Why I do what I do – Jenny Brewer, Therapist

I do this work because I feel called to it. I’d love to tell you that I always knew I would be a therapist, but that simply isn’t true. In fact, as a child and adolescent, I never imagined myself doing anything very impactful with my life. Instead, it was a combination of powerful life experiences (both good and bad) that led me to this work.

I grew up in a working-class family in South County St. Louis. As with most, my family maintained a fair amount of dysfunction and untreated mental illness. I was the second of five children and could easily relate to the ‘unseen’ feeling many middle children experience. My parents would (accurately) describe me as “overly sensitive,” and I learned early that my feelings were better kept to myself. As I grew up, I witnessed my father experience bouts of severe depression and mania which caused on-going instability both relationally and financially for my family. I also helplessly watched as my older sister fell into the ‘wrong crowd’ and became addicted to opiates. The combination of these significant stressors and my propensity for emotional sensitivity left me feeling insignificant, powerless and very afraid.

As a young adult I remember feeling lost, emotionally unanchored as I anxiously navigated life. This all changed when I began working with a skilled and compassionate counselor who led me through a powerful, albeit difficult, therapy process. Formal therapy in addition to a few other formative relationships helped me to experience a degree of equanimity that I did not know was possible. Over time I also gained a sense of empowerment and competence that I could create a life that was fulfilling, balanced and healthy. I am so glad to say that many of my family members have also benefited from formal support and treatment and I have watched their lives and relationships improve as a result.

My decision to become a professional counselor has everything to do with my firsthand experience of healing through the therapy process. I strive to be that ‘skilled and compassionate’ therapist who can guide others through the healing process. I want to do everything in my power to increase awareness of mental illness and reduce stigma so that anyone who is suffering would have the opportunity to access treatment and support. 

Fred Rogers, one of my personal heroes, is quoted as saying, ““No matter what our particular job, especially in our world today, we all are called to be Tikkun Olam — repairers of creation. Thank you for whatever you do, wherever you are, to bring joy, and light, and hope, and faith, and pardon and love to your neighborhood and to yourself.” I keep the words Tikkun Olam posted in my office to remind me of this call. This is my hope and the reason that I do this work.