JENNIFER - licensed professional counselor

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As a little girl growing up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, I can visualize myself taking time to sit and write weekly letters to both sets of grandparents in Wisconsin. No one asked; it was something I wanted to do to keep our relationship and connection strong and vital. Fast forward as an adult, relationships; and connections are very much paramount and essential to me. This underlying characteristic rings through to my practice as a counselor and therapist as much as it does my relationship with my family and friends.  

How poignant it is that I began my career after college in teaching.  Settling into 8th-grade middle school, I quickly realized that I not only enjoyed cultivating relationships with my students, but I also had the instinct to take that in a deeper direction toward positive mental health. Strong mental health and habits help us lead happy, fulfilling, and productive lives, so I always kept these visions in the forefront as I taught my students.  

And naturally, I eventually earned my master's in Science degree in School Counseling. Counseling in the school setting has been rewarding to me for over 15 years.  During this time, I took an additional step in earning my Licensed Professional Counselor, which allows me to practice as a private therapist. 

My mission in therapy is to direct clients in identifying and changing unhelpful, automatic negative thinking that can contribute to and worsen emotional difficulties.  Sometimes our stigmatizing thoughts can prevent us from moving forward; we get stuck. But altering the thought patterns and cycles can help us break down and manage behaviors in our lives, leading to feelings of positivity, joy, happiness, and more productive habits. 

This pathway of therapy would help work with clients who are dealing with depression, anxiety, anger issues, panic attacks, divorce, relationship problems, stress management, and grief.