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Therapists answer…

Why did you become a therapist, and what motivates you to continue?

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Jennifer Moreno

Therapist
Online & In-Person
Why did you become a therapist, and what motivates you to continue?
I became a therapist after life lead me in that direction. I am adopted and had a lot of barriers in my life. I have seen trauma, addiction, and abuse firsthand. As I got older, I realized that I could turn my experiences into empathy for others.
Hello, I’m Jennifer. Let me start off by saying that I am really glad you are here. Life may feel overwhelming right now but you’re in the right place. When life throws us curveballs, it is not easy to always quickly adjust to that. Sometimes, you need to talk to someone who will listen and help you learn how to use the tools to live a healed life. Therapy is about healing, learning, and growing. I see my clients from a psychodynamic lens. This means that I work with clients with an understanding that our early experiences and relationships can have a profound impact on our current well-being. S & J Wellness LLC, is a private practice of which I am co-owner. While I try to see all clients that walk through our doors, this is not always possible. Please visit our website at www.snjwellness.com to see our team. You are an active participant in your therapy, so dependent on your reason for seeking therapy, we may suggest another clinician within our practice. My scope of practice is: Adult individual therapy Couples therapy Culturally Competent therapy Addiction Mood disorders Clinical Supervision and Consultation Trauma- specifically: chronic illness, chronic pain, end of life, grief, adoption and family complexities, healing after conversion therapy, family therapy for addiction, compassion fatigue, and surviving abuse.
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Lauren Spencer

Owner of Hope Rekindled Counseling

Why did you become a therapist, and what motivates you to continue?

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Kathleen O'Connor

Therapist - LCPC, LMHC, CEDS
Online Therapy
Why did you become a therapist, and what motivates you to continue?
Becoming a therapist wasn't something I considered as a child or even when I started college. Initially I wanted to be a veterinarian, or a lawyer. After taking some thought and considering what I actually wanted to do, I narrowed that down into "helping." From there, and through a number of experiences in graduate school, I was drawn to higher levels of care in the mental health field and eventually into my work with eating disorders. 
Like many therapist profiles, this page could list my degrees and credentials, provide a vague description of what clients I work with, and be distant but warm; however, that is not how I work with clients or how I am in the world. I want this page to help you decide if we’ll work well together, not just list the things I’ve done. What you probably want to know is 1) do I know what I’m doing and 2) are we a good fit in working together. I have been working in the mental health field, specifically with eating disorders, since 2014 in a variety of capacities including inpatient, residential, and crisis stabilization programs. I am passionate about eating disorder recovery and collaborating with patients to find balance in their lives. I am body-positive and Health at Every Size (HAES) aligned. I have experience in working with families, couples, and individuals in addition to facilitating group therapy. My primary focus lies in helping to support clients and their loved ones in understanding and moving forward in the path to recovery through individual and family therapy. I have earned the distinction of being a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) by the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals, and have been an officeholder for the Heartland chapter of iaedp since 2019 and remained committed to pursuing ongoing education within the field. There are so many people who hesitate to come to therapy or to move forward in eating disorder recovery due to having been previously unsuccessful with a “one size fits all” approach. I work with you to figure it out. I’m not a smile-and-nod, sit in silence type of therapist. I'll call you out on your BS, but I can do that in a way where we can both laugh. I'm not afraid to talk about anything you need to talk about. Intrusive thoughts? Feeling like you’re the only person to feel this way? You’d be surprised to find that you’re not alone. Therapy will provide a safe space to be yourself and a supportive environment to help meet you where you’re at and work towards creating lasting change in your life.