Jen Skees

I am a white queer identified femme who has been working at the intersection of social movement work and mental health for over 15 years. I graduated with my Masters in Social Work in Human Rights and Social Justice from Fordham University in 2011. My work is dedicated to supporting people in returning to their inherent health and aliveness through somatic practices, self-awareness, and connection. I see the personal and the collective as deeply interconnected. Systems of oppression rely on severing our connections with our bodies, ourselves, and one another. Reconnecting with our bodies, doing our own personal healing work, and slowing down are essential components to dismantling systems of supremacy and moving towards connection and liberation. I am committed to holding a container for this transformative practice and supporting people in reclaiming their birthright to joy and vitality. I implement an integrative approach to therapy, drawing from multiple modalities and healing traditions to serve the whole person. Some modalities include my background and training in: generative somatics, polarity therapy, therapeutic touch, somatic experiencing, psychodynamic therapy, CBT, DBT, motivational interviewing, mindfulness-based-stress reduction and meditation. Sessions can involve talk therapy, mindfulness and somatic practices, and therapeutic touch in an effort to expand personal awareness, develop boundaries and healthy pacing, regulate the nervous system, and ultimately live with more ease. My work is grounded in a radical love ethic in which human dignity is honored and in which we can all thrive. Bringing warmth and curiosity to my therapeutic relationships, I utilize a client centered approach in which I trust in people’s innate capacity for healing. I am informed by sex positive, queer and trans affirming, anti-racist, and anti-oppression frameworks. I approach this work with humility and devotion to being a lifelong student of racial and gender equity.