My Journey Into Becoming A Mental Health Therapist & The Magic of Stories

It's time I start a blog. This idea has been sitting with me for a while now, but I often found myself stuck in the “how”—how I wanted to tell these stories, what I wanted to share, and where to even begin.

If you know me, you know how much I love to read. Over time, I’ve come to see how being an avid reader shapes me—not just personally, but professionally. It deepens the way I understand people, stories, and the complexity of the human experience. (More on that soon.)

As I thought about how to share knowledge through the lens of a therapist while also honoring something I genuinely love, this blog began to take shape. A space where books, reflection, and therapy intersect—where I can explore what I’m learning and how it shows up in the therapy room.

I’ll be sharing more about the heart behind this blog, along with pieces of my own journey into becoming a therapist.

How I Found My Way into Therapy

My path to becoming a therapist has felt both linear and nonlinear all at once.

If you went digging through my parents’ basement, you’d probably find an old video of me—maybe in second or third grade—standing in front of my class, passionately presenting on the human brain. Even then, I was fascinated by how it worked. As a three-sport athlete growing up, that curiosity expanded into wanting to understand how the brain influences performance—how mindset, focus, and belief shape what we’re capable of.

By high school, that interest had taken on a life of its own. For a class project, I created a small research study where athletes practiced mental imagery for their sport. I measured their performance before and after the imagery sessions, trying to capture something I couldn’t quite name yet—but deeply believed in: that our inner world matters.

So when it came time for college, majoring in psychology felt like a natural next step.

College, though, has a way of expanding your world beyond what you thought you understood. Alongside that expansion came my own personal challenges, which shifted my curiosity. I became less focused on performance and more drawn to people’s stories—how lived experiences, relationships, and hardships shape our mental and emotional health.

Reading had always been a constant in my life. I grew up in a family that valued books, and I’ve always found meaning in them. Over time, it started to make sense that my path would move away from sports psychology and toward something broader—something that made space for the complexity of the human experience. (And, if I’m being honest, clinical psychology programs are also incredibly competitive—social work felt both aligned and attainable.)

I pursued my Master’s in Social Work with the intention of becoming a therapist. At the time, I understood therapy as a space where people could begin to rewrite their stories—to make sense of what they’ve been through and discover new ways of seeing themselves and their lives. That idea felt both hopeful and grounded in something real.

My work has taken me into a variety of settings—community mental health, supporting mothers experiencing homelessness, working with young adults navigating a first episode of psychosis, and integrating mental health care into primary care environments. Across all of these spaces, one theme consistently emerged: the presence of unprocessed trauma and early relational wounds.

Again and again, I found myself helping clients gently uncover and make sense of these experiences. It became an area I connected with deeply—one that I continue to study, explore, and hold with care in my work today.

Becoming a mother added another layer to this understanding. It deepened my appreciation for the complexities of pregnancy and postpartum, especially within a culture that places immense—and often unrealistic—expectations on mothers.

And throughout all of this, my training as a therapist has only strengthened my belief in the power of storytelling.

In the therapy room, people often bring pieces of their story—sometimes fragmented, sometimes painful, sometimes hard to even put into words. Part of my role is to sit with them as those pieces begin to take shape. To notice patterns. To hold space for meaning-making. To help them see strengths that may have gone unnoticed.

In many ways, it reminds me of reading a complex novel—one that can feel confusing or heavy at times, but always holds the potential for growth, insight, and change.

Why I Started This Blog

I created this blog to combine my two passions: therapy and stories. I want to share insights about mental health in a way that feels accessible and relatable. Stories are a universal language, and through them, we can explore difficult topics, reduce stigma, and inspire hope. As therapy can feel increasingly inaccessible at times, it is also important to me to find a way to offer information outside of a 1:1 setting. What better way than writing about what I know and what I've learned.

This blog will offer:

• Reflections on therapy, mental health, motherhood

• Ways stories influence our emotions and behaviors

• Book recommendations that illuminate psychological themes

• Personal experiences and lessons from my work as a therapist

• Discussions on how culture and identity shape our stories

• Resources for mental health support

  
  

My goal is to create a space where readers feel understood and supported, whether they are seeking help, curious about therapy, or simply love stories as much as I do.

Stories have the power to heal, connect, and transform. My journey from reader to therapist has shown me that every person’s story matters.

www.journeywithjenna.com