Jessica Withee

Therapy is propelled by the relationship that exists between you and your therapist. Therefore, it is important that you feel comfortable with the therapist you choose. Although it is not imperative that you know anything personal about your therapist, it may help to have some understanding of what their approach to therapy is as well as their professional background. So here is a little information about me... I grew up in Southern California which happens to be rich in diversity and culture. I had many opportunities to learn about people who were different from me from a young age. My experiences in California helped me to become more culturally aware and accepting of people from all walks of life. From the time that I was in high school, I knew that I wanted to help others find ways to navigate through life with less emotional baggage and more peace. In order to pursue a career as a therapist, I majored in Psychology in my undergraduate studies at UCSB and worked in a residential program with teenagers that needed emotional and behavioral support. From there, I spent some time working in the "real world" helping teenagers and their families manage and resolve significant emotional and behavioral problems that threatened to tear them apart. After that, I attended UCLA to earn my Masters in Social Welfare and had the opportunity to work as a social work intern for two years. Once I received my MSW, I pursued an opportunity to work as an outpatient therapist with children, teenagers and their families. I received excellent supervision and training prior to earning my License in Clincal Social Work. It was during this time that I developed my approach to working with individuals and families. Around the same time that I earned my LCSW, I moved to Salt Lake City. I worked as a School Social Worker in the Salt Lake City School District for two years. I leared about community based services and resources which allows me to assist families with meeting their varying needs. Furthermore, I have developed a strong understanding of the culture and growing diversity in Salt Lake City. I worked at the University Neuropsychiatric Institute (UNI) as a clinical social worker on the adolescent and child inpatient units which provided me with critical experience with managing mental health crises and establishing effective resources to support children, adolescents and families with improving their safety, stability and quality of life. I have been working in private practice for eleven years. In working with individuals and families, I have some core principles that guide my practice. I believe in meeting clients where they are at and developing therapeutic goals that are relevant, manageable and optimistic. Also, I work from a strengths based perspective and have a tendency to look for solutions with clients rather than getting stuck on problems. I believe in the potential of humans and feel that with the right support, guidance and tools people are capable of achieving personal goals and improving their quality of life. Therefore, I work on empowering individuals and families to use their personal strengths and resources to develop plans and strategies to manage life's stressors as well as improve their daily functioning.