MEET THERAPIST
Jennifer Friend
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Jennifer (she/her pronouns) is a Registered Social Worker with a Master of Social Work degree and post-graduate Certificate in Trauma, both from Wilfrid Laurier University. Jennifer has participated extensively in ongoing professional development, having completed training and workshops in Emotion-Focused Family Therapy, Synergetic Play Therapy, Expressive Art Therapy, DBT for Adolescents and Families, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Indigenous Cultural Safety, Motivational Interviewing, Sexual Violence Prevention for Children and Youth, and AMBIANCE-brief to assess parental attachment behaviours.
Jennifer has worked with children, youth, and families since 2015 and she has experience working with children and youth of all ages, including those that are neurodivergent. Jennifer uses a compassionate and empathetic relational approach when working with people in distress. She enjoys offering support, education, and wholistic wellness for children, youth, and adults who are struggling with mental health distress, with a focus on issues of toxic stress and complex trauma. She enjoys finding creative and expressive means to engage and relate to people and to develop therapeutic relationships premised on trust and safety. Jennifer utilizes a trauma-informed, attachment-based, and empowering theoretical framework in her counselling practice.
As an uninvited settler on the traditional and unceded territory of the Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc peoples, reconciliation is another important aspect of her practice. Jennifer has experience working with Indigenous peoples, particularly with respect to issues of gendered violence and trauma. Jennifer is an approved mental health service provider for the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) health benefits programs.
In her spare time, you will likely find Jennifer at a field watching her children play sports, on one of the many fabulous running and biking trails in Kamloops, or camping lakeside with a book in hand.
Jennifer’s session fee is $150/session.
