Hi, I am Jacqueline Wielick!
When did you decide to go into Marriage and Family Therapy?
Albeit perhaps mildly cliché, I have known I wanted to be a therapist since middle school. I was a very emotionally intelligent child, and I loved being emotionally connected to others around me. Compassion and support have always been my natural strengths since I was young. Back at my parents house recently, I found a piece of writing I did about “my life dreams” from when I was young. I wrote that I wanted to study psychology and become a therapist, because I wanted to make a significant difference in the world, help others live their best life. I can’t think of a more true reason to this day.
I chose MFT specifically because I have continually noticed how peoples relationships and connections to others make the most significant difference in how they experience themselves and their lives. Betrayals in basic human connections such as separations, divorces, infidelity, untrustworthiness, abandonment, ect., can send people spiraling in significant ways that seem beyond the reach of intrapsychic issues. I see this as being related to our need to be attached and in community to others. Because of this belief, MFT seemed like the biggest way to use my strengths to make a significant contribution to the world.
Do you have advice for someone who is considering becoming an MFT?
What would you say to someone who is nervous about setting up their first counseling session with you?
Do you have a special area you focus on within the therapy field?
I love working with clients that come from a variety of different backgrounds with different needs; ranging from people in crisis, all the way to those wanting to do preventative work or to enhance their lives. Additionally, I do have some populations that I have specific experience working closely with.
I have a lot of experience and really enjoy working with couples in the LGBTQIA+ community, and feel very closely connected to this work. People in this community continue to come to me throughout my time as a therapist, and I would love to continue supporting this population.
My experience also includes working with premarital couples and doing preventative work and psychoeducation- both in a therapy setting as well as in a workshop setting. Research tells us that preventative work is incredibly successful in helping couples mitigate some challenges later in life, and I want to help couples create healthy choices for their relationship early on, rather than falling into a less preferred way of being together. I have experience working in this area and always find it exciting to help folks create preferred patterns for their relationship early on.
I also have experience supporting people who are struggling with anxiety. It is such a common issue that can have such an overwhelmingly tremendous negative impact on someone’s well-being. I have personal experience with managing and living with anxiety and can connect with folks experiences moving through these struggles.
I also have extensive experience professionally and personally working with people living with addiction. I have been to addiction trainings, volunteered at a rehab center, and attended rehab centers as a family member for ‘family weekends’, so I have much exposure to this world. I love working with this population and find the work to be tremendously inspiring.
