Who I Work With

Adults   |   Teens   |   Couples

Janelle Stepper smiling

As a Certified Trauma Professional, I am passionate about working with people who are healing from trauma, sexual abuse, dissociative disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Trauma therapy provides a supportive space for you to process your traumatic experience(s) in a safe and organized way.  I take a collaborative and client-centered approach to therapy and will meet you exactly where you're at with support and empathy.

Adults

A 50-minute individual therapy session is $120.

If you’ve been feeling alone in life lately, feeling like no one truly understands the depths of the pain you are in, or feeling like you’ve lost parts of yourself and the person you used to be, l am here for you. In our sessions together I will listen deeply, hold empathetic space, and we will take the therapy journey at your own pace.

I will sit with you as you share things that perhaps you've never told anyone before but are needing to talk about, hold space for all of your feelings and emotions, and offer you nervous system regulating techniques so you can continue the healing journey outside of sessions. I deeply value the genuine connections I form with my clients and getting to empower and support them as they discover and reclaim their incredible worth and value.

I support and help adults with the following topics:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Codependency
  • Dissociative Disorders (DID)
  • Grief and Loss
  • Highly Sensitive People and Empaths
  • LGBTQIA+ Specific Concerns
  • Narcissistic Abuse
  • Nervous System Regulation
  • Self-Esteem and Self-Worth
  • People-Pleasing and Perfectionism
  • Relationship Issues
  • Religious Abuse
  • Sex Therapy (Poly, ENM/CNM, Sex-Positive, BDSM, & Kink-Affirming)
  • Sexual Abuse and Assault
  • Therapy for Other Therapists
  • Trauma, PTSD, and C-PTSD

If you're looking to work through something else, you are still more than welcome to reach out. I can see if I have the resources and experience to help with what you're looking for and if not, I'll send you some referrals to some other therapists in my network.

Teens (Ages 12-17)

A 50-minute individual therapy session is $120.

As a teen in today's world, you likely have a lot going on right now and the pressure of trying to keep up with school, activities, and relationships can be overwhelming at times. I want you to know you're not alone in what you are going through and choosing to prioritize your mental health is such a courageous gift to offer yourself.

My hope is that through therapy, you can improve your problem-solving abilities, strengthen your coping skills, learn how to self-regulate when challenging thoughts and situations arise, and explore your identity and sense of self. Therapy can also help you begin to clarify and better understand your passions, life goals, and values. In our sessions together, I hope to create a safe space where you feel seen and can fully be yourself.

I support and help teens with the following topics:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • LGBTQIA+ Specific Concerns
  • Self-Esteem and Self-Worth
  • People-Pleasing and Perfectionism
  • Relationship Issues and Breakups
  • Sexual Abuse and Assault
  • Transitioning to College/Young Adult Living
  • Trauma, PTSD, and C-PTSD

A word to parents/legal guardians on confidentiality: Creating a strong therapeutic relationship with your teen is incredibly important to me. I want your teen to feel comfortable and safe opening up to me so I can help them process and navigate whatever they are going through. While I understand you might want to know the details of what is said in our therapy sessions, I legally and ethically cannot share them with you unless your teen gives me direct permission to do so. An exception to this is I will break a teen's confidentiality if a situation arises where I am concerned about them being a danger to themself or someone else. Upon request, I can give you a brief overview of what treatment modalities I am using and if I believe progress is being made in therapy or not. At times, I may involve you in the therapy process if doing so would be helpful to your teen's treatment and mental health, and if your teen gives me direct permission to do so.

For parents who are separated/divorced, I do require the most recent copy of the custody agreement to be provided before the start of your teen's treatment. For adults who hold legal guardianship of their teen, I do require a copy of the court order outlining your legal guardianship for them.

When working with teens, therapy is most effective and helpful when the teen is open to therapy and desires to engage in the therapy process. For this ethical reason, if a teen feels forced to come to therapy or does not want to be there I will not continue therapy with them.

Couples

A 60-minute couples therapy session is $130.

Relationships are powerful and so many of us long to have a deeply satisfying and fulfilling romance and partnership with our significant other. Do you love your partner deeply but have been feeling more disconnected than ever before? Do you have a history of trauma and want your partner to better understand your past and help you heal from it? Do you find that you are feeling misunderstood and want to improve your communication skills?  Do you want to have passionate and pleasurable sex that leaves you wanting more? Do you want to get on the same page and align your visions and dreams for the relationship? If one or more of these questions resonate, you're at the right place and I'm here to help.

Relational struggles are common and normal, and having a safe space to work through these challenges, conflicts, and difficulties can be incredibly helpful. Couples therapy can help you learn the tools and techniques to help you and your partner better understand each other, grow in intimacy, and strengthen your communication.

I support and help couples with the following topics:

  • Betrayal and Infidelity
  • Communication Issues
  • Imbalance of Roles and Power
  • Premarital Counseling
  • Processing Past Trauma Together
  • Sex and Intimacy (Poly, CNM/ENM, Sex-Positive, BDSM, & Kink-Affirming)

A word on confidentiality: When working with couples, I have a no-secrets policy and require all communication that occurs outside of sessions to be done in a group chat/email with both members of the couple and myself. Maintaining a safe, trusting, and transparent therapeutic space is incredibly important to me when working with couples. An exception to this would be if a member of the couple ever reaches out to me about a safety concern they have that involves their partner (such as domestic violence occurring).

Exceptions to couples therapy: I will stop seeing a couple if I learn of ongoing domestic violence occurring in the relationship or if a situation arises where individual therapy is needed to help stabilize a member of the couple due to issues relating to suicide, self-harm, or substance abuse.

Couples therapy is most helpful and beneficial when both partners are open to therapy and desire to engage in the therapy process. If one member of the couple feels forced to come to therapy and does not want to be there, the therapeutic work I can do with the couple is often greatly limited. 

Are you looking for a different type of consultation?

Send me a message at support@janellestepper.com describing your situation.

I’ll see if I can make an exception or recommend someone as a better match.