Jen is a mental health counselor working from our Coralville office who has a history of working with clients struggling with depression or anxiety and co-occurring diagnoses throughout the adult life cycle. Previously working with functional medicine practitioners, she recognizes that hormonal fluctuations, underlying health conditions, unanticipated life challenges and changes in competing life roles all have significant impact on her clients’ physical and mental health. Jen believes deeply in connections between mind and body and the real suffering (and healing) that can come with noticing and acknowledging the link between the two.

Jen also has worked as a crisis counselor and welcomes open conversation about uncomfortable topics like suicidal ideation and self-harm, which she sees as symptoms of deep suffering wanting to be healed.
 

As a recent grant recipient, she has training in emerging evidenced-based practices for co-occurring substance use and mental health diagnoses, as well as trauma-informed care. From a trauma-informed perspective, Jen believes we are all doing the best coping we can and the correct question to ask is “What happened to you?” rather than “What is wrong with you?”
 

Above all, Jen passionately believes in the resilience of the human soul and in its inherent desire to grow and heal. Her goal is to create a safe environment that allows the clients to take action aligned with their values to break out of self-sabotaging and unconscious patterns that prevent them from living the contented and connected life their souls know are possible. Focusing on a client’s strengths, she utilizes targeted approaches from acceptance and commitment therapy, attachment theory, behavioral activation, family systems, cognitive behavioral therapy, DBT and feminist theory in developing individual treatment plans.