Where is your office?

​My office is located at 2794 Gateway Road, Carlsbad California 92009. I am available for in-person sessions on Tuesdays. I am available virtually throughout the week.

 

How do we proceed?

• If you feel we might be a good fit, reach out to me via email at jennawheatontherapy@protonmail.com. The first step is to arrange a free 10-15 phone consultation. If you determine my services are right for you, we will complete the necessary paperwork, then get to work :) 

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What is your fee?

• Prices are typically $150/individual therapy and $200/couples or family therapy.  I also offer a number of sliding scale options based on client's income and financial situation, as well as a discounted rate for students. I believe therapy should be affordable, so please reach out to me directly to explore these options.

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Do you take insurance?

• I do not accept insurance at this time. However, many insurances offer out of network benefits for therapy. If so, I can provide you with a document you can submit to your insurance, and they may be willing to assist you with the cost. Please contact your insurance to confirm their policies.

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Why don’t you take insurance?

• Insurance requires that I diagnose individuals and, based on that diagnosis, they determine how many sessions they will cover. This is incompatible with my non-pathologizing approach to therapy, where I operate outside of the paradigm of diagnosis. Secondly, I feel strongly that therapy duration should be determined by the client and therapist; not by an external entity. 

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What is IFS?​

• "IFS is a transformative tool that conceives of every human being as a system of protective and wounded inner parts led by a core Self. We believe the mind is naturally multiple and that is a good thing. Just like members of a family, inner parts are forced from their valuable states into extreme roles within us. Self is in everyone. It can’t be damaged. It knows how to heal." More information on IFS can be found here: https://ifs-institute.com/ 

• I completed my IFS Level 1 training online in March 2021 under Mary Kruger, LMFT, and my IFS Level 2 Training in the Netherlands under Osi Arbel, PhD in November 2023.​

 

Who is a good fit? 

• I work with adults (age 18+) residing in California. This includes individuals, couples, and families (including friendships). I enjoy working with the full, diverse, spectrum of human beings, and I am grateful for every client, couple, and family that I meet. I utilizes IFS (Internal Family Systems) Therapy with the majority of my clients. For those with whom the IFS model does not align, there are several other approaches that I integrate into therapy (CBT, DBT, Narrative therapy, Bowenian family systems). 

• Whether you feel lost within yourself or in life in general, my goal is to help you build the bridge back to yourself. Perhaps you feel curious about who you are, and aware of some self-destructive tendencies. I am here to help compassionately guide you into a deep knowing of yourself, and resolve inner burdens that are inevitably carried through life.

• These burdens and tendencies take many forms: inner and outer patterns, stress, sadness, anger, numbness, substance use/abuse, codependency, eating disorders, to name a few. I have over 8 years of experience working in these areas and I will bring my expertise to our work.

• Working with those who find themselves existing in the realm of grief and loss is especially meaningful to me. Whether it is a loss of a loved one, a dream, or a relationship, I am here to create a sacred space for you to move through mourning in a safe way. Some losses are complex: a sudden death, a loss before resolution, or an impending loss. Treating grief and loss with care enables us to transform this experience. I believe in the medicine that can be found within the grieving process.

• I utilize IFS to courageously, compassionately, and carefully face the traumas that may haunt you.

• I love working with couples, especially couples at the crossroads of marriage. As a wedding officiant, I am passionate about helping couples prepare to make the most out of the journey of marriage. There are other crossroads couples will find themselves in too: loss, distress, despair, betrayal, stagnation.... I am here to facilitate insight, evolution and growth during these phases as well.

• Family therapy is one of the most powerful ways to experience collective growth. The ripple effects are felt through multiple generations, and I have found that movement can happen quite quickly. Perhaps you are siblings looking to enhance your relationship, a parent-child whose relationship has felt stuck, or grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins or chosen family, who sense that something could be improved in your bond: I am here to help repair or rebuild it. Having a strong support network can be life changing and lifesaving, especially when life throws it's curveballs.

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Who is not a good fit?

• If you are grappling with consistent and severe thoughts of suicide, I would refer you to another provider. As a solo practitioner, I have with limited availability to provide the support that is needed. That being said, I am not afraid of working with parts of you that have suicidal thoughts and impulses.  However, if this is an overwhelming part of your daily life, I want you to be in the hands of a more readily available provider.

• If you are seeking support for psychosis or a psychosis related disorder, I recommend reaching out to a mental health provider who specializes in that area.

• It is dangerous to do couples therapy when there is domestic violence in the relationship. I value the safety of my clients above all else. If you find yourself in a physically abusive relationship, I would be able to work with you individually. However, it would be unethical to work with you and your partner together. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, please call 911. For non-emergency support, here is the national domestic violence hotline: 1-800-799-7233.

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