Jane Medema

Sometimes the problem isn’t that you don’t care or aren’t trying hard enough—it’s that anxiety, sadness, anger, or stress keeps showing up in ways that are difficult to manage. You may feel increasingly disconnected from yourself, notice the same conflicts happening within your family or relationships, or be worried about emotional or behavioral changes in someone you love. I work with children, adolescents, adults, seniors, couples, and families navigating anxiety, depression, family issues, anger management, and trauma, along with ADHD, stress, relationship concerns, and PTSD when those experiences are part of the larger picture. Before becoming a therapist, I spent nearly 17 years working in school settings, including many years in special education and later as an elementary school counselor. That experience taught me that every person communicates, learns, copes, and grows differently. My goal is to create an open-minded, empowering space where you feel understood and can begin finding practical ways to make life feel more manageable.

I believe behavior and emotions usually make more sense when we understand what is happening underneath them. Anxiety, depression, anger, family conflict, or trauma may be what initially brings you to therapy, but those challenges can also affect communication, relationships, confidence, school or work, and the way you respond when life becomes stressful. ADHD, PTSD, or ongoing relationship difficulties can add another layer, so we’ll look at how those experiences connect rather than treating each concern as an isolated problem. My approach is collaborative and solution oriented. I may use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help identify and change patterns in thoughts and behaviors, Trauma Focused CBT when difficult experiences continue to influence the present, Solution Focused Brief Therapy to identify strengths and practical next steps, and Narrative Therapy to explore how the stories you carry about yourself may shape the way you see your possibilities. With children, I can also incorporate Play Therapy, giving them developmentally appropriate ways to communicate feelings that may be difficult to put into words. When couples or families are part of the work, I draw on solution-focused strategies to strengthen communication and help create healthier patterns together.

You don’t need to know exactly what is wrong or have the perfect words for what you are experiencing before therapy begins. Our first few sessions will focus on getting to know you, understanding what has been happening, and identifying what you genuinely hope will be different. From there, we’ll create realistic goals and determine which approaches best fit your needs, strengths, and stage of life. You can expect me to be warm, open minded, and encouraging while also helping you recognize patterns and consider practical ways of responding differently. Progress may look like managing anxiety more confidently, communicating without falling into the same conflicts, understanding anger before it takes over, helping a child express emotions more effectively, processing trauma, strengthening family relationships, or simply feeling more capable of handling everyday stress. My hope is that therapy helps you recognize what is already working, build skills where you need them, and move forward feeling more confident in yourself and your relationships.