Jennifer DeBosschere
LCSW
Adolescent, Family & Couples Therapist
.I enjoy working with adolescents. I find this population to be curious, loyal, fun, and hard at work with figuring out their identity and place in life. Developmentally, they are going through so many changes and challenges and often want help when needed but also want to be independent. Parenting teens can be tough for this reason but I also enjoy working with parents as they navigate these years. My husband and I have raised two children ages 27 and 24 and still have a 14 year old daughter to guide. So I can relate personally and professionally to what both groups are going through in the good times and times of some turbulence! And offer guidance, support and suggestions.
I love to listen and hear my clients and learn about them. Their positives and strengths are always highlighted as they stand out to me. Once we work as a team to identify goal areas, we will work on ways to accomplish these goals. This will be done by strength based and empathic counseling with CBT and DBT elements in the treatment plan.
With couples today, there are more issues to navigate than ever which can include: working a hectic job with a long commute; taking care of elderly parents/relatives; squeezing time in to exercise/blog/network/meet the neighbors and possibly raising children as well. Sometimes unhealthy expectations, miscommunication and various obstacles start and if lasting and untreated, a couple may lose a sense of that friendship, shared passion,purpose and safety that once brought so much joy and excitement. The great news is that these emotions can return with participation in couples therapy and a commitment to learning (or relearning) new concepts and skills! As a Gottman-trained therapist (Level 1 & 2), I would love to help couples learn how to repair their relationship by improving their communication, friendship, respect and admiration for one another using well researched tools and strategies developed for over 40 years by Drs. John and Julie Gottman.
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I went to NIU with a declared physical therapy major but soon changed after liking my sociology and psychology electives more than my science courses. I was involved in different student opportunities and thought about working with the elderly after I volunteered at a nursing home in DeKalb and then criminal justice after I volunteered at the St. Charles Youth Correctional Center. I graduated with a BS in Family Social Services on a more general path and then went straight to graduate school for the full-time two-year MSW program at Jane Addams School of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago. After a year of different classes and a year-long elementary and middle school school social work internship, I knew I had my fit in social work. I selected school social work as my concentration and enjoyed my second year of more specific content classes and a year long internship at a high school. I started working at a south suburban high school district that fall in 1990 and will retire after 34 years as a school social worker in July 2024 in that same district. I want to continue to work as a therapist but try for something a bit different and work in a local counseling office.
Personally, I was raised in the south suburbs and was the youngest of 4. My dad was a successful dentist in the town where we lived but he suffered a heart attack and had open heart surgery when I was 5 years old which affected the family and he was forced to work less. When I was nine years old and right before 4th grade was to start, my dad died after an unsuccessful heart surgery. I learned important life lessons at this point moving forward which included "not sweating the small stuff", education is valued, family and friends offer strength and resilience can occur. I try to bring those same values still when with my own older kids and still raising my now 8th grade daughter with my husband Brian. I love having dogs in my life and our current two are Tazer and Belle. They are both spoiled by all five of us.
Top Specialties
Child
Anxiety
Depression
Expertise
ADHD
Behavioral Issues
Emotional Disturbance
Family Conflict
Learning Disabilities
Parenting
Postpartum Depression
School Issues
Self Esteem
Self-Harming
Suicidal Ideation
Trauma and PTSD
If someone was to ask you what they should know before going - what would you tell them?
This can be time well spent with an uninterrupted 55 minutes devoted to reflection, problems solving, risk taking, success making and/or transition easing in a genuine and caring fashion. Life is truly full of "ups and downs" and if help is needed during these low times, therapy can help! Give it a try!
Fun Fact
One fun fact is that I can easily talk in front of a group of 2 or 2,ooo. I also got this trait from my mom and her side of the polka dancing family.
If you were an emoji (or series of emoji's), which one(s)?
😀