Jennifer Diethrich, LPC

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I’m Jennifer, and I enjoy helping people understand what’s happening in their brain and body when they experience strong emotions—and why we sometimes act or react the way we do when life gets difficult. I believe that when we understand ourselves better, we can approach our emotions and relationships with more curiosity, compassion, and choice.

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About Jennifer

I have been a therapist in the Durango area since 2001. I was a school counselor for 20 years and understand the dynamics of school, family, and community systems. I enjoy helping children, teens, and adults navigate relationships, challenges in school or work, emotional regulation, depression, anxiety, and trauma. I partner with my therapy dog, Rio, and provide equine-assisted psychotherapy (May-November) with my horses. I moved to Durango in 1988 to attend Fort Lewis College and enjoy riding horses, skiing, camping, and generally being outdoors.

Jennifer specializes in:

Jennifer’s Approach to Care

I use a client-centered approach and incorporate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, EMDR, solution-focused therapy, play, art, and Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) to help individuals find strength, peace, and personal growth. I enjoy helping others understand the neurobiology of trauma and learn skills for emotional regulation.

I especially enjoy combining horses and counseling. Partnering with horses helps clients facilitate change and growth through movement, touch, and relationship building. EAP is experiential learning with specifically designed activities created for each session. EAP is powerful and memorable. Horse and client interactions and activities build confidence, self-esteem, trust, leadership, and communication in a safe and non-threatening outdoor environment. Clients find personal meaning in each session, apply their experience to their life, and feel more in control through increased self-awareness, mindfulness, and emotion regulation. This therapeutic setting naturally generates an environment where clients of all ages learn to take risks, share feelings, and try new ideas in a safe space with a non-judgmental horse by their side. EAP is typically offered May-November.

Jennifer’s education and experience

I received my undergraduate degree at Fort Lewis College in 1992 and a Master’s in Counseling Psychology and Counselor Education from the University of Colorado, Denver in 2000. I have extensive experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and community/school systems. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), National Certified Counselor (NCC), and have an Equine Assisted Mental Health (EAMH) certificate from the University of Denver.