Jennifer Anible

Welcome! Counseling is like a journey and with any journey there are both challenges and rewards. I will meet you, your child, or your family right where you are at, with a holistic and creative approach unique to you and your needs. I believe that each person holds intrinsic worth and value, and that each person has a purpose with specific desires, gifts, and strengths that sometimes become lost or hidden as challenges or trauma affect their life. I know that everyone is impacted by their upbringing, and background; by their race and culture and by their lived experience. Together we can build from your past experiences and your strengths. We can explore your desires and discern the opportunities for growth that is necessary to move towards change; ultimately leading to healing and wholeness. Through intentional experiential, embodied and often playful practices, these desires and gifts are re-discovered and new skills are learned to bring about the change you are seeking for yourself, your child, or your family. I would be happy to provide a 15 minute consultation to answer any questions and to determine a mutual fit. In case you want to learn more: Interests: I love to be in nature, to explore new places and of course to play! If I could, I would live next door to a library, a coffee shop and a nature preserve. Background and Areas of Expertise: I graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Masters in Social Work in 2002 and in 1999 from Central Michigan University with a B.A.A in Child Development and Sociology and a minor in Psychology. When I volunteered in a domestic violence shelter my sophomore year at CMU, I knew I wanted to go on to earn my MSW and become a therapist that would specialize with children and their families. Since 2002, I have worked as a clinical social worker with families and children in settings such as, non-profit organizations, home based, schools, outpatient, and private practice. I am also passionate about prevention especially in regards to teaching about healthy relationships and preventing domestic violence. I am a Registered Play Therapist who believes that play is the natural language for children. When given the opportunity, children will reveal what they have seen, what they know and what they believe about themselves and the world around them. Through this process, I am fully present in this healing relationship through observation, reflection, entering into their play (when invited or when necessary to aid in becoming unstuck) and ultimately to delight in the child and their healing journey. Additionally, I am trained in EMDR and certified in TraumaPlay. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a method by which the brain is able to process the trauma in a way that the trauma becomes unstuck and you are no longer reliving the sounds, sights, smells and feelings when the event is brought up. I utilize EMDR with adults and children and TraumaPlay with children and their caregivers. TraumaPlay is a flexible sequential based model developed by Paris Goodyear-Brown to address trauma through an attachment based lense by providing the child with play- based directive techniques (and non-directive play) to incorporate components of the model such as safety and security, soothing the physiology, play-based gradual exposure and narrative work (just to name a few) while also working together with the child and caregiver(s) to enhance security and nurturing and to be the “safe boss” and hold the child’s story in a helpful way. In addition to being a Registered Play Therapist, I am also trained in sand tray therapy (using miniatures as metaphors and symbols to share and process experiences) as well as Filial Therapy which entails training caregivers to utilize special play skills to create or improve attachments between the child and caregivers, especially those in adoptive or foster care placements, but also caregivers who have had a difficult time connecting with their child due to many different reasons. I am honored to work closely with caregivers and acknowledge the important role they play in their child's healing process. Lastly, I work with women to provide support in coping with stressors, decreasing anxiety and depression, addressing single episode traumatic events and/or family of origin issues. Additionally, my work with women includes increasing self- care, setting boundaries, exploring spiritual issues and identifying strengths and desires for every-day life so that you are thriving not just surviving.