Jennifer L. Ray, MA, LMFT
BBS License # MFT86425

Hello and welcome! Although, this is a small snapshot of me as a therapist, I must be honest that you will get to learn a lot more about who I am once you step inside my office. 

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I truly believe that a strong foundational relationship between a client and their therapist, is essential to moving through any therapeutic process successfully. As a result, the joining process, or the ability to be human and vulnerable with you, while providing a safe and non-judgmental place, is the most valuable tool I bring to my sessions. During my studies, I related to a woman named Virginia Satir who practiced family therapy by actually joining in sessions as a member of the family. She would take on family dynamic and present herself as a member in the most genuine of ways. This technique not only amazed me, but actually putting it to the test proved to be an essential tool in the room. It encouraged clients to move through emotional and mental health challenges more effectively. Showing clients my real, raw and human side, helps reduce the hierarchy in sessions and more adequately build a safe relationship to uncover vulnerable and intimate thoughts and emotions.

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I learned at a very young age the importance of support and guidance, especially when home or family life proved challenging. I believe that all members within a struggling family require support to navigate treacherous situations. No one suffers alone, we just suffer differently. Our marriages fail, parenting skills lack, children’s behaviors and defiance increases, relationships crumble, jobs are lost or life becomes overwhelming due to an underdevelopment of tools, support and coping mechanisms in each household member; many times due to what is known as intergenerational trauma. 

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Intergenerational trauma is trauma that gets passed down from our parents as a result of traumas they experienced as children from their upbringings. The intention is never to continue the cycle; however, if you have never been given the appropriate tools to change, or have never been allowed to see the other side of the grass, how do we know differently? It is through this lense that I support the journey of each client to learn the effective tools, eliminate or reduce challenging barriers and ultimately to maintain a healthy balance and quality of life. I join you and become part of your support system and to continually remind you of your strengths and power.

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I cherish and respect the opportunity to walk beside you during treatment while uncovering and discussing some of the most vulnerable moments in your life. I provide a compassionate and direct approach to therapy with a little humor and real life on the side. I ask questions with curiosity and humility, and will gently or directly challenge, because we all need tough love every now and then, while ultimately reminding you: that even when life is hard, you’re doing a good job living!