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Jen Terrell

Jen Terrell

Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, CA

Offering autism & ADHD assessments and neurodiverse couples therapy—rooted in lived experience, sensitivity, and deep respect.

Personal Experience: Why I do this work

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I grew up in a household where emotion wasn’t always safe or spoken. My mom spoke Korean, my dad struggled with alexithymia, and I often became the quiet emotional translator. That early sensitivity became the foundation for the work I do today—helping people feel seen on levels beyond words.

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Before becoming a therapist, I spent 25+ years running a business, parenting four children, and navigating marriage. I’ve lived the push-pull of overfunctioning, masking, burnout, and repair. I understand the real-life impact of executive dysfunction, sensory sensitivity, misunderstood communication, and the longing for connection that works.

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Life Experience

  • First-generation daughter of a Korean immigrant mother; deeply familiar with bicultural and intergenerational family dynamics

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  • Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) with lived experience navigating sensory sensitivity, emotional attunement, and boundary challenges

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  • 25 years as a business owner managing employee relations, conflict resolution and overall operations

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  • 28 years of marriage deeply informing my work with couples around trust, conflict, and repair

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  • Parent to four children from age 13-27 and experienced in the joys and stressors of caregiving and relational repair

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  • Dedicated to supporting neurodivergent adults and couples in reclaiming connection, voice, and nervous system balance

ADHD & Autism Assessments: Clarity, Connection, and Strengths That Matter

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I help adults and couples better understand themselves through comprehensive, affirming ADHD and autism assessments. Whether you're seeking clarity about your own neurodivergence or navigating the complexities of a neurodiverse relationship, I offer a respectful, strengths-based approach that centers your lived experience - not just your symptoms.

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I believe ADHD isn’t something to “fix” -it’s a unique way of processing, relating, and experiencing the world. My goal is to help clients uncover their patterns, understand their wiring, and move toward strategies that work for them - not against them.

💬 What Sets My Assessments Apart​

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I bring a relational, nervous-system-aware lens to every assessment and therapy session. 

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As a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) and a first-generation daughter of a Korean immigrant mother, I’ve spent my life tuning into unspoken cues and cultural complexity. I know what it’s like to feel “too much” or “hard to explain” - and I know how powerful it can be when someone finally sees you clearly.

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I specialize in:

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  • Adult ADHD & Autism Spectrum Assessments

  • Neurodiverse-Affirming Couples Therapy

  • Executive Function + Emotional Regulation Support

  • Trauma-Informed Care for anxiety, overwhelm, and shame

  • Nervous system attunement, sensory awareness, and relationship repair

 

My style blends clear psychoeducation and practical tools with warmth, humor, and deep empathy. I often draw from modalities like IFS, Polyvagal Theory, and PACT. I’m here to help you name what’s happening, regulate through it, and build a path that honors your unique neurobiology and relationships.

🌱 Assessments & Therapy: Beyond Checklists, Toward Clarity and Connection​

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If we work together on an assessment, you’ll get more than a checklist. You’ll get a collaborative process that honors your story, helps you connect the dots, and leaves you with clarity.

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In ongoing therapy, I help clients:

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  • Reframe internalized shame

  • Improve executive function and emotional regulation

  • Explore the deeper “why” behind burnout, procrastination, or overwhelm

  • Repair intimacy, especially when sensory or communication needs differ

  • Embrace their sensitivity or neurodivergence as something meaningful—not defective

 

Whether you're just beginning to explore the possibility of ADHD or autism, or you’ve known for years and want more support, I’d be honored to walk alongside you.

 

We’ll move at your pace, work with your nervous system (not against it), and co-create strategies that feel doable, supportive, and real. This is your journey - and I’m here to help you make sense of it.

🎓 Professional Background & Training​

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  • Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT #15583) – California

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  • Registered Associate Professional Clinical Counselor ( APCC # 19592) – California 

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  • Neurodiverse Couples Specialist

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  • Autism & ADHD Assessment Specialist

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  • Trauma-Informed, Nervous-System-Centered Therapist

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  • Touro University Worldwide – M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy

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  • Sonoma State University – B.S.in Kinesiology, minor in Psychology 

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  • Ongoing clinical training in:

    • PACT (Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy)

    • Internal Family Systems (IFS)

    • Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) 

    • Gottman 

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  • Former Small Business Owner with 25+ years in relationship-driven leadership

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💡 A Final Word​

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Choosing to seek an assessment or therapy isn’t just about answers—it’s about finding language for your lived experience and compassion for the parts of you that have felt unseen.

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My role is to honor your story with care, clarity, and respect. I believe your sensitivity and wiring aren’t flaws—they’re meaningful parts of who you are.

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If you’re ready to move beyond checklists and into deeper understanding, I’d be honored to walk alongside you.

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