About Us
Clinical Biography
Jennalyn Strickland, MA, Professional Counselor Associate, NCC, CADC-I, CTP
I believe that everyone is capable of healthy change to achieve their maximum potential and reach a deep satisfaction with life. I value depth and spirituality, and identify as a follower of Jesus. This drives me to show compassion, openness, and hope to all people in a nonjudgmental environment, recognizing that every person is a human being who deserves to live a life they find worth living. I integrate cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and existential models to formulate effective interventions to meet client needs. My desire is to create a space where clients can feel comfortable and safe to be their authentic selves as they engage in the process of delving into the human within. Furthermore, I am passionate about sharing mental health awareness in the world in which I live. It is my belief that together we can help one another thrive, finding support and safety in our communities.
My clinical specialties include addictions, trauma, and personality disorders/behaviors. I have formally trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), all of which I regularly bring into therapy and trainings. I am a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) and a Professional Counselor Associate in the state of Oregon, and I currently hold my CADC I (Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor), and CTP (Certified Trauma Professional).
I was raised at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Georgia. Growing up, I saw the value of a supportive and hospitable community, truly experiencing the concept that “it takes a village to raise a child.” Having a community like this allowed me to understand how important human connection is, and how this enables us to grow and find fulfillment in life. I love my family dearly, although I was not raised in a place where emotions were openly expressed or accepted. This, along with my family’s stressful work life, compiled to form some deep inner feelings that I continued to shove down. After later living in a domestically abusive environment in my high school years, I had no choice but to learn how to deal with the emotional turmoil of anxiety and depression. It was at this point I began the process of learning that emotions are something to be run with, rather than something to be run from. Bringing together the supportive community mindset I was raised with, my deep spiritual values, and my own challenging experiences, I have gained a passion for helping people and communities grow to endure the hardships and celebrate the joys of life.
Outside of counseling and consulting, I enjoy all forms of adventure and the outdoors, including hiking, camping, rock climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, running, and long summer days on the lake. I’ve also been doing karate and martial arts since I was about fourteen, and continue to engage in MMA in the evenings. I love to travel and engage in new cultures, new people, new food, and new experiences, and have spent time living in Chile and Thailand. Most of all, I love spending time with my family, friends, and my wonderful husband, and I find myself abundantly blessed to live in a community that is so supportive and warmhearted.
I assist adults and adolescents who are experiencing a range of presenting concerns, including: depression, anxiety, anger, acute and chronic trauma, substance and behavioral addictions, relationship issues, psychosis, personality disorders or behaviors, obsessive compulsive behaviors, eating disorders, grief, ADHD, codependency, others impacted by addiction, and suicidal thoughts or behaviors. In the counseling room, I use primarily use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), also accompanied by Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Narrative Therapy, all of which I have formally trained in.
I hold a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Bushnell University. Major coursework included theory and technique, psychodiagnostics, helping skills, addictions, career and lifestyles, multicultural counseling, assessment, research, and lifespan development. I have formally trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). I currently have my CADC I (Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor), and CTP (Certified Trauma Professional). I completed my internship at the Oregon State Psychiatric Hospital, working with severe and persistent mental illnesses for a year in this setting. This is where I received a lot of my specialized training, along with learning a variety of counseling approaches and interventions that serve a wide variety of clients. I have also worked as a Clinical DBT Therapist and as a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Oregon.