About

Welcome! My name is Jennifer. I am a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in the state of Minnesota. I graduated from the University of Notre Dame with my undergraduate degree in 2003 and I graduated from Rutgers University with my Masters in Social Work in 2007. I have 12 + years of experience working as a therapist and program director. I am originally from NJ and the bulk of my experience was in Brooklyn, NY. Three years ago I moved from Brooklyn to Minnesota and it has been a big (and very cold) change. I have worked in a variety of settings and I love meeting new people and hearing their stories. I have experience working with clients of diverse backgrounds and have both personal and professional experiences with adoption, immigration, blended families, LGBTQ+ issues, and anti-racism/anti-oppression systems. I aim to provide a safe environment for people of all walks of life.

The clinical jargon:
My approach is eclectic and client centered, utilizing a mix of strategies based on the needs of the client. I check messages frequently and get back to clients quickly. I am most experienced in narrative and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) including trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT). As an overarching principle, I practice from a feminist perspective, which in the context of therapy, means that I look at therapy as a partnership (rather than a hierarchy). You are the expert in your own life and it is my job to listen and support you, not to simply tell you what to do. It is a nonjudgemental, non-victim blaming, strengths-based, and client driven approach. One thing that sets social workers apart from other disciplines is the person-in-environment theory which states that a person’s behavior can be understood by looking at their environment (including their past environments). This is why I think it’s so important to have your voice and your story heard. I also think it’s essential to know about how you identify and what is important to you (race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, differently abled, profession, family role, etc.) and to have an understanding of how those identifies exist within the larger community.