Jennifer S Bailey, MA, LMFT 

 

Jen's Clinical Experience:

 

Although Jennifer’s first career had little to do with the mental health industry, she was almost always involved in some way or another from a very young age. Trained in high school as a peer counselor, Jennifer spearheaded three crisis interventions before entering college. Many years later, she would call upon that knowledge again to lead a group of concerned friends to get help for a suicidal friend.

 

Jennifer graduated from Phillips Graduate Institute in 2007 with honors upon her induction into the National Honor Society, Alpha Epsilon Lambda (AEL). Her Master’s Thesis, “Living on the Edge: Recognizing and Healing the Effects of a Borderline Parent,” was accepted for publication, and focuses on the subject of helping adult children of a Borderline Personality Disordered parent deal with the shock and confusion of their childhoods. She hopes to someday expand this into a book.

 

Jennifer’s clinical experience includes providing psychotherapy to adults, couples, teens and seniors. While she enjoys working with men and women who struggle with anxiety, she has found a specialty in working with adults with traumatic or difficult childhoods. In addition to those who experienced controlling, abusive or critical parents, Jennifer also works with only children, adult children of Personality Disordered parents, and clients who struggle with Codependent or Perfectionistic behaviors. She also loves working with clients who are considering or are actively engaged in the field of mental health. To many of her clients, their memories and the stories of their lives are carried around like shells on a tortoise’s back—something that can both protect and impede. Therefore, the details of our histories become extremely important, for what can imprison us can also be forged to fashion the keys to our freedom. As a result, Jennifer works from a Psychodynamic approach, helping clients to gain insight and emancipation from elements of their pasts they unconsciously re-create.

 

Licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in October of 2012, she maintains a private practice in Northridge. In 2018, she became an Adjunct Faculty at PGI, teaching students in their first and second years of the program, which she considers a highlight in her career. This dedication to her colleagues continues Jennifer’s tradition of giving back and helping shape her community. Originally serving as a Class Representative during her Master's program, she became a member of the Phillip's Alumni Board from 2009 to 2010. Upon licensure in 2012, she also founded a support group with longtime colleague, Kathy Buratti, for MFT and CSW Associates on their way through the arduous licensing process, called "Beating The BBS Blues". While this group is no longer active, Jennifer continues to see student therapists as clients as a part of their self-care process, as she feels gratified to assist in ushering the next wave of competent professionals into service. 

 

Jennifer also maintains professional membership in the California Association of Marriage & Family Therapists (CAMFT) and its local chapter, SFVCAMFT.