Meet Our Team - Jennifer Williams Van Wyk
Jennifer Williams Van Wyk
Position at the Hallowell Todaro ADHD Center:
Therapist
How long have you been working at Hallowell Todaro ADHD?
I start March 2024!
Where did you grow up?
I was born in Tokyo, Japan. I grew up in Washington state, between Bellevue and Kirkland.
What are your favorite books / TV shows / movies?
Favorite books: Man’s Search for Meaning, The Four Agreements, books by Yung Pueblo. The Enlightened Gardener.
TV shows: White Lotus, Futurama, Battle Start Galactica, Schitt’s Creek, How I Met Your Mother.
Movies: Beetlejuice, Amelie, The Matrix, About Time, Interstellar, Edge of Tomorrow, Lost in Translation
What’s your favorite sport and/or sports team?
I’ve been learning how to play pickleball. I’m not very sporty, so I’m at the bottom of my league :). I tried roller-skating last summer (does that count as a sport?); that did not end well. I might stick to walking. I’m not really into team sports otherwise.
Complete the following sentences:
When I’m not at work, you can find me...
playing video games, listening to audiobooks, baking, cooking, walking my dogs.
When I want to de-stress, I...
go on a walk and listen to EDM. If I’m feeling especially stressed, I might listen to my 2000 metal playlist and drive around.
My favorite time of year is...
spring! I love the lime green color of new growth and the re-emergence of life!
My favorite thing to cook is...
any excuse to use my Dutch oven. I also love making desserts.
If I could travel anywhere in the world, I’d go to...
Hawaii, Japan, or the California coast.
The best gift I ever received was…
the support I received from my husband for going to grad school.
What led you to pursue a career helping others?
Well, as they say “research is me-search” (Altenmüller et al., 2021). I was always profoundly interested in how and why people experience their reality. Due to circumstances related to my own life journey, I was always curious, “Why do people do what they do?” which evolved later to “How do people create transformational change in their lives, and why is change so hard when we consciously want to invoke it?”. Such questions inspired me to pursue my degree in psychology as well as sociology during my undergraduate studies, and later graduate studies in clinical mental health counseling. After working in the tech industry for over a decade, I realized that helping people has always been a passion of mine, and that through working in mental health, I could better align my own interest of helping others and continue to research what inspires meaningful change.
Altenmüller, M. S., Lange, L. L., & Gollwitzer, M. (2021). When research is me-search. PLOS ONE, 16(7), e0253911. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253911
What education, skills and expertise do you bring to your role?
I have a Bachelor of Arts in social science with a minor in psychology from WSU, as well as a Maters in Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. I also have experience working in the local tech industry, and clinical experience working with college students. I’m basic trained in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), and am working towards certification in Coherence Therapy, which will hopefully to be completed by spring of this year. I’m presently very interested in neuroscience and research regarding memory reconsolidation. I suppose I bring to this role a lot of fun, humor, playfulness, and a wealth of lived experience with an ADHD family.
Who/what inspires you?
Firstly, my family inspires me, especially my mother, son, and husband. Secondly, any kind and compassionate being.
What’s your personal philosophy/approach toward the work you do?
I value meeting clients where they are at and believe in an intention-based practice. My approach involves being fully present, providing a supportive environment, and thoroughly examining the bio-psycho-social factors impacting my clients and their individual circumstances. I operate from the principle that most of our thoughts, emotions, reactions, and actions are coherent within the framework of our biology, culture, personal history, and life experiences. However, I also recognize with compassion that often the schemas (or parts), that we develop as an understandable consequence of our environment, may not be serving us best in the present. I value meeting clients where they are at collaboratively understanding and working towards their goals in counseling.
What is one small thing people can do to increase their happiness?
Learn to compassionately laugh at yourself. A little humor can go a long way in this journey we call life.
We provide a range of support for people with ADHD.