About Jenny Reed
A native of Washington state, Jenny learned a holistic approach to mental health, starting at Evergreen State College in Olympia. She majored in Multicultural Counseling and focused on marginalized and underserved populations. She started her work with clients with acute psychiatric illnesses.
Jenny served in the Peace Corps in Kazakhstan for 2 years. There she worked in a community center with people from ages 6 to 60. She taught conversational English and she led yoga, and art classes, in Russian. She encouraged cultural exchange and awareness through her work.
After living in Kazakhstan, Jenny earned her masters degree in Art Therapy at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, CT. Her personal focus was to integrate her knowledge of mental health therapy and artistic expression. During her studies she interned at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital in the in-patient pediatric unit where she worked with patients ages 6 to 25 and their parents.
After graduation, Jenny moved to Worcester, MA and worked for three years at the Homeless Outreach & Advocacy Program. Her clients ranged from ages 18 to 65 and suffered from childhood trauma and substance use.
Jenny later came to Boston, working for the Gavin Foundation’s Center for Recovery Services in South Boston for two years with clients ages 15 to 60. She provided individual and group therapy (SOAP) to support clients in their recovery from substance use. Her clients included those who voluntarily chose treatment, as well as those required to enroll by a residential program or by the court.
Jenny started her private practice, Creative Therapy LLC, in 2020 and continues to meet with clients via telehealth platform Simplepractice.
Credentials
Jenny is a Registered Art Therapist (ATR) and Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). Her work is regulated by Massachusetts under mental health laws and licensing rules and is regularly checked by The Art Therapy Credentials Board. She uses a Boston area network of peer professionals to support clients with referrals if needed.
Specialities
Anxiety, Depression, Trauma Reaction, PTSD. Issues with Coping, Self Esteem, Stress, Relationships, and/or Behavioral. Clients include Adults, Men, Women, Non-binary, and LGBT+.
Jenny describes her approach
Psychotherapy
Art Therapy
‘Change unleashes people’s creative energy’
‘“When you engage in art therapy and talk therapy, you unleash changes within yourself. During a therapy appointment my approach is strength-based and person-centered. By focusing on your strengths and skills we can utilize your intuition to address your challenges and concerns. With you at the center and in the lead of treatment you are in control and you gain confidence in your decision making. We can collaboratively set goals for you to become the best version of yourself.
“Before starting therapy, it is important to know what to expect, and to understand your rights as well as commitments. I will be transparent with you about the therapy process, so you are fully informed before starting your journey. You will know, for example, that therapy may involve temporary periods of discomfort as you begin to work through past trauma or confront psychological conflicts you have been avoiding.
“Psychotherapy is a process of opening up about your life experiences and voicing your thoughts and feelings in order to increase your self-awareness of psychological and emotional conflicts. We will focus on you and encourage you to utilize your resiliency and intuition. Over-time you can gain a greater sense of self, confidence to cope and skills to maintain well-being.
“If you are interested, we can engage in Art Therapy, which involves art making with a variety of materials (pen, pencil, pastels, paints, clay, etc) to express feelings and emotions. In learning to manage art materials you can learn to cope with troubling emotions. You can readily share frustrations when engaging art materials. You can gain understanding of your emotions and confidence to cope with them by using skills you learn in therapy.”