Jeanne Wilcox

My name is Jeanne and I am a licensed marriage and family therapist. I have been working in the field in various capacities for over 35 years. My experience includes working with children, teens, adults, couples, families and groups who have experienced some type of trauma during their lives. Some clients are in crisis and others are experiencing instability and stressors in their lives, which is preventing them from establishing consistency or maximizing opportunities for enhancing their quality of life. Addressing a trauma history may not be pleasant, but it will be done with consideration to your comfort level and in a time and approach that works for you. My goal is to join with you to create a team approach to address your needs, strengthen your skills and empower you to be your best self.

My approach to therapy is warm, supportive and individualized. One of my strengths is helping clients feel comfortable, safe, and understood so they can speak openly about their experiences. I use and eclectic approach, adapting my style to each client's needs and goals. I believe each client has a unique and important story to tell and my goal is to ensure that the client feels respected and accepted through a collaborative approach between myself and the client. At times, therapy may involve direct guidance and practical, solution focused strategies, while at other times, we may explore past experiences, family relationships, and environmental influences to better understand current patterns of thinking and behavior. I believe that developing insight and understanding can be an important part of creating meaningful change. My goal is to help clients recognize their strengths, gain a deeper understanding of themselves and find healthier ways to navigate life's challenges and relationships. I believe that this is the key to helping every client gain confidence and clarity and enhance their capacity to practice self-love.

My goal in the first session is to build rapport and get to know the client better and understand what has brought them to therapy at this time. I always start out by asking the client how they feel about being in this first session. I want the client to know that it is important to me to have them think about their thoughts, identify any feelings that come up and know that there is no wrong answer. I want the client to be able to address anything of concern and want to ensure that I acknowledge how the client is feeling and focus on how to increase the client's comfort level or acknowledge if the client feels positive about being in the session. If the client expresses apprehension or even negative feelings, I want to discuss this with the client and demonstrate that my goal is to help the client feel good about being there. I want the client to know that my role is to be non-judgmental, accepting of the client's differences and respectful by listening and demonstrating acceptance of who they are and how they feel. I will also ensure that the client knows the expectations of me as their therapist through telehealth, while hearing any questions they may have. I will provide information regarding a patient's rights, my requirements as a mandated reporter and explore how therapy will be through telehealth. I will explain to the client how I see the importance of taking a collaborative approach so that this process will allow the client to feel that their needs are being addressed, while also providing my feedback in regards to any areas of concern or giving recommendations for identified goals. This is when I will be conducting an assessment to help me better understand the clients needs, strengths and challenges.