Today we’d like to introduce you to Jen Cope.
Hi Jen, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My story regarding my road to becoming a therapist involved a lot of tears, self-doubt, and simultaneously feeling more empowered than I had up to that point in my life. I personally have been diagnosed with OCD, as well as depression and anxiety, which came on when I was about 11 years old.
I grew up in a strict religious household, so when my symptoms started to become more intrusive in my day-to-day life, I attempted to increase in faith in God, hoping that He would relieve what I was experiencing. It wasn’t until I was 19 or 20 years old that I finally started seeing a therapist and taking medication to help manage what I was feeling. It was during this period in my life that my interest in being a therapist a career started to take more shape.
After I failed Brigham Young University in Provo, I was fearful that I wouldn’t be able to accomplish any of my goals, considering my grades had put me into full academic suspension status. I transferred to Utah Valley University, whose teaching style greatly benefitted my learning style. I applied and was accepted to one of the top 10 Marriage and Family Therapy programs in the US, the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in New York.
My husband, son, and I moved cross country for me to accomplish my degree, where I graduated with honors. Now that I am back in Utah, I feel that the work I do in my community is crucial to an individual’s overall well-being. I am committed to assisting in people’s healing, whatever that looks like.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Looking back, it was probably smoother than I thought at the time. However, the difficulty in recovering from my traumatic semesters at BYU, having a baby (in the midst of applying for graduate school), reworking my spirituality, and everything else that goes into having a family through graduate school was definitely overwhelming.
Being in school for to be a therapist while also having your own traumas is another kind of stress. You have to learn to listen intently to what people are saying, regardless if it brings up your own stuff, and help guide the client to their own insight, not what you think is right for them. It took a lot of work in my own therapy and with my supervisors to learn how to balance it all.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist! I specialize in treating couples, individuals, and families. I have specific training in OCD, postpartum concerns, high-risk pregnancies, faith transitions, kink/open/polyamorous relationships, and hair-pulling/skin-picking disorders. I am skilled in the therapy field and feel competent to assist in healing the people that come in my door.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
I think that there were a few small things along the way that were definitely lucky, like finding housing in both my undergraduate and degrees, but honestly, luck isn’t something I come by so I’ve had to hustle!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @justjencope
Image Credits
Taylor Robison (Instagram @tayrobison)
