BACKGROUND AND TRAINING

Jennifer is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in the states of Alabama and Tennessee. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Mississippi with a B.A in Psychology. After receiving her B.A, she worked in a variety of settings, including as the director of childcare development centers in both Tennessee and Wisconsin. She attended Alabama A&M University and in 2003 graduated summa cum laude with a Masters of Social Work, specializing in mental health. She became licensed by the State of Alabama starting in 2003, but received her license to practice at the independent practitioner level in 2013. Jennifer has experience working with children, adolescents, adults and the geriatric population. Her areas of expertise include play therapy and assisting patients and families in coping with chronic illness. She worked in the healthcare industry for almost 10 years assisting patients in coping with the diagnosis of chronic illness and assisting them in achieving the most optimal quality of life. Most recently, she has worked in a private practice setting working with both children and adults who suffer from depression, anxiety, bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia, autism, and adjustment disorders. Jennifer has most recently received training in Synergetic Play Therapy. She is also a Certified Grief Counseling Specialist (CGCS).

 

APPROACH

Jennifer's approach to therapy is interactive, warm and accepting. She tailors each treatment to the patient's individual needs and uses a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy, stress management, play therapy, inner child work, mood management and emotional regulation, anxiety reduction, strength identification and empowerment to help patients meet their goals. Understanding that life can be overwhelming, Jennifer helps create a safe environment where patients can drop pretensions and be truly open about emotions and experiences. Jennifer wants patients to feel comfortable exploring and processing thru difficult feelings and experiences that are holding them stagnant in life. Her goal is to help patient identify what is preventing them from achieving their greatest potential and develop strategies to overcome these issues. She works to restore patient's sense of self and belief in their own abilities.

 

As a parent, she also understands the unique challenges and frustrations of parenthood especially since children often cannot verbalize their fears, needs and wants. For young children, she utilizes play therapy to assist them in expressing feelings, modifying behavior, developing problem-solving skills, and learning a variety of ways of relating to others. Play therapy helps children to express themselves when they don't have the verbal skills or cognitive capacity to tell you what is troubling them. Research shows that play therapy can assist children whose problems are related to life stressors, such as divorce, death, relocation, hospitalization, chronic illness, physical and sexual abuse, domestic violence, and natural disasters. She also works with adolescents to overcome self-esteem issues associated with peer pressure, bullying and body image issues. In addition, she works with parents to not only ensure they understand developmental stages and normal childhood behavior but also assist them in coping with the challenges of parenting a child who is acting out, anxious or sad.