- 1457 Jordan Ave, Crofton, MD 21114
About Me
Transforming Pain Into Healing, One Client At A Time
I don’t think I’ve ever met a good therapist who had a fabulous childhood, then, as an adult, woke up one morning and said, “I think I’ll become a therapist!”
I, like many of my clients, grew up in a family that held a lot of pain and anger. All of the members of my family felt broken in one way or another, and none of us knew what to do about it. Because I was a bookish introvert, I had a hard time fitting in with the kids I went to school with.
Over the years, I came to understand that I wasn’t broken, that the sadness and anger in my household were not my fault, and that being different from most of the people around me was not a bad thing.
I am grateful every day for the privilege of being a therapist, because it gives me an opportunity to use my experiences to help others to heal.
My Specialty Areas
The first therapeutic modality I fell in love with was EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). I started with a 50-hour training sponsored by EMDRIA (the EMDR International Association). I eventually became certified by EMDRIA, then decided to take the next step and offer EMDR consultation (for other EMDR therapists).
Over the years, I added other modalities that complement EMDR: IFS (Internal Family Systems), Brainspotting, and sandtray therapy. All of these modalities have been studied and shown to be more effective than talk therapy alone.
I primarily work with trauma, which is more far-reaching than you might think. Trauma, particularly in the formative years of childhood, contributes to depression, anxiety, addictions, codependency, and dissociation, among other things.
My Therapy Philosophy
I believe that everyone is capable of healing. Our brains are always trying to move towards wholeness; the point of therapy is to remove the obstacles that are interfering with that process.
There are a lot of terrible things going on in the world, and it’s easy to feel hopeless. I believe that if each one of us does what we can to make our little corner of the world a better place, it will help to change the world as a whole for the better. Using therapy to heal minds and hearts is a step towards doing that. As Andra Day says in her song “Rise Up,” “all we need is hope, and for that we have each other.”
What Is Unique About Me and My Practice
My path to becoming a therapist was far from direct. My undergraduate degree was in music education, with a minor in mathematics. My first master’s degree was in ethnomusicology, which is the anthropological study of music. After several career twists and turns, including working in an office, teaching elementary general music, working in a music store, and teaching private flute lessons, I realized I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be when I grew up!
I considered becoming a career counselor to help others who were similarly confused. While investigating that possibility online, I found the pastoral counseling program at Loyola College in Maryland (now Loyola University Maryland) and was immediately drawn to it. Loyola’s pastoral counseling program included all of the standard classes for a degree in counseling, but also included classes on ways to incorporate a client’s spirituality into therapy, when desired.
I believe my circuitous route to becoming a therapist was helpful, because it gave me a range of experiences that help me to relate to my clients. The primary source of healing in therapy is the relationship between the therapist and the client, and I love being able to offer my clients the combination of a gentle, compassionate, nonjudgmental presence paired with extensive training and experience in evidence-based therapies. Your journey to healing will be unique to you, so I will work with you to create a treatment plan that honors your uniqueness and helps you to achieve your goals for therapy.
My Life Outside Of Work
I am married and have a daughter who is majoring in graphic design at Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia. I have two cats, Loki and Jenna, and an unofficial therapy dog, Finn. I do the New York Times crossword and Wordle every day, and I have been using Duolingo for over ten years. I love to play the flute, although I don’t do it nearly as much as I used to. I also do Peloton workouts daily, including power zone cycling classes.
If you would like to work with me, please call or text me at 410-888-0590, or fill out the form on my contact page.
Jennifer Beall has a Master of Science degree in Pastoral Counseling from Loyola University Maryland. She is certified in EMDR and is pursuing certifications in IFS and Brainspotting. In 2012, she self-published a book called Me Time: Finding the Balance Between Taking Care of Others and Taking Care of Yourself.
Would You Like To Learn More?
If you’d like to talk about how I might be able to help you, fill out the contact form, book a consultation, or call or text me at 410-888-0590.