Jay Semmons, LICSWA

I have always been someone who is an advocate for youth experiencing anything from challenging trauma, dealing with the complexities of being LGBTQIA+ in American society, or just coping with our classic anxiety, depression – or sometimes both! I want to not only be a therapeutic support for youths, but someone who can speak up on behalf of younger clients who still experience the power imbalance of being under 18 in a home where they are not quite a child, but not an adult yet either.

In particular, I am an advocate for LGBTQIA+ youth due to the intersectionality of the lack of autonomy given to youth and the high need of being more autonomous with one’s life when living as a queer person in the United States. We are often trained not to discuss politics in therapy, but for many clients, the political has forcibly become personal. I always want to be a safe space where clients can express their feelings on politics without having to get stuck in the 24/7 news cycle, endless online arguments, or even have to expose themselves to any other risks.

I want to engage in this collaborative effort to not only help youth grow into healthier, independent, and capable adults, but also to be able to support clients in later stages of their life who still are going through the same issues, the same stressors, the same emotions as the youth. To be a space for anyone to find support is important to me, as long as I can find myself capable of providing that support, as I have to practice what I preach to clients and know my own limits and my own strengths well enough to find the balance between my personal life and this work that I care deeply about.

My therapeutic approach is influenced by my education as a Masters level Social Worker. I value a Strengths based approach that focuses on the intrinsic value and independence of each person.

In my free time, I enjoy time with my friends and family; a strong community I have nurtured over the years, where we enjoy traveling, playing dungeons and dragons, and being the supports we all need for the struggles we all face throughout our lives.

 I am always interested in what the client is looking to focus on. Need to hammer out the immediate issue? We will do that! Need to focus on the deeper work first? Let’s dive in!

The client is always the expert in my opinion. I won’t know where to start until I take time to see where the client is going and what they want to change in their life.

Consistency, collaboration, and curiosity.

Hmmm! Something that allows me to see the world and change it for the better… or Jedi Powers-  that’d be sick.

My heartiest chuckles have always been from the wild things teens and children have said in therapy. I am never ready for what the youth bring to the table, which only reinforces my belief that I am not the expert here. There is no amount of schooling or training that will prepare you for a child to look into your 25 year old eyes and ask what it’s like to be 35 years old.