, sexual trauma, religious trauma, DV, military trauma and their partners/spouses. My other main focus on eating disorders, body image, and self-esteem. I also work a lot with LGBTQ+ issues, personality disorders, family and social relationships, and substance abuse (only if it is related to another one of these presenting problems such as trauma). I work best with someone who is motivated to do therapy and wants to explore why they feel the way they do. They want to either change for the better or learn to accept who they are. That doesn't mean they aren't nervous, worried, or afraid to do so, because working with trauma is hard. That just means that they are willing to try, even if it means taking it slow and taking the time to build trust. Therapy goals can range anywhere from reducing the symptoms of anxiety, depression, problems with food, or sleep disturbance associated trauma, eating disorders, etc. to wanting to learn how to have healthy relationships, feeling safe, setting boundaries, or even learning better communication skills, which are all concerns when you have had a history of trauma.
Other specialties
I identify as
EMDR
I mostly see clients with trauma. I was trained to specifically use it with telehealth and have been using it for around 6.5 years, particularly with my clients with a history of developmental or complex trauma or eating disorders. I also add some IFS (Internal Family Systems) methods in with my EMDR, as well as some DBT
Attachment-based
When you grow up in a very hard family situation, regardless of if it is chaotic or distant, your ability to feel secure and attached to others is affected. This goes along well with my belief system, and other treatment methods. I incorporate attachment-based ideals and treatment in my therapy with all methods of treatment I am using with my clients. Also, when clients know their attachment style, it can help explain why they see the world they way they do, and why their relationships interact how they do as well.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I've utilized CBT and its counterpart REBT throughout my 20 years of practice for almost all presenting problems. It is helpful to have someone take their situations and break them down into their faulty thoughts and emotions that lead to negative thought patters that may lead them into negative behaviors. I utilize this with a variety of presenting problems as the main form of therapy or in conjunction with other forms of therapy, such as EMDR or even something like Solution Focused. Experience 20 years.
Motivational Interviewing
I use this with clients that are struggling with staying sober who are addicted to something and may or may not want to get sober. It asks clients whether or not they want to get sober. It offers clients something they may have never been offered before: a choice. Experience 20 years.
Solution Focused Brief Treatment
Helps clients who might need more short-term focus. I use this with clients to help them short-term treatment goals, help them break down step by steps to meet these goals each ways, and walk alongside them as they do this. Experience 20 years.