Jewish Therapists in Gainesville, FL

Hello there, Thank you for landing on my page. Something to know about me is that I am very passionate about working with Families and couples. My experience interning at Vista, the psychiatric hospital and at a local Gainesville high school, I saw young adults and adolescents that were struggling while also exploring their unique identities. Working with them and their families helped me to find my calling to work with LBGTQ youth.

Ask yourself the last time you felt truly connected to the current moment. Most of us would admit that living in the present is a struggle. So often, we get caught up in trying to rewrite the already lived chapters in our life stories, or have a desire to over control and predict the outcome, that we lose sight of the chapter that we're currently writing. This tendency keeps us from being the best, most authentic versions of ourselves and limits our ability to consider what's truly important and meaningful. I enjoy working with clients who recognize this conflict and are willing to sit with and consider their current experience.

Hi there, I'm Michal! I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. My approach to therapy is strength-based. I believe that each client is the expert on their life and has the innate ability to heal themselves. I am here to support and help the client re-discover their natural and inherited inner wisdom. The client is never the problem, it is the environment and the conditioned or unhealthy defense mechanism that we learned along the way. Through reflection, analysis, and hands-on application of therapy, I have helped many clients develop new coping skills, insights, and capacity to resolve life challenges.

You may be unsure what you want from psychotherapy or how it could help. You may know only that you are struggling and wish life could be better. You may want help for a specific issue. Or you may have had therapy before but not seen the changes you want. As President-Elect of the Tampa Bay Psychoanalytic Society, having trained under renowned psychologist Dr. Jonathan Shedler of UCSF and lectured at UC Berkeley on integrating psychedelic experiences, I come with perspective and technique not often found in mainstream counseling. My fine art background also informs how we may see your world anew.

I take a compassionate, collaborative approach to supporting new moms, women, and couples. So many moms struggle with postpartum anxiety, depression, and sheer overwhelm at the relentlessness of motherhood and the loss of self-determination in their new life. I help new(ish) moms find compassion where they feel like a failure, value their needs, and find ways to feel like “themselves” again. I also work with intelligent, self-aware women who struggle with anxiety, depression, and self-doubt, and support them in finding calm, center, and self-trust through life's transitions, and to become their own radical ally and best friend.

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”- Maya Angelou. Whatever your story may be, I hope to create a safe and healing space for you to share it. I believe that being seen and heard fully is an intricate part of the healing process. Together we can tap into your strengths to work through trauma, difficult relationships, and challenges in your life.

I specialize in guiding emerging adults through life transitions, identity development, and managing mental health challenges like anxiety and depression. Using a compassionate, strengths-based approach, I offer tailored therapy that helps you overcome obstacles and build the life you envision.

Is your child struggling with a trauma, life event, grief, or navigating this neurotypical world that we live in? Does your child need some extra support in processing difficult experiences? I'm here to walk alongside them in their journey. I have specific training and experience in working from a trauma-informed lens with children who have been through trauma/abuse, struggle with suicidal ideation, have experienced grief/loss, and neurodivergent children that may need help figuring out how to move through the world around them. I tailor my therapy to the individual child and their experience, developmental level, and personality.

If you feel depressed or anxious, frustrated with yourself or someone else, or reeling from an important life transition, therapy can be life-changing. As your therapist, we will identify the source of your discomfort, and guide you toward repairing the disconnect between how you feel and who you want to be. I work with couples and families as well, having difficulties with communication and living harmoniously together. I specialize in young adults (18-35), for whom therapy can be pivotal in achieving great growth and change. Another specialty is those having issues with parenting, and balancing work/family/individual needs.

Welcome! I believe our best work is created in a collaborative spirit; whether we choose a coaching or therapy modality to work. We each have personal strengths; let's utilize yours to stabilize your weaknesses while we work through your present transition. Life comes at us fast. Sometimes, we need someone beside us to remind us we do have what we need inside, if we know where to look. Often times it’s just a matter of finding a bit of clarity and setting goals. In our work together we’ll strive to ensure you reach success in practicing new skills & attain new heights. It’s time to define that life desired. What is your True North?

My approach to psychotherapy is highly relational. I believe that most of our distress in life, often in the form of anxiety, depression, or uncontrolled anger, arises from unresolved conflicts in our important relationships, past and present, and that psychotherapy works by providing a new relationship-a supportive, empathic one in a which person can explore these important interpersonal connections, come to understand them in new ways, and change them. I focus the dialogue on a person's significant relationships, past and current, and on the feelings that one has about oneself and the important people in one's life.

The relationship between a counselor and client is unique. I am a trained therapist who uses modern, evidenced based, therapeutic strategies and techniques and who is also outside of your daily life and social circles. My role is to listen to better understand you, to empathize with you without prejudice and judgment, validate your feelings (because how we feel is how we feel) and to help you develop strategies for overcoming life's obstacles. You cannot offend me in a therapeutic session and you can speak freely and openly about anything you think or feel, being free to express yourself.

Overwhelmed and grieving the state of the world? Struggling with placing the burden of other people's expectations on yourself? Seeking skilled, non-judgmental support that actually makes a difference? I've got you! I help people connect with themselves, significant others, and community so they can meaningfully engage in life. I am known for my warmth and commitment to high quality care, especially with clients who are queer, trans, neurodivergent, or in a larger body. I am a Health at Every Size clinician.⁠⁠ My practice is culturally affirming and anti-oppressive. I'm licensed in GA, SC, FL, IA, VT, and CO.

People come to my practice for many reasons, but what we all seem to have in common is a goal to feel more alive and at peace with ourselves and others, and truly connect in our relationships and with what we choose to do in the world. As an IFS therapist I work with people in a profoundly nonjudgmental way, where every past behavior, emotion, and thought can be intimately and compassionately understood. Change and growth then comes from a place of open-minded self knowledge and love... I have personally experienced transformation through this work and have witnessed its power to promote long lasting change in countless clients.

I offer support to individuals, couples, and families by incorporating an approach based on what best fits each individual. I use an integrative approach to therapy by using a combination of evidence-based treatments including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Trauma-Informed Therapy. I believe in the power of therapy to help individuals reach their fullest potential and I am committed to guiding my clients on their journey of self-discovery.

I offer a collaborative and integrative approach for clients seeking insight to their challenges. My attitude towards therapy is that there is not one universal method that works best for anyone, therefore, I use an appropriate blend of modalities to help you overcome whatever you are currently experiencing. I believe that you are the expert in your own life and I am here to help you navigate the difficulties you are currently facing. I concentrate on developing a partnership with clients to identify strengths and areas of potential growth to make meaning and implement positive change.

Jenna Froug is a board certified LCSW that studied at Florida State University. This is where she obtained a Masters in Social Work degree. In her practice her patients have self-determination and work towards their goals. She works to empower individuals of all ages in overcoming daily stressors, anxiety, and to develop coping skills using a humanistic and strengths based approach. Jenna's specialties include anxiety, stress, self-esteem, trauma, career, and women's issues. Jenna accepts twenty different insurances including United Health, Oxford, Optum, Oscar, Aetna, and Cigna.

Why is it that we are so much harsher on ourselves than we are on others? Sometimes it’s as if our inner critic has a zero-tolerance policy for ourselves. Even when we’re hurting, our critic might jump in and say “You shouldn’t be feeling this way, suck it up.” It can be hard to manage our pain (or outright heal!) if our inner critic is ruthless and unrelenting. If it feels like your critic is beating you down, I’m here to help. Much of my experience has focused on helping adults who struggle with anxiety, depression, imposter syndrome, trauma, identity issues, and relationship difficulties.

Are you full of racing thoughts and can't figure out why or how to stop them? Are you looking for a therapist who you can discuss your D&D character with? Maybe you're tired from reviewing every mistake you've ever made and struggle to communicate how you feel to friends and family. I value creating a space where we will explore who the villain of your story is, whether it be feeling overwhelmed, isolated, or something else. While I enjoy working with everyone, as a queer and GNC therapist, I specialize in working with queer/trans teens & adults. I appreciate creating a comfortable & geeky space where you can show up as yourself.