Jennifer Leader, LMFT
Mrs. Jennifer (Jen) Leader, LMFT, is a dedicated Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist affiliated with Advanced Health Care. With a comprehensive academic background, she earned her undergraduate degree in Animal Physiology, Neuroscience, and Psychology from the University of California San Diego. Building on this foundation, she pursued a Master’s Degree in Counseling with a focus on Marriage, Family, and Child Therapy from the University of Phoenix.
Throughout her career, Mrs. Leader has honed her skills to provide expert guidance to individuals, couples, and families facing various challenges, including anger, anxiety, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, depression, self-harm behaviors, learning disabilities, and trauma. She has also been an advocate and ally for the LGBTQIA community. She employs a range of therapeutic approaches, including Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Trauma Focused-CBT, Brief CBT for suicide prevention, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, embodying a client-centered and strengths-based philosophy to facilitate positive and collaborative experiences, ultimately empowering her clients to instigate healthy changes in their lives. Mrs. Leader commenced her clinical journey during her graduate studies, where she gained valuable experience as a Marriage and Family Therapist Intern at The Institute for Effective Education. Here, she played a pivotal role in providing essential behavioral therapy to children, adolescents, and young adults dealing with emotional, behavioral, and learning disorders within a non-public special education school. As her career advanced, she transitioned into various roles including Inpatient Social Worker, Intake Counselor, and Outpatient Therapist at Aurora Behavioral Health Care. In these capacities, she provided vital case management and psychotherapeutic services to a diverse range of psychiatric patients and their families, specializing in intake assessments and group therapy. Notably, she focused on Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Relapse Prevention. Following licensure, Mrs. Leader directed her expertise primarily towards the military population, their spouses, and dependents, serving at Family Forces, Fleet & Family Support Center, and in private practice settings with children, teens, adults, couples, and families. In 2023, Mrs. Leader became a valued member of the Advanced Health Care team. Her unwavering dedication to aiding a wide array of communities, including the LGBTQIA community, and her commitment to empowering her clients to unlock their true potential have become central pillars of her professional journey. Mrs. Leader derives immense satisfaction from guiding individuals, couples, and families from diverse backgrounds and circumstances toward realizing their utmost potential and attaining greater life satisfaction. |