Jennifer Cust, LCSW

Holistic psychotherapist specializing in the integration of grief and loss

Let’s work together in a safe and warm environment to create more stability, ease, and joy in your life.

Looking for Support?

Are you struggling to move through a transition or stuck point in your life? Do you find yourself unable to move forward or enjoy the things you used to love? Grieving change is a normal and adaptive parts of the human experience. It is common to try and avoid or suppress emotional reactions. Tampering down or ignoring our grief is very common and can also be a quick path to isolation, depression, anxiety or other physical symptoms. I am here to support you as you learn to move toward the pain with gentleness and support.

Grieving a loss isn’t only reserved for big transitions like death or divorce- humans grieve far subtler everyday changes. Loss and transition can cause real emotional turmoil, but when given the right space and set of tools, can also be a meaningful initiation to heal old wounds and fortify coping strategies. By moving towards the pain with the support of a loving and supportive guide you will naturally allow more space, more flexibility and more aliveness back into your daily experience.

My Approach

Relational

We are not meant to heal alone. I believe we grow best in community. I strive to lay the groundwork for a safe, warm and authentic relationship. Meeting you where you are at, non-judgmentally and with unconditional positive regard is the fundamental feature of my therapeutic approach. This type of environment is where healing naturally happens.

Person-In-Environment

Our unique psychological processing develops within the context of our environment. We learn to cope with pain, trauma and oppression in both healthy and harmful ways. As a trauma-informed, social justice minded practitioner, I prioritize acknowledging the adversity that contributed to feeling unwell. I honor your past and hope to create a safe environment in which you can build on helpful adaptive behaviors and chip away at habits that no longer feel helpful.

Harnessing Self-Compassion

Through gentleness and self-acceptance we can learn to honor our authenticity and treat ourselves with kindness. Beginning to be mindful of our negative self-talk and pivot to a warm and accepting inner voice can transform how we feel and calm our nervous system.

Eclectic

Therapy should not be one-size-fits-all. I believe we heal through different aspects of our whole self- requiring a flexible approach. I use evidence-based cognitive approaches to help normalize your experience and harness tools to calm your thoughts and worries. Below those thoughts and worries live our emotions which need to be felt in order to heal. I support clients using somatic awareness and mindfulness practices to create more safety and trust in approaching our difficult emotions. Together we can move towards the emotions and prioritize actions that bring us closer to a more authentic life.

Psychodynamic

Our early childhood experiences help to shape our perspective of the world and how we move through obstacles. By bringing light to old patterns and coping strategies, we can grieve old losses with self-compassion moving towards balance and wholeness.

About Me

Welcome. I’m Jennifer Cust, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 7 years of experience. I have supported a many clients as they’ve moved through major life transitions. My career has brought me to a variety of spaces, including working with people at the end of life, bereaved families as well as clients in community mental health settings.

  • I offer virtual psychotherapy within California and am currently accepting new clients.

  • I offer complimentary 15 minute consultations.

  • Please ask me about in-person services.