Jessica Jarvis, Counseling Associate

Adolescents and adults looking for support with treating a specific mental health issue; navigating sexual orientation and gender expansive identities; exploring the impact of cultural power, oppression, racism, discrimination, and stereotyping; managing  mood changes and patterns; healing the impact of difficult relationships; transitions and changes in relationships and career; and those who just want to talk  “just because” work with me to gain coping skills and to have an objective and attentive listening ear. In addition to my education and training at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, I worked in clinical settings where I have built psychologically safe relationships with my clients; advocated for their needs; supported and encouraged their independence; and support them by teaching clinical skills and identifying helpful resources in times of distress. Additionally, my current work at ComPsych employee assistance program allows me to practice conducting risk assessments and clinical documentation.

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I create a therapeutic environment for my clients to meet and reconnect parts of themselves they may have disavowed due to shame, criticism, illness, fear and painful experiences and experiment with styles of relating to themselves in ways that have felt beyond reach. I help clients move toward emotional and physical safety, radical acceptance; having a sense of empowerment, choice and control; skill building; mood regulation; boundary setting; interpersonal effectiveness; trauma resolution and/or management and more. Until you are safe within yourself, you'll react and internalize everything and that is exhausting.

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My therapeutic process begins with the administering of a diagnostic assessment and treatment planning to provide us with measurable and tangible things to work on and building rapport to ensure we trust each other can can talk candidly.

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I collaborate with my clients to create a therapeutic environment and relationship where we both feel safe–emotionally and physically–to explore difficulties and discomforts, have candid conversations, brainstorm potential solutions, and reflect on alternatives and negotiate the goals for therapy and decide on a pathway–that can be tweaked over and over– to reach them. I listen and communicate objectively and invite each client to voice different opinions, concerns, curiosity, questions, and ideas about the direction of our work together. I’ll check in with you “how did that feel? What is working or not working?” I’ll sometimes offer a thoughtful challenge if I notice inconsistencies. For example “you mentioned that your relationship is fraught with toxicity. Tell me more about why you chose to hang out with her last night?” This will allow us to explore internal conflict or push you out of continuing on with things are are unpleasant  yet comfortable.

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My clients experience our therapeutic process and relationships as a partnership that is open, honest, respectful, energized, and purposeful.

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I work with adults and emerging adults to address painful past and ongoing emotional relationships in order to build connections with other people to enjoy relationships a now and in the future; manage negative and irrational thought patterns to maintain a realistic  hopeful outlook and accept that change and setbacks are part of life; develop emotional awareness to understand what they’re feeling and why; manage anxiety by learning healthy ways to be and feel in control and; reduce validation seeking, perfectionism and self-doubt by working through attachment.

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​I am providing mental health counseling under the clinical supervision of Barbara Adika, a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (MD) and Licensed professional Counselor (Washington, DC).

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