Jennifer Polanco, LPC

Jennifer Polanco is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) based in Virginia with seven years of clinical experience. She focuses on stress, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and family concerns. Jennifer aims to create a supportive space where people feel heard and respected as they work through hard moments.

Jennifer uses straightforward, practical approaches in sessions. She leans on client-centered methods to follow each person's pace and priorities. She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help identify unhelpful thought patterns and try new ways of coping.

Her practice addresses a wide range of life strains, including caregiver stress, cancer-related challenges, isolation, and family of origin issues. She also supports people facing control issues, communication problems, guilt, shame, and questions about life purpose or sexuality. Conversations are focused on concrete steps clients can take between sessions.

Jennifer encourages people to notice their strengths and build on them. She helps clients set realistic goals and try small, manageable changes. The work tends to be collaborative and goal-oriented, with attention to what feels useful in daily life.

To begin, Jennifer asks clients to reflect on their priorities and what they hope to change. She supports motivation and confidence while holding a steady, respectful therapeutic stance. Her aim is to help people move toward a more fulfilling and balanced life.

How client-centered care and CBT work online

Jennifer uses client-centered therapy to follow each person's concerns and priorities, offering empathy and support while the person sets the pace. This approach helps people feel understood and decide what goals matter most to them.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing practical behavior changes. CBT is often used for stress, anxiety, low mood, and problems with motivation or self-esteem because it emphasizes clear steps and experiments to try between sessions.

Finding the right approach is collaborative. The therapist will work with the client to choose methods that fit their goals, needs, and preferences, and may combine client-centered listening with CBT tools when that fits best.

Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm current session options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, reduce travel time, and allow consistent weekly check-ins. It can also let people use shorter sessions when that works better for a schedule or choose a format that requires less bandwidth or no video when needed. Speak with the therapist during intake to decide which format will best support your goals.