Being human is a difficult assignment!
People do not usually seek psychotherapy when everything is going well. Instead, we come to therapy when we are struggling and our usual strategies no longer feel effective.
For this reason, my approach focuses on getting you unstuck and resourcing you towards your very personal path towards healing and growth. I offer treatment based on several core principles. First, we create a foundation of safety and trust. Then, we focus on your individual needs. Finally, we work to repair developmental deficits and address past traumas.
As a Buddhist and meditation practitioner, I frequently incorporate mindfulness and breathing practices into my work. Helping people learn to manage and transform stress is especially important in today’s anxiety-inducing culture.
Whether you are seeking support and guidance or navigating a crisis, I look forward to meeting with you. Together, we can develop a supportive approach and work toward achieving your goals.
My Background & Qualifications
With more than 25 years of experience as a clinical social worker, I have supported adults, couples and families in a myriad of community mental health settings including psychiatry, addiction medicine, hospice care and now in this solo private practice.
- Master’s in Social Work, University of Southern California, 1997
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker LCSW, CA Board of Behavioral Sciences
- Southern California Psychoanalytic Institute, Two-year Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Certificate, 1999
- Metta Institute, End-of-Life Practitioner Certificate, 2016
- Attachment-Focused Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (AF-EMDR) Trained, Parnell Institute, 2024
Grief and Loss
I have an extensive background working with grief and loss as a hospice social worker. Whether you have experienced the loss of a loved one, through death, separation, estrangement, or divorce, grief can reach the very core of who we are.
I liken grief to a wild animal that does not respond to tricks or training. We cannot simply talk ourselves out of grief. It can be anxiety-provoking, plummet us to the depths of despair and may disrupt our sense of identity and connection to ourselves.
I create a safe environment that supports meaningful change. Through validation, memory processing, and the activation of neurological resources. We work to lessen the power that grief has over you.
This process begins with a positive, collaborative relationship. We remain focused on your needs and goals throughout our work together.
Over time, you can develop greater inner strength and trust in yourself. You may also experience a deeper sense of peace that extends into other areas of your life.
Addiction, Compulsive Behaviors and Codependency
There is no doubt that addiction can be one of the most confusing and demoralizing aspects of the human experience. You may feel trapped in a behavior that seems to solve one problem, only to face consequences that threaten everything you value. At some point, you may recognize that you need support–your best efforts to stop aren’t working.
I bring 10 years of experience with Kaiser Chemical Dependency Services to my work with addiction. Together, we can begin the journey toward recovery and address the underlying forces that drive compulsive behaviors.
This journey begins with compassion and respect. We can explore how you initially turned to a substance or behavior as a way of coping. My approach incorporates 12-step, abstinence-based models and in some cases moderation and harm reduction.
With the right support, we can work together to work toward safety and sanity so you can move forward in your life.
Chronic Pain, Cancer, Life-limiting Diagnoses, and Medical Trauma
If you are coping with chronic pain, cancer, dementia onset, lung or heart disease, a degenerative neurological condition, or another medical condition you will benefit from therapeutic support.
My background in hospice and palliative care allows me to bring a comprehensive perspective to our work together. We will focus on developing your inner resources and processing the emotional burden you may be carrying.
Ultimately, this work is about helping you find greater comfort, resilience, and quality of life.
Caregiver fatigue/burnout/estrangement
I have an extensive background in working with caregivers, healthcare professionals, and parents who are struggling with fatigue, emotional or mental health breakdown, demoralization and despair.
My therapy environment recognizes and validates your role as a person who cares deeply. Together, we create a space where you feel seen and supported. Perhaps you have spent so much time caring for others that you have neglected your own needs and now feel lost? Maybe your best efforts to care are falling on closed doors or deaf ears and the loss of belonging has brought you to a breaking point?
In our work, we will focus on developing healthy boundaries and recognizing your self-care needs. We will explore and strengthen your capacity for self-compassion and self-love. Finally, we will take up the work of empowering yourself through recognizing your responsibility and communicating with accountability.
Explanation of EMDR by Laurel Parnell, PhD.
When a trauma or significant stressor occurs, the experience can feel stuck in the nervous system. Along with the images, sounds, thoughts, and feelings associated with the event. During EMDR, bilateral stimulation (BLS) may help your mind and body process these experiences in a new way. Some theories suggest that this process may be similar to what happens during REM or dream sleep. When the brain processes emotional and unconscious material.
It is important to remember that your brain has its own capacity for healing. Throughout the process, you remain in control.
We will begin by bringing up a memory you want to work on, along with the thoughts, feelings, and body sensations associated with it. This helps activate the memory network. We will then begin bilateral stimulation. As memories, thoughts, feelings, or sensations arise, you can simply notice them without judging or censoring your experience. Think of this as a mind-body form of free association.
When you feel you have reached the end of a piece of processing and are ready to check in, we will pause the BLS. I will ask what is happening, and you will simply report your experience. We will then begin a new set of bilateral stimulation.
At times, I will ask you to return to the memory you started with and share what you are experiencing. The most important thing is not to judge or censor your experience. We will continue with BLS and periodic check-ins until the memory you started with is no longer disturbing to you.
Contact Details:
Phone #: 707-318-6584
Email: jmckenzielcsw@gmail.com