Many clients come to me and report the same previous therapy experience. When they had a problem they looked to a list of therapists who had contracted for services with their insurance provider. However when they went to see those contracted providers they discovered much of their time in session was spent defending their beliefs or explaining their belief system to the therapist. They wasted valuable therapy time educating the therapist on why certain ideas and values were important to the family or individual. And sometimes they found the therapist resistant to the values and left therapy prematurely in frustration.
As a convert to the church for over 35 years, married in the temple, serving in numerous callings, raising my 5 children and supporting my husband in his callings, I understand and support the values and teachings of the Church and work tirelessly to help the individual, couple or family, achieve those goals.
I have walked the walk of being a member of the Church and fully understand the challenges and joys this journey can bring. I have struggled to have family home evening and scriptures study be more than a fight that began and ended with prayer. I have served in callings that have challenged me and helped me to grow while juggling the responsibilities of being a parent. I have been the parent at home when my spouse served in demanding callings and gone long hours from the family.
I have been the mother of little children with sporadic sleep, and the mother of teenagers with no sleep. I have worked through the challenges and now am the grandmother of 18 grandchildren. I have also suffered the heart ache of loosing my sweetheart to death and know the grieving process up close and personal. In other words, I am a seasoned veteran of this journey of life and bring my practical skills and years of knowledge to the counseling process.
Through my years serving as a teacher in Seminary and Institute I grew to have a great love of the scriptures and their power to teach us and give direction. I often use the scriptures, words of the living prophets and current conference issues to help direct the therapy process, often giving the clients assignments for study and personal direction.
I use the return and report pattern as a part of the therapy process with the client receiving assignments for the upcoming week and then returning to report on their progress or obstacles the following session.
If a client is open to the idea and gives written permission, I am willing to partner with their Bishop to discuss progress and possible problems discovered during the therapy process.
I am committed to teaching skills to clients, then coaching them through the process of change so they can then go out and live a better life.
Jody VanDrimmelen, LCSW | Utah Telehealth Counseling
Betrayal Trauma Counseling and Support Groups 817-683-9303
Serving Utah and Texas