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Jennifer Forbes

Therapist profile

Jennifer Forbes, LMFT

Illinois

LMFT focused on relationships and anger management

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Key details

  • CredentialsLMFT
  • LicenseLMFT, Illinois / 166.001007
  • NPI1861770935
  • Experience14 years
  • LanguagesEnglish
  • LocationIllinois

About

  • Anger and coping skills
  • Relationship communication
  • Trauma informed approaches

About Jennifer

Jennifer Forbes is an Illinois Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with 14 years of clinical experience. She founded Seed of Hope Counseling Services and has worked across nonprofit and private sectors since 2009. Her background includes program development, clinical leadership, and direct counseling for individuals, couples, and families.

Jennifer helps people navigate anger, relationship strain, trauma and abuse, grief, stress, anxiety, addictions, parenting concerns, sleep problems, and self-esteem difficulties. She also addresses career questions, coping with life changes, compassion fatigue, and intimacy-related issues. Her practice lists additional focus areas such as abandonment, blended family issues, chronic illness, codependency, and communication problems.

Her work draws on Client-Centered Therapy and approaches that include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and trauma-focused methods. In sessions she blends practical strategies with conversational reflection to help people notice patterns and try new responses. Expect straightforward talk about behaviors, beliefs, and steps you can try between meetings.

Jennifer has consulted on community crisis and trauma programs and served on clinical committees in Illinois. She holds a Master of Science in Applied Family and Child Studies with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy from Northern Illinois University. She is a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists.

People who contact her often want concrete tools for handling strong emotions, improving communication, or repairing relationships. She asks about history and goals, then works with clients to set practical next steps they can measure and adjust over time.

How sessions work

How her approaches translate to online work

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and responding to what matters most to the client. It helps people name priorities, feel heard, and steer sessions toward practical concerns like communication or anger triggers. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at connections between thoughts, feelings, and behavior and offers specific exercises to change unhelpful patterns; it is useful for anxiety, mood, sleep, and anger-related reactions. Motivational Interviewing is a conversational method that supports people who feel stuck or ambivalent about change by exploring values and small next steps.

Finding the right mix of approaches is collaborative. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, test different techniques, and adjust based on what helps most. That means you and the therapist decide together whether to emphasize skills practice, exploratory work, or short-term solution-focused steps.

The biography does not specify which online session formats are offered, so confirm available options before booking. In general online work can make it easier to fit visits into a busy life, allow shorter check-ins when time is tight, and remove travel time. It also makes it simpler to continue therapeutic work during life changes or when coordinating schedules. Ask about the exact session setup when you book so it matches your needs.

Areas of focus

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

LGBTRelationship issuesFamily conflictsTrauma and abuseIntimacy-related issues

Also works with

Stress, AnxietyAddictionsGriefSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesDepressionCoping with life changesCoachingCompassion fatigue

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAging and geriatric issuesBlended family issuesChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDivorce and separationEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesFertility issuesForgivenessImmigration issuesInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMen's issuesMidlife crisisMoney and financial issuesMulticultural concernsPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Sexual assault and abuseSexualityWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Motivational InterviewingNarrative TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy

Experience

14+ years

Listed in

Illinois

Languages

English

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does she address?

She works with anger, relationships, trauma and abuse, grief, anxiety, stress, addictions, parenting, sleep problems, self-esteem, career issues, and related life changes.

How would you describe her therapeutic style?

Her style is client-centered and practical, combining conversational reflection with skill-building from CBT, motivational interviewing, and solution-focused work.

How much clinical experience does she have?

She has 14 years of experience in counseling, program development, and clinical leadership in nonprofit and private settings.

What are her credentials and where is she based?

She is an IL LMFT, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist practicing in Illinois and a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists.

Can I work with her in a language other than English?

Sessions are offered in English.

Which session formats does she offer?

The biography does not list specific session formats; please confirm current session options before booking.

How are fees handled for sessions?

Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

What is the first step to begin working with her?

Use the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.

Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.

Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is unsafe, use the crisis numbers.

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Jennifer Forbes

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