Jenna ws an enaging speaker who shared the heart-breaking stories and backgrounds of her young clients’ lives with empathy and understanding. She was mindful of protecting their anonymity ensuring their stories received the respect deserved. The children’s histories were at times very bleak and so moving.
Jenna explained she always makes it clear from the first encounter with any new trauma client that she is not going anywhere and will always be there for them, but it is their choice as to whether they wish to be part of the therapeutic process. For children who are the most disadvantaged in our Society this must be unnerving and unknown after the often devastatingly awful treatment they have endured throughout their lives to date. Jenna explained how they often ignore her, act up, defy, run away, fail to attend, be rude, be obnoxious but nothing will stop her from being there for them, without judgement – her enthusiasm is shining and contagious. Jenna said she always demonstrates commitment to her clients and turns up for appointments regardless of whether she suspects the client might be there – or not. It is, she said, perfectly understandable for people who have suffered as they have suffered, to find trust a very difficult value to hold and definitely not one to offer to any ‘stranger’ whom they may fear might also abuse them!
Jenna showed clearly how much passion and love she has for her work with children and young adults who have often been so mis-used and damaged. It is through knowing how important her work is for the beginning of any healing process for even the most abused that she creates her working strategies. Her transparent high energy and honesty leads most clients to hope, and maybe acknowledge Jenna will stay with them regardless and so then they perhaps begin to finally unpick some of the desperate pain, abuse, loss and abandonment they have experienced.
She has huge insight into her client group through her years of work with trauma, EMDR etc underpinned by humanistic, person centred therapies and so ensures her clients’ needs always inform her practice. Jenna recommended we watch a podcast with Andrew Huberman which we could find informative.
Even just listening to the Talk allowed me to have a brief insight how Jenna’s work with damaged young clients makes quite an impact. I imagined them wondering ‘is this ok – is it true?’ to then finally realising ‘yes, it is and so is she!’
As one attendee commented ‘brilliant, passionate introduction to a topic of powerful impaction.’
Thank you Jenna for such a stimulating, insightful and emotion raising evening – I think it left most of us wanting to hear more from you!
Jacqueline Holloway