Jessica Poulsen (she/her)

Throughout my years of professional training, of working with clients, and of navigating my own journey, I have learned that, fundamentally, we are all just doing the best we can. I’ve also come to realize that doing the best we can is often based on what we have learned from the past and does not always help us live the life we want. Whatever you come to therapy for, my goal is to be fully present, curious, and compassionate to how your past is impacting you now (both positively and negatively), to understand how your ways of relating to yourself and others may have once served a particular purpose (for example, to keep you emotionally and physically safe), and to support you in living a more meaningful, connected, and centered life. My desire is to really get to know you and for you to have a deeper understanding of yourself, for I believe it is in this deep knowing within relationship that allows for deep change.

I believe that we all face situations in life that deeply impact us and with which we learn to both unconsciously and consciously cope. From my research, training, and experience, I have learned that humans tend to be skilled at learning to survive these situations. We develop ways of relating to ourselves, others, and the world that keep ourselves safe, whether emotionally and/or physically. However, these ways of coping can often come at a cost. While helpful during the particular situations, they tend to be unhelpful to us in the present and in spaces where there is no longer a threat. My work with clients thus involves understanding these ways of coping and their development, recognizing the family and sociocultural factors at play, focusing on the deeper sources of pain and suffering, having compassion for the younger self who was doing their best to get by, and helping clients shift out of “survival” mode in a safe way and into a more conscious, meaningful, empowered life.