Therapist opens one-stop shop for finding inner peace

Article content

After almost 21 years spent studying, working and living in different parts of Ontario, registered therapist and social worker Jenni Jenkins has come home.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser.

Therapist opens one-stop shop for finding inner peace Back to video

The SCITS grad – who initially went to obtain her bachelor’s degree in sociology and master’s degrees in social work at Wilfrid Laurier University, then followed her dreams by counselling teens and their families in various locales across Ontario – returned to Sarnia earlier this year and has opened a counselling service in the downtown district, a business she hopes will help people find some of that ever-elusive serenity.

Located in Front Street’s Seaway Centre, Jenkins’ Inner Calm Counselling opened its doors in late October.

Jenkins said ever since she found the space, which she’s since transformed into a Zen-like garden of calm, she knew she had made the right decision to return to her roots.

“It totally makes sense,” she said. “I feel so lucky to be able to do this. I love the fact that the downtown has transformed into this supportive, wonderful place. It’s so exciting.”

Article content continued

“I decided to do this now, to open this business, because when people saw that I was back, they kept telling me ‘Sarnia needs this’. And then Lisa (Craig), the owner of Inner Dawn Yoga showed me this space and everything seemed to fall into place.”

Sarnians, Jenkins said, are in need of a place where they can sit back and focus on themselves for a few minutes.

So what can people expect from a visit to Inner Calm Counselling? Aside from home-brewed tea and a relaxing atmosphere, Jenkins offers counselling sessions for individuals as well as teens and their families.
The counselling is focused, goal-orientated and not designed to drag on for years, Jenkins said.

“I offer a calm and non-judgemental atmosphere,” she said. “And I assume that each person that comes here, they know what they want to change in their life, and they know what way works best for them.”

“Usually, though, people don’t take the time to really listen to what they need because they’re so busy managing their lives, that hour a week to think about what they want,” Jenkins continued. “So this space gives them that time, a place to come and just talk about their stuff.”

For those expecting Jenkins to provide them with all of life’s answers, that likely won’t happen, she said. But for those interested in resolving longstanding issues or overcoming acute obstacles in their lives, Jenkins can provide them with real and lasting support.

“It’s geared towards people who are invested in wanting something in their life to shift, people who are ready for a change, people who want to set goals and see results,” Jenkins continued. “I follow up with them afterwards with readings, I’ll find relevant pieces for them to read and we continue on the next time. The idea is that things can shift for people really quickly, and they don’t necessarily need a long-term relationship with a therapist.”

Article content continued

With 11 years of experience providing counselling services to teens and their families in the Upper Grand District School Board, Jenkins brings a wealth of experience with her when it comes to adolescent angst, family conflict and youth mental health issues.

“Because I have worked with teenagers in the past, as well as their families, that’s an area of focus I won’t completely stray from,” she said. “This space, this setup allows teens to come in discreetly and privately and there isn’t that pressure of sitting around, waiting and worrying about what they’re going to say.”

“With teens, a lot of it is about the personal connection. Working with people who have the power to change things in their life is great. And with teenagers, it’s a lot about just keeping them afloat,” she added.

With an ever-growing roster of clients, preparations for a new website and an increasing amount of collaboration with her colleagues and neighbours – which include partnerships with the yoga studio as well as frequent visits from a registered massage therapist in Inner Calm’s massage studio – Jenkins is hoping that more hard-working Sarnians who are looking for some relief give counselling a chance.

“I think being a new person in town doing this line of work gives people a chance to see that counselling works,” she said. “If you went for a haircut and got a bad haircut, you wouldn’t just say I’ll start cutting my own hair from now on. So if counselling hasn’t worked for you in one place in the past, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work at all.”

Inner Calm Counselling is located at the Seaway Centre at 155 Front St. N. For more information, call 519-331-8113 or visit Inner Calm Counselling’s Facebook page.