“I touch my own skin, and it tells me that before there was any harm there was miracle.”
Adrienne Maree Brown
Getting curious about the relationship you have with yourself and cultivating self-kindness are pillars of our work together. I bring my authenticity and compassion to our time together.
Together, we will notice what wounds are undiscovered or standing in your way of healing. Sometimes, it’s hard to know what nurturing we did not receive. Has shame, fear, or trauma conditioned you to feel ‘not good enough’ or endure discomfort? You are not alone. We will explore the question of, what needed to happen that didn’t get to happen?
Therapy is a practice of embodying your values and integrating parts of the self to embark on a lifelong practice of self-compassion and self-actualization. By healing your core self and discovering your intuition, I believe that you resurface as your most capable, connected self.
In the therapeutic relationship, I’m your co-creator and co-navigator as you discover your own internal pulse and resolution. Together we let curiosity, creativeness, and connection guide the healing process.
Jenny offers therapy services virtually only to individuals ages 18+.
Areas of Interest
Body-based therapies
I am a Somatic Experiencing/body-based therapist. Sessions are infused with experiential practices to integrate mind, body, and soul connection. My therapeutic practice is rooted in Poly-vagal Theory application, inviting a deep dive into tracking nervous system patterns.
Together, we explore how your body mobilizes to protect, heal, and connect. We expand wellbeing and reduce suffering by inviting completion of self-protective motor responses to release stuck energy bound in the body. A warm, supportive therapeutic relationship invites pendulation between resource building, noticing unmet needs, and tending to difficult bodily sensations or suppressed emotions.
I believe that our bodies hold what has happened to us, and that our bodies also hold the innate path to healing and liberation. Together, we will learn to tune in to find actionable ways to shift you into healing.
Trauma & PTSD
I am trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which is a therapy that uses eye movements to help individuals heal from the symptoms of emotional distress caused by disturbing life experiences.
I am an SEP-IT and in fall of 2023 entering the advanced year of the Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) model. SE aims to relieve the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental and physical trauma-related health problems by focusing on the client’s perceived body sensations (or somatic experiences).
Other areas of clinical interest:
My educational background is in clinical social work so my clinical orientation is steeped in ecopsychology and social justice. Additional modalities that inform my practice are mindfulness based, attachment based, Trauma focused CBT, and additional post graduate study with the Institute of Heart Math and the Center for Adoption Support and Education (adoption competency course).
Other areas I treat
- Anxiety & Depression
- Life Transitions
- Identity Development in Young Adulthood
- Self-Exploration
- Self-Empowerment
- Stress Management
- Burnout
- Parenting Skills
- Perinatal & Postpartum Healing
Jenny Smith, MSW, LCSW, SEP-IT
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Master of Social Work, University of Wisconsin-Madison