Jennifer Banks

You've probably been handling this on your own for a while, and it's working less well than it used to. Maybe someone died and everyone else moved on, or you got sober and nobody mentioned how much there would be to do afterward, or you keep ending up in the same argument with the same kind of person and can't work out why.

I'm a person-centered counselor with a Jungian and psychodynamic streak. In practice that means we talk, I ask questions, and we follow whatever comes up, dreams included if you have them. I'm curious about the parts of your life you didn't consciously pick. I don't hand out worksheets, and I won't tell you what any of it means, because you know more about your life than I ever will.

I grew up in Gillette in a coal-mining family, I'm fifth-generation Wyoming, and I know both the grit and the isolation that come with living out here. I've been doing this work since 2009. I tend to say the true thing before the comfortable one, and I try to say it kindly. I also won't pretend this moves faster than it does.

When I'm not working I'm outside with my husky, Angel, or pressing flowers to send as cards.

I'm licensed in Colorado, Virginia, and Wyoming and see people by telehealth. Send me a message and we'll find a time.

The relationship is the work. People hear that and assume it's the soft, unserious version of therapy, when the research has been pointing at it for decades.

I follow you instead of steering. I ask questions. When we get to the hard thing I stay there rather than politely changing the subject. I pay attention to everything standing around you, which means family, work, money, health, where you're from and what your people were trained not to say out loud. None of this happened to you in isolation and I won't treat it like it did.

I'll tell you the truth too, including when it sounds like you're telling yourself a story that's costing you something. I'll say it kindly. I won't make you feel small about it.

The first session is mostly you talking and me listening. I'll ask what brought you here now, as opposed to last year or next year, and then I'll get out of the way.

There is some history to cover. I'll want to know about your family, your health, what you've tried before and how it went. I ask because context matters, not because I'm filling in a form. If something comes up that you're not ready to say out loud yet, say so and we'll leave it alone. You don't owe me the worst thing in your first hour.

You won't leave with homework. What you should leave with is a read on whether you want to come back. Not every pairing works and I'd rather you figure that out early. If I'm not the right fit, I'll say so and point you somewhere better.