Matters of the Heart
“Look at my life
Look at my heart
I have seen them fall apart
Now I’m ready to rise again
Just look at my hopes
Look at my dreams
I’m building bridges from these scenes
Now I’m ready to rise again”
I believe we become based on how we are treated by others. The quality and consistency of love, care, protection, play, nurturance and guidance we receive early in life shapes us, creating the blueprint for our relationship to ourselves and others, our course of love and identity. We bond to other people for our well-being and sense of security in the world. Our being depends on it. So much so, that we innately are willing to bargain and forfeit parts of our true Selves to get and keep attachment. We may even bond with people who are unsafe or cause repeated harm.
Love isn’t a privilege, it is a vital necessity. Herein lies the heart of matters.
I believe humans have a core being, or Soul, that often has had to go into hiding for safe-keep. When we sense that we will not be accepted, liked, safe or wanted based on our true feelings, preferences, needs, differences, qualities, opinions-we exchange our authenticity for pseudo-belonging. If we are repeatedly harmed, or deprived of acknowledgement and care- we dissociate from life itself, pseudo-living. Humans are deeply resourceful and find ways to cope with the unyielding need for love and the unbearable suffering of its absence, soulache.
Many people I’ve worked with learned how to be “high-functioning” members of society, while privately harboring a sense of emptiness, shame and alienation. They often yearn for connection and validation, while remaining stuck in unfulfilling relationships, and in familiar roles at work and in love. Difficult experiences keep repeating, while the yearning persists.
About
Jennifer Stridh, LMFT, CCTP
Founder & Psychotherapist
(She/Her)
Approach
Guiding Values
honesty . curiosity . authenticity . transparency . mutuality . compassion commitment . reliability . courage . accountability . connection . trust acceptance . humor . empathy . truth
Whether you enter therapy identifying with trauma, or come in to work through other challenges and stuck-points you have been facing in your life, therapy offers a process that supports reconnecting to yourself with more compassion and clarity. I am passionate about supporting people who are struggling to recover a sense of identity, self-worth and security in relationship to themselves and others. In my work with individuals, couples & families, I offer a non-judgmental and confidential place to talk about a wide range of presenting issues that often accompany life: grief, relationship challenges, anxiety, loneliness, fixations, perfectionism, fears, depression, self esteem, conflict, betrayal, moral dilemmas and transitions.
As a therapist, I am interested in how relationships affect personal change and draw from relational models of treatment. I view therapy as an on-going relational encounter between client/s and therapist in which meaningful qualities and newfound capacities emerge as the relationship develops over time. Within those unique aspects of the relationship we explore personal and interpersonal themes that bring you to therapy.
My therapeutic style is engaging, direct, curious and warm. My therapeutic orientation is compassion-focused and trauma-informed, drawing from Attachment Theory, Parts Work, Systemic & Integrative Therapies, Mindfulness-based, Psychodynamic and relational modalities. These modalities offer holistic guidance in working through experiences emotionally, physically and psychologically. I do not believe in a one-size fits all approach to therapy, since everyone & every relationship bears their own complexities and needs. I believe therapy founded on trust and respect makes the process of healing more meaningful and possible. I am mindful of the presence of power, privilege and systemic oppression, and see love as systemically-embedded.
Additionally, I am dedicated to offering clinical consultation to other clinicians seeking additional perspectives and support on their cases. I also offer supervision to provisionally licensed clinicians seeking support in professional and personal development.
Qualifications & Trainings
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in the states of Illinois & Colorado
MS-Marriage & Family Therapy - Northwestern University
Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP)
Clinical Fellow - American Association of Marriage & Family Therapists
Member: MFTs in Trauma - American Association of Marriage & Family Therapists
Clinical Practicum -The Family Institute’s Bette D. Harris Family & Child Clinic
Clinical Training Program -The Family Institute’s Mindfulness & Behavior Therapy Program
Post-Graduate Clinical Training in Analytical Psychology - The Salomé Institute of Jungian Studies
Post-Graduate Advanced Clinical Training & Consultation - Chicago Center for Integration & Healing
Post-Graduate Clinical Consultation - WomenCare Counseling & Training Center
9 years experience practicing in clinic, private group & solo practice settings in Chicago
“You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
― Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
Newfound Capacities in Therapy
The following below are common newfound capacities of Self that therapy supports in the healing process:
Location
Offering in-person appointments in the Ravenswood-North Center neighborhood of Chicago, and offering HIPAA-compliant telehealth appointments to Illinois & Colorado residents.
My in person appointment slots are currently full. I have a wait-list for in person appointments for new patients. For immediate availability, video appointments are available at this time.