Jessica Magenheimer
Counsellor
I specialise in:
About me
I’m a licensed marriage and family therapist located in California, and also see clients in Oregon and internationally (where permitted).
You can see more about me at sensitivetherapy.com, but in the meantime, I want to talk about you, the prospective client!
If your life had a resumé, “chameleon” would be at the top. You’re so good at figuring out others’ needs, they’d never suspect that you have them too.
If you were honest with yourself, though, you’d admit how stressful it is to live for other people. You’re terrified you’ll lose relationships if you speak up or say no. Your energy is drained or you feel resentful. You’re exhausted from wondering if others like or approve of you. If you make choices that disappoint others, you feel guilty and selfish. Your whole identity is about pleasing others, & you want to feel comfortable being your authentic self, but you have no idea how. You feel like the world is and always will be overwhelming – too loud, too bright, too messy. And other people? Talk about messy! Not to mention that YOU feel like a mess, too, even though you try to make it appear you have it all together. You want to be seen, heard, understood, “gotten” – deeply and intuitively. You want connection, empathy, and love. You feel things deeply, too, and that can leave you feeling alone and lost. Sound familiar? I’m here to support you, with warmth, humor, directness, and a collaborative spirit. We’ll tackle your patterns and programming so you can strike a balance between you and the world, and feel empowered to take up space in the world just as you are. Will it all be rainbows and butterflies for you? No. It isn’t for anyone. But those emotions won’t feel so big and scary anymore. When you work with me, you’ve got someone in your corner who gets you, and you’ll learn how to get that from others, too. I’ve been told that therapy with me is like “talking with a wise friend” (with professional therapeutic boundaries, of course!).
I speak:
Location:
Approach
I believe that we all have patterns, programming and ways of coping that do and don’t work for us, and we can build awareness about and change the ones that aren’t working. I’m intensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, but don’t use it exclusively in my private practice work – though I certainly incorporate aspects and skills that can be helpful while we root out those patterns I mentioned above. I’m also trained in Brainspotting, which is an innovative treatment for trauma. Ask me if either of these treatment types would be a good fit for you!
