My goal is to provide you with a safe, trusting, and caring environment in which we will work together to identify and explore those concerns that may be prohibiting you from enjoying a more rewarding home life and career or from establishing more fulfilling relationships. I aim to empower you with the necessary tools to promptly reach your goals and to take ownership of your life. I provide couples, family, and/or individual therapy for a variety of issues, and I use Gottman Method Therapy when working with couples.

I consider it a privilege to work with people who are struggling with difficult life circumstances or challenges. We live in a chaotic world where individuals are often not truly heard and understood. My training and experience has focused on learning to truly and deeply listen. I have worked extensively with trauma, grief and loss and chronic illness. I have also had additional training in working with couples facing difficulties in any stage of their relationship. I value the therapeutic relationship and our work together will be based on empathy, trust and respect.

I have been practicing for seventeen years with experience directing outpatient psychiatric services, substance abuse, and issues regarding healthy sexuality. I also have an interest in working with clients to incorporate healthy spiritual models in their personal growth & development.

I work with adults and adolescents who are struggling with relational hardships. Often these relational barriers are due to faulty thinking patterns developed in early childhood, however, they create difficulties in controlling emotions, thoughts, and behaviors today. I understand there are also spiritual components to emotional and relational problems. Consequently, I will often times utilize the Bible or Christian references to assist with treatment. In conjunction with my strong personal faith, I will also be using cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to uncover your unique human development which led to your present state.

Avoid phone tag go to to my "website" link, schedule your individual 15-20 minute phone or video consult. Thank you for your time. As a person and a therapist, I understand the long term impact that traumatic events have on the body, mind and soul. The truth is trauma can impact every area of our lives and physical health. I know that your situation is unique and you need a compassionate approach that is designed specifically for you as a person. I provide informed care for conventional, holistic and mind/body approaches. It is my goal to be with you and support you where you are, as you move to find your balance in life.

For the past 19 years I’ve helped hundreds of individuals, children and families work through a variety of challenges. My areas of expertise are anxiety, depression and relationship problems. I also provide divorce support and parenting coaching. All of my sessions are done online (and will continue to be online even after covid-19), so you can get the help you need without ever having to leave the comfort of your home.

As someone struggling with mental health, or the parent of a child or teenager going through that struggle, you likely feel overwhelmed, anxious, and uncertain about what your next steps should be. Often the hardest step is just showing up, and you have already accomplished that by navigating how to start the process!

Often it can be our crises - depression, anxiety; setback in relationship, career, or finances; trauma, loss, or illness - that open new healing pathways in our lives, even in our brains themselves. My calling to depth psychology illustrates this pattern over a 30-year career in journalism & corporate communications, adult development, and psychotherapy. As a 25-year wife & stepmom, encore-career graduate of intense MA and PhD programs, and 9-year cancer survivor, my own depth psychologists have been life-saving companions and guides for life's inevitable ordeals. This is the animating vision for my clinical practice, writing, and teaching.

Are you spinning your wheels? Have you tried, again and again, to just get this thing called life to work for you, but nothing seems to stick? I've been there, and I get it. Our lives are the stories of our being in the world, and I work with individuals, couples, and families to look at the big picture of the story of YOUR life. We will explore not only the “how” of your life and the challenges that it brings, but also the “why” of these same issues, so that you can finally make some progress and begin to live with greater fulfillment and ease of being in the world.

You're doing the best you can, but something isn't working. Maybe your emotions go up and down from one minute to the next, or maybe it's sorrow or emptiness, all the time. Maybe it's hard to open up because things from the past are always in the present with you. It can be really hard to attend class, go to work, keep relationships, and engage fully with life when our emotions are out of control. Therapy can provide skills to help you stay grounded, relate with others more effectively, and create good habits and coping skills that make it easier to get up in the morning and face the day. This is where our work comes in.

I enjoy helping clients with addiction, marriage, relationship problems, grief issues, gambling problems, anger problems, depression, anxiety and spiritual issues find solutions and live a better quality of life.

I have been working with adolescents and young adults for 15 years. I am passionate about connecting teens and their families with resources to ensure they receive holistic care. I believe that even young teenagers can learn important skills that will support them in living healthy adult lives, and I consider the whole family unit as part of the treatment team. I am also passionate about providing clinical services to women (and those who identify as women). I use a strength-based approach to empower women to find their power and their voice to assert themselves at home, in the workplace, and in their relationships.

Do you feel anxious, lost or alone? Is it difficult for you to share your feelings with others? Do you long for more love, joy and meaning in your life and relationships? Do you feel so busy taking care of others that you have neglected yourself? Would you like to experience more freedom, connection and passion? Psychotherapy is an effective, dynamic, interpersonal experience that can help transform your life and relationships. Using an interactive, sincere and supportive style, frustrating patterns can be unraveled to create more satisfaction, pleasure and balance in your life.

***Not currently accepting new clients*** At times, the journey of life can be challenging. We all experience joys and turmoil along the way. Maybe you are currently experiencing the loss of a loved one, marriage issues, infertility, parenting struggles, or juggling daily work and home life balance. I provide a warm, safe, non-judgemental space to work through those life struggles that cause anxiety and pain.

Children and adolescents are often faced with a myriad of obstacles, adjustments and stressors throughout their growth cycles. Through an integrative approach, I work with children and their caregivers to find ways best suited to master these obstacles and surmount life's challenges. As stated by Erik Erikson, "Play is the most natural method of self-healing childhood affords" and I dedicate much of my work to empowering children to use their inner strengths and abilities in creative ways that meet their needs. Just as adults process with their words, children do so in their play.

You have this one life; it should feel the way you want it to! But maybe instead it feels overwhelming and heavy. Maybe you wonder "Why can't I stop over-thinking?" "What's wrong with me?" "Why do I feel like this?" You've tried to change and you still end up feeling awful about yourself or frustrated in your relationships. Are you ready to feel differently and to have more confidence in dealing with whatever comes each day? Do you want to feel more in control even when your emotions are strong? Do you want to feel more at ease & connected in your relationships with others? Let's change things! Life CAN feel the way you want it to.

I enjoy working with adults, adolescents and children. I treat the whole person (emotionally, physically and spiritually). I help to motivate you toward realistic lifestyle change by meeting you where you are in the process. I treat those with ADHD, parenting, depression, anxiety and marital issues to name a few. I believe the family is an important component to the treatment process; therefore family therapy is strongly encouraged, especially for children. I use different approaches based on the needs of the individual or family. At the top of my list are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Family/Marital Therapy and Mindfulness Approach.

Life is full of transitions and changes; some are welcome, and some are life shattering. What do you do when the aftermath of these changes is too much to manage? While it is common to feel anxious, overwhelmed, defeated, confused, and uncertain; you don’t have to stay in that place. Defining your new normal after these moments can require support and guidance.

My name is Jen Bauer and I have spent close to 10 years helping adults, adolescents and their families work through challenging situations. I offer counseling services in a relaxed setting in the Lake Norman area. My role as a therapist is to assist client's with managing their depression, anxiety and other mood disorders in a healthy way. Have you noticed yourself struggling with your negative thoughts, sleep patterns have changed, drinking or using other substances more, self harm, isolation and avoidance, or loss of interest in things you used to enjoy? Are you struggling with your relationships with family members or peers?

I respect the courage that it takes to seek help when life's challenges become overwhelming. It is often a very painful place that can be difficult to share with another person. I am very sensitive to the fact that the first step can be the most difficult. I use a collaborative, compassionate approach with my clients. I rely on my knowledge and experience coupled with theoretical approaches to customize a plan for the individual situation. The goal is to work toward holistic balance.