Jennifer McKinley, LMFT

Who am I?

Hello there!  My name is Jennifer McKinley (she/hers) and I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.

My goal is to help clients work towards their ideal self by encouraging them to take an active role in creating the change they wish to see. One of my passions is working with individuals and couples who have recently undergone an adjustment or are facing difficulties navigating daily life and are looking to regain balance, clarity, and perspective for a better tomorrow. As a second generation immigrant, mom and military spouse I can appreciate and empathize with sudden change, feelings of being overwhelmed, and finding oneself in a new landscape of life.

Part of what I can offer is powerful engagement that facilitates positive collaborative change, participation on the journey of self discovery, and aiding in insights that may be used in everyday life that empower clients to go into the world and take an active stance in life.

Some of my experience that lends to my work: I obtained my MA in 2010 and then worked in San Diego with the  Family Justice Center with domestic violence survivors, from 2011-2015 I worked for a non-profit Union of Pan Asian Community as a counselor providing therapy in the community, school, and clinic setting and during that time in 2012 I spent a year with San Diego Hospice Center with the Center for Grief and Loss Care where I was trained as a bereavement counselor working with hospice patients and then their families, from.  I have been with Abundant Life Partners from 2019 to present and have enjoyed working within my community. 

Fun Facts

I have lived overseas in Spain and Belgium, I am a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) and am fluent in American Sign Language, and I love to run.

I love working with:

• Teens/College students/Adults who may be feeling overwhelmed and stressed 
• Couples looking to enhance their relationship with positive communication/interactions/respect
• Teens/young adults/adults who are experiencing anxiety/depression
• Asian/Asian American folks processing immigrant parenting, intergenerational trauma, and being “perfect”
• Bereavement and Grief
• Adjustment to any major life changes (i.e. moves, having a baby, new job, military/deployments, and adoption).
• Trauma as an event or circumstance resulting in physical, emotional, and/or life threatening harm.

Some of my favorite approaches include:

I utilize an eclectic approach that includes evidence-based treatment modalities such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), and trauma focused CBT, dialectic behavioral (DBT), brief strategic (BST), and a solution focused (SFT) approach.  As a marriage and family therapist I take a holistic perspective to treatment; I am concerned with the overall, long-term well-being of individuals and their families. As a systemic therapist I believe the unit of treatment isn’t just the individual; even if it is a single person being interviewed, my treatment approach acknowledges the set of relationships in which the person is embedded. (aamft.org)  

For couples I utilize Gottman Method Couples Therapy. I am also fluent in ASL.

I can appreciate that we are all unique individuals with a diverse set of experiences, personal perspective and challenges. Therapy is a journey that guides you through this difficult landscape we call life. Part of what I offer are specific and attainable therapeutic goals with an “end in mind”.