Beyond the Bio: Seven Questions With the Humans Behind the Therapy Credentials

Lauren: No one can stop me from demolishing a charcuterie board. Brie? Prosciutto? Hot honey? Absolutely. Throw on some crackers and a garden cucumber from outside, and you’ve got my full attention. Say less.

Justin: There’s this incredible Pennsylvania Dutch dish called ham loaf. My favorite is from Gene Wenger’s—if you’re ever at the farmers market in Lancaster, PA, grab one.

Jennifer: I always have a few frozen dinners on hand because that means I can push some buttons on the microwave and magically have a cooked meal in less than five minutes. My morning go-to before my brain is fully functioning is (again microwaved) oatmeal with a big scoop of almond butter and a chopped up banana. I call it my morning gruel.

Lauren: One of my favorite conversations with clients is helping them find coping skills that are actually specific to them. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. For me, nothing gets me into a calmer headspace quite like the nostalgia of The Legend of Zelda piano music. Is Zelda for everyone? Absolutely not. But for me, “Song of Storms” scratches every single itch.

Justin: Lately it’s been “Only You” by Yaz. Absolute banger.

Jennifer: I am a weirdo who rarely listens to music. But a friend recently shared with me a Spotify playlist of 2000s indie rock that has been putting me in a good mood when I listen to it. It’s got music from bands like Vampire Weekend, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Strokes, Arcade Fire, etc.

Lauren: World War II with Tom Hanks has had me in a chokehold lately (History Channel/Amazon Prime, for anyone interested). I love history documentaries. Even if I don’t remember every detail, I enjoy learning about the human experience through history. My grandfather, who raised me, was a WWII veteran, so this one hits especially close to home.

Justin: Shamelessly… Euphoria. I’m hooked.

Jennifer: Just finished 30Rock. It’s my comfort show. I love the absurdity of it, and Liz Lemon is, in many ways, who I really am at heart. I’m also currently in the long process of binging the entire Star Trek catalog (900+ episodes!). I’m on the Voyager series now. I love that it’s about exploring other cultures and points of view, and I think it does a great job of modeling how to deal with ethical dilemmas and demonstrate integrity. Captain Picard is one of my models of “Self” energy (if you do IFS/parts work, you know what I mean).

Lauren: Where the Red Fern Grows, without question. I grew up hunting, fishing, and spending every spare minute outdoors, so this book was an emotional roller coaster from start to finish. If you’ve read it… you know.

Justin: Probably Holes. I actually read a lot more now than I did as a kid. Recent favorites as an adult: Ender’s Game, Dune, Annihilation

Jennifer: The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub. I know Stephen King is not typically thought of as child reading material nowadays, but it was totally fine for us feral kids in the 80s/90s. The book is an epic fantasy adventure novel, which is still my favorite kind of non-fiction.

Lauren: My garden. Piddling around in the dirt while the sun goes down is one of my favorite ways to unwind. Every time my family harvests fresh vegetables and uses them for supper, I get to enjoy something I worked hard to grow. Nothing on Earth beats a garden tomato. Nothing.

Justin: Making my diet a real priority. It feels good to take better care of myself.

Jennifer: I framed a pantry! Like with wood! My brain struggles to comprehend things like “math” and “spatial relationships,” so I literally spent hours measuring, sketching, and Googling random stuff to figure out how to do such a basic project, and then multiple days actually doing it. It’s 15 pieces of wood and a box of screws! Super basic but super difficult for me. And I did it anyway!

Lauren: I don’t really pay for apps, but my current favorite is Notes+. My brain works best when I can write, reorganize, color-code, and generally create organized chaos. It’s become one of my favorite tools for both work and everyday life.

Justin: Probably the Sam Harris meditation app (even if I’m not as big a fan of his podcast these days). Honorable mention: GuideAlong—it’s fantastic for road trips and national parks.

Jennifer: The New York Times games app. I used Pavlov’s (the guy who trained dogs to salivate) classical conditioning method to train myself to get sleepy every time I do crossword puzzles. The games app has hundreds (thousands? millions?) of them plus some other cool games. So I use it every night as part of my bedtime routine to help me sleep.

Lauren: Takoda (Sioux for “friend to all”) (Chow-Chow Malamute mix). Nicknames: Koda Bear, Boodus, Boofus, Kermoobie, Big Dummy. This floof is, without exaggeration, the dumbest animal I’ve ever met. I say that with nothing but love *eye twitch*. He is also the sweetest, most loyal goodest boy imaginable. Koda Bear frequently joins me in session. He takes confidentiality very seriously. But honestly he’s just not smart enough to tell anyone. 

Jolene (Dalmatian). Nicknames: Jo Jo, Joobus, Goobie, Germoobie, Joseph, A** Hole. We adore Jolene, but make no mistake, this is her world, and we’re just living in it. She firmly believes everything should be done her way, and she’ll happily remind you of that. I’m essentially her emotional support human. Unlike Koda, Jolene is not allowed in sessions because she would immediately make the entire appointment about herself. And no one needs her added drama. 

Nut (cat). Nicknames: Nut Nut. It’s just funny that’s why. And she’s female which makes it even funnier. 

Huxley (cat). Nicknames: Huckums, Buckums, Hux-weeee, Senator, Senator Huckabee. Will bring you bugs in exchange for booty scratches. It’s a reasonable trade-off in my opinion. 

Justin: We have a big brown dog named Nala. She mostly answers to “Pooper.” She recently had leg surgery, though, so she’s been going by “Turbo” ever since.

Jennifer: I have two cats who are legally named Beemo and Kuchi Kopi. Beemo also goes by Meano (when she’s sassy) and BeeBee MoMo (when she’s sweet). Kuchi Kopi is more frequently called Choochi J. Chochi (as in, “Choochi J. Chochi, you stop that!”) or Jerkface because she’s 1.5 years old and still has demon kitten energy.