Hi! I’m Jenna.

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Therapist, Author, Trauma Survivor, Recovering Perfectionist, Enneagram 1, Highly Sensitive Person, Wife, Mom, Daughter and Friend.

I’m so glad you’re here! When you are in this place, I want you to feel inspired to seek, heal, grow, dream and become-everyday. Here, you will experience my writing on mental health, boundaries, relationships and faith, but you will also have the opportunity to connect with many of my other interests such as cooking, wellness and travel.

Have you ever seen trees growing in unexpected ways; sideways, through buildings or with their roots digging into stone? These trees grow and adapt around the environment they are placed in, but inevitably, they are still affected by the environment itself. That is how I experience trauma. You can still grow to full maturity, the trauma will not define you, but it will inevitably be a part of your story, and you can use that adaptability to serve your growth in all aspects of your life.

My Story

Trauma is a part of my story, and because of the growth and adaptability I have gained from it, I am able to claim my story with every ounce of who I am.  I was an emotionally incongruent child. A gemini from the very beginning, I guess. I had a little self that wanted to be bold, creative, and free, but I also had a little self that needed to be regimented, careful, and acutely aware of what was going on around me at all times. That sensitive part felt a deep need for belonging and safety. That part also felt solely responsible for the feelings of those around me, which made it difficult to know what to do with my own feelings. I have always felt things more deeply than those around me, my empathy trait lives at the core of who I am. And while being an empath has been hard at times, I wouldn’t change it for anything. This trait has led me to more wisdom, connection, and healing than I ever thought possible.

I knew I wanted to be a therapist when I was fifteen years old. I have always been curious about myself and about others. I want to know what makes people tick and why they feel and think the way they do. This part of my nature has led to me seeking education so that I can help others feel truly seen and hold space for all kinds of stories. Everyone’s story is important to me. I joke that when I read a fictional book, someone can ask me what it was about a day later and even if I loved it, I won’t be able to remember. But if I sit with a human being, and they tell me their story, I will remember every part because it matters to me.

My Intention

My intent when I write is to help others understand and claim their own story in a meaningful way. I want to inspire healing and authentic relationship, but also fun and creativity. Some of the most significant moments in my life have been spent doing simple things like laughing around the table with loved ones, cooking beautiful meals, feeling the warmth of my daughter’s body as I read to her, or simply needlepointing a piece for someone I love.

Our world is moving really fast right now and we are forgetting that who we are is more important than what we produce. We are allowing the pace of the world to ghost write our stories. I hope my writing inspires you to slow down, take a beat and give yourself permission to explore what you really want your story to say. If you want a guide on how to do this, Boundaries Are A Woman’s Best Friend is a road map that I wrote just for you.

What I Believe  

I believe that suffering keeps you seeking. I am a Certified Faith Based Therapist, along with being a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. What we believe has a deep impact on how we talk to ourselves, and the choices we make in life. I am trained to help clients of all faith backgrounds consider their beliefs and what we find together informs their goals and the therapeutic process. With that said, I want to be open about the fact that myself and my family choose to be followers of the Christian faith, and that will be evident when I tell personal anecdotes.

I am a trauma survivor, recovering perfectionist, highly sensitive person and a lifelong learner, who has made it my life’s work to make meaning out of suffering. My own personal journey of healing and becoming allows me to guide others in an open-minded and compassion filled way. I am passionate about giving others the opportunity to know and share who they are while pursuing meaningful change in their own life.

I understand that maybe you are also a Christian, but choose to live your life differently than us. You might also have an altogether different belief system. Wherever you find yourself in your own spiritual journey, I am so glad you are here. Take what you need from this place and know from my heart of hearts, I am FOR you no matter what you believe. Come with an open mind and an open heart and growth is yours for the taking. I thank you for the grace to be vulnerable and share all parts of myself with you.

I’m Married to Ben

You will see Ben co-host often on Itty Bitty Boundaries Podcast. He is the perfect guest because he is a man in every sense of the word and he believes in seeking consistent growth and awareness alongside me. I care deeply about marriage because my marriage is perhaps my greatest blessing. People in my inner circle have heard me say a million times that Ben is my lifetime lottery. I don’t say this in jest; I really mean it. Meeting my husband allowed me a level of safety in a relationship that I’d never experienced before.

Reflecting back on Ben and I’s marriage reminds me that being alike helps, but true growth comes from the differences. It also brings some of my own personal trauma work into focus. Ben taught me my true love language: consistency.

Consistency makes me feel safe to be myself. Ben’s level of consistency helps me believe that, through word and deed, I am his priority. We believe that God has given us to one another as a gift and how we love one another is entwined with our development, and we take that commitment very seriously.

Ben’s presence makes my dreams more attainable, my fears less scary, my joys more joyful, and the growing pains less painful. Ben loves me and Ellen really well. He makes his girls feel safe, and because we feel safe, we have the confidence to go out into the world and live big. Anyone who knows me and Ellen knows we are two very confident girls and Ben supports this. Plus, he is the only one with whom I can be completely myself, and he doesn’t get under my skin after spending all day, every day together. I can never get enough of Ben.


I’m a Mama to Ellen and Little Jenna 

Ellen Marie Bishop made me a Mama. I am so grateful that God chose Ben and I to love her, guide her and help her feel secure in a world that does not offer us security. I try to keep at the top of my mind that she is on loan to Ben and I from her Father and that we were not chosen to tell her who she is, but to help guide her to who God says she is. We pray daily that the more Ellen grows, the more confident and assured she becomes in her identity.

Ellen is kind, empathetic, compassionate, sensitive, intelligent, motivated, particular, determined, curious, anchored, beautiful and unbelievably loving. She is the coolest! What a blessing it is to be her Mama.

Meet Little Jenna!

When I was in school I was taught about so many different kinds of therapy, all with research backed value. But it took me going through my own intensive trauma therapy to truly know, understand and accept myself. Gestalt therapy was an ego centered technique that changed my life and I continue to use it in my practice with my clients everyday. This therapy taught me how to reparent the little girl inside of me who had collected wounds throughout my life. I walked away from Little Jenna many times, not truly aware that she was a separate ego state who really needed my intentional care and presence. Without her, I cannot feel whole. Without her, I cannot feel joy. Without her, I cannot feel well. Slowly but surely, I learned how to reparent her one day at a time, I observed her struggles, banned my judgment of her, remained curious about her needs and rebuilt trust with her. She is precious to me and those I choose to share her with. Where is your Little today? Is she with you? Let me teach you how to find her in my book Boundaries Are A Woman’s Best Friend. She’s waiting.