Meet Our Team
Jennifer B. Warkentin, Ph.D. (she/her)
Founder & CEO, Licensed Psychologist
Not accepting new clients
Groups Served: Adults, and Older Adults
Services: Individual therapy, Cognitive screenings
Availability: In-person and telehealth sessions
Insurance: Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield/Anthem, Medicare and most Medicare Advantage plans
Top Specialties: Women’s Issues, Depression, Grief/Loss, Midlife Challenges
Other Areas of Focus: Anxiety, Burnout, Relationship Issues
I’m a licensed Clinical Psychologist who works with adults and older adults who have ongoing challenges with depression and anxiety. My goal is to help you to stop feeling overwhelmed and hopeless and start guiding you to where things feel manageable again.
My Approach to Therapy
I bring warmth, understanding, and a sense of humor to my work. As a therapist, I can:
Help to uncover what’s under the surface
Explain mental health symptoms in an easy-to-understand way
Inspire hope for getting better
Help clients heal their past and manage their present
I enjoy helping people become healthier and more empowered, and watching their lives flourish over time. For me, the most rewarding thing about being a therapist is knowing that I had a part in helping someone else transform their life.
Sessions with me will provide you with the space to be understood and heard, so that you’ll be able to better understand yourself and feel what you need to feel. It’s important to me to provide a non-judgmental space where you can be yourself, and to check in on your progress as we go.
At Essential Insights Counseling Center, there isn’t a “one size fits all” approach to therapy.
My approach to treatment includes different types of therapy that are combined to fit your unique personal needs and concerns. This means that I look at things like how you’re thinking about a situation and how that is affecting how you’re feeling (cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT), the impact of your early relationships on your view of yourself and the world as well as relationship patterns that have emerged over time and how to break those patterns (psychodynamic approaches), and ways to use things like mindfulness and meditation to help train your brain to be able to shift away from anxious or negative thinking (mindfulness-based approaches). I have some clients who come in with a couple specific goals and complete treatment within about 12 sessions, while I have other clients who are trying to make broader changes to their lives or who feel really stuck in unhealthy patterns who have been in treatment for a year or longer.
“Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
— Oliver Goldsmith
As a Therapist, I Embrace the Following Philosophies:
People often underestimate their ability to change. It is possible to change. It is possible to enjoy life again.
Therapy should address the person as a whole - their mind, body, and spirit.
Often, the biggest thing standing in your way is the fear that life always has to be the way that it is now.
You are strong enough to be present with what you may be going through, even if it doesn’t feel like that for you.
Even if we feel like we’ve lost hope, it’s possible to show up, commit to ourselves, and do what it takes to start feeling better.
My Professional Background
I received my doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Ohio University and completed my pre-doctoral training at the Albany Psychology Internship Consortium in Albany, NY. I have experience working in a wide range of treatment settings, including outpatient clinics, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, Emergency Department, and locked inpatient units. This helps me give my clients a broader context in which to better understand what they’re thinking and feeling.
In addition to my clinical experience, I worked as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of New Hampshire for four years. I also worked as the Director of Professional Affairs for the Massachusetts Psychological Association for five years, advocating for improvements in mental health-related legislation, regulations, and health plan policies in Massachusetts. My current advocacy work includes serving on the Board of Professional Affairs for the American Psychological Association.
Start getting your life back on track. Reach out and let us know that I could be your best fit therapist.
Here's how it works: Call us today or schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation in our online scheduler. During your initial call, you can share what’s going on for you and ask us any questions you may have. Through understanding your needs, we will help you choose the best therapist for you, answer any questions you might have, and schedule your first session.