Jen Banks

(she/her)

LPC, 17 years of experience

Clients say this provider is

Authentic
Warm
Open-minded

About me

You were the one who kept the calendar. You made the phone calls, sat in hospital parking garages, read the paperwork nobody else would read, and you did it well enough that people quit asking how you were holding up. Then something shifted, a retirement or a diagnosis or a death or a move you wouldn't have chosen, and the shape your days used to have went with it. You still get up and make the coffee. You still answer when the phone rings. It just costs more than it used to. I've been a licensed counselor for close to twenty years, and most of my work now is with people in the second half of life who are carrying grief, caregiving, or changes they didn't ask for, along with the questions that tend to surface once the old schedule falls away. I don't assign homework and I've never handed anyone a packet of coping skills. What I offer is an hour where you can say the true thing out loud to someone who will sit with it and won't hurry you toward feeling better. I see clients by video in Colorado, Wyoming, and Virginia, and I have openings now. If you've been putting this off, go ahead and book a first session so we can find out whether I'm the right person for it.

Get to know me

In our first session together, here's what you can expect

The first hour is mostly you talking and me listening. I'll ask what brought you in, what you've already tried, and what's going on around you at home and at work and in your family, though it won't feel like being processed through an intake. I'm mainly trying to get a feel for how you think and what you care about. Toward the end I'll tell you honestly what I think about the fit. If I'm not the right person, I'll say so and give you somewhere else to look. I'd rather be straight with you in the first hour than take up six months of your life while we find out the slow way.

The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions

I've been doing this for almost twenty years and I still find people genuinely interesting, which matters more than it sounds like it does, because a fair number of us stop somewhere along the way and start going through the motions. I've been through hard things in my own life, so there isn't much you can bring me that I'll flinch at. I won't perform certainty I don't have. When I think you're telling yourself a story that isn't serving you, I'll say so, and I'll say it in a way that doesn't leave you feeling small. I also pay attention to everything standing around you, the family you came from, the work you did, the place you live, the things your generation was taught to keep to itself. None of what you're carrying happened in a vacuum and I won't treat it like it did.

The clients I'm best positioned to serve

You handle things. That's how you were raised and it's worked for a long time, right up until it stopped. Now you're tired in a way sleep doesn't fix, snapping at people you love, going through the motions at work, and you can't point to one thing that's wrong. Maybe you've lost someone. Maybe you got sober and nobody told you that the hard part comes after. Maybe nothing happened at all and that's the part that makes you feel crazy. I'm direct, and I think that's a kindness. I'll tell you what I'm noticing instead of asking a long list of questions to get you there on your own. We'll find the shape of the thing you're stuck in and what actually moves it. I didn't come to this work from a classroom first. I taught yoga out of a van across Wyoming, in barns and community centers and small-town gyms, and most of the people who showed up would never have called what they needed therapy. That taught me the language was never the point. You don't need the right words for this. If you're ready to stop white-knuckling it, book a first session and let's find out what's underneath.

Specialties

Top specialties

Other specialties

Military/Veterans

Self Esteem

Identifies as

Serves ages

Location

Virtual

My treatment methods

Strength-Based

I start with what's already working. Everyone comes in with more resources than they realize, and part of my job is helping people see and build on what they already have rather than focusing only on what's broken.

Person-centered (Rogerian)

This is the foundation of everything I do. I believe the relationship between therapist and client is what creates change, not techniques or homework assignments. I follow your lead, trust your process, and offer unconditional positive regard. You're the expert on your own life.

Motivational Interviewing

I use MI to help clients explore ambivalence and find their own reasons for change. I'm not here to convince you of anything. I'm here to help you get clear on what you actually want and what might be getting in the way.

, 8 ratings

2 ratings with written reviews

June 22, 2026

For my first ever session with Jen, I found she was able to lighten the mood appropriately, and she genuinely wants to hear your story. She doesn't unpack everything too quickly, and she offers additional supplemental resources. I felt like I was talking to someone I already had known for a while, and that is so important!

Verified client, age 25-34
Review shared after session 1 with Jen

June 15, 2026

I felt very comfortable with her. She seems very warm genuine and I am looking forward to working with her.

Verified client, age 65+
Review shared after session 1 with Jen