Jennifer Spatzer
Jennifer Spatzer
Psy.D., LCP, Co-Founder
she/her
I have specialized experience working with clients in the more acute and severe stage of mental illness. I approach my clients in a collaborative and invested manner and establish an environment of safety, acceptance, and care. My clients are able to access a vulnerable emotional state yet feel safe and stable while they explore past events, current distress and upcoming stressors.
I help my clients achieve insight into their psyche, behaviors, and emotions so that they can develop self-acceptance and efficacy. I strive to guide and empower my clients to utilize courage, compassion, and humor to achieve the goal of taking control of their mental health and achieve sustained well-being, growth, and healing.
How I work:
In session, I spend time to develop a deep, detailed understanding of the impact of the client’s major life events, relationships, passions, perspectives and culture as well as highlight unique nuances and quirks. This approach enables me to artfully select and weave together techniques that I use to create a novel treatment for each client. I am very action-oriented in my sessions operating from cognitive-behavioral philosophy with a strong influence from Internal Family Systems (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Clients should expect to have in-between session work and be able to measure their progress. I also work closely with family members when it is relevant to the client’s therapeutic goals.
Who I work with:
My typical client ranges from chronically mentally ill to acutely mentally ill or those persons who just experienced their first psychotic break or manic episode. My expertise is working with client’s experiencing symptoms of depersonalization/derealization, psychosis, mania, delusions, chronic suicidal ideation and dissociation. I also work frequently with teens, connecting with them as they navigate the angst, excitement, and missteps that occur within the process of coming of age. Finally, I have a special interest in working with older adults (70+).
In addition to therapy, I offer consultation to those people who have a person in their life with chronic/severe mental illness and are seeking more understanding into symptom presentation and trajectory as well as guidance on how to support and manage the relationship.
More about me:
Upon completing a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Biology from George Mason University I moved to NY and obtained a Masters in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College in Criminal Justice. After several years working in the criminal justice field, I returned to school and received a Master’s in Clinical Psychology followed by my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at The Professional School of Psychology at Argosy, DC. I have worked in group homes, detention centers, jails, inpatient facilities, community mental health, community service boards, court rooms and private practice.