About Jennifer Massey, Certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) & Wellness Therapist
Professional Background & Expertise
Jennifer Massey is a Licensed Independent Social Worker in Clinical Practice (LISW-CP) and a Certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapist. She is also a Level 2 practitioner of Intimacy From the Inside Out (IFIO), a specialized IFS approach for couples. Jennifer previously worked as Adjunct Professor at the USC Graduate School of Social Work and has more than two decades of experience working with individuals, couples, families, and professionals. After time in school based, public mental health and private practice, she served in roles of Co-founder, Clinical Director and Executive Director of Still Wind Ministries, a faith driven non-profit organization with a mission to remove barriers to specialized professional services. She brings faith-informed principles into her practice when desired by the client, always respecting their personal beliefs and values.
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Her path toward IFS certification began after years of practicing traditional family systems therapy and common trauma modalities. Jennifer reflects, “I had to work really hard to generate change with people. When I learned about Internal Family Systems, it provided all the missing pieces to the work I had been doing.” She felt that IFS was a complete and comprehensive approach, integrating and expanding on the methods she had already been using. “IFS offered me a framework that liberated me from the exhaustion I was experiencing as a trauma therapist”
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Unlike many other approaches, IFS recognizes the adaptive nature of the human psychological system. While other models often place emphasis on the therapist’s techniques or the therapeutic relationship as the mechanism of healing, IFS emphasizes the client’s own restorative Self. Jennifer’s uses this model to support the system with deep safety, space, and hope. Because IFS is grounded in the full human experience, it often intersects organically with an individual’s spirituality, which is why it’s considered a psychospiritual model.
Over 20 years of experience in trauma recovery, relationship building and repair, and personal transformation through IFS therapy.
Jennifer’s Unique Approach to Therapy
Jennifer uses Internal Family Systems as her core framework for understanding human behavior and healing. Her approach emphasizes:
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Experiential therapy over talking about change or systematically changing behaviors—centering sessions around internal reflection, role play, expressed creativity, and sensory experience.
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Trauma-informed care that is applied universally, not conditionally
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Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and mindfulness to help clients understand and relate to their inner world
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Nature-based and community-based offerings to promote relational, holistic healing experiences that are transferrable to real life.
Jennifer brings warmth, skill, and creativity to the therapeutic process. She meets clients where they are and adapts sessions to fit their goals, capacity, and life circumstances.
Faith & Spiritual Integration
Respectful & Personalized Integration
Jennifer offers a thoughtful approach to integrating a client’s personal faith or spirituality into therapy. Her role is not to teach or correct spiritual beliefs, but to support the natural spiritual growth that often accompanies emotional healing. Integration is based on the client’s beliefs and traditions, not the therapist’s.
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Experience with Christian Spirituality
While Jennifer has a personal spiritual practice rooted in Christianity and extensive experience working with Christian clients, her therapeutic role remains focused on supporting each individual’s authentic relationship to their spirituality. She also works with many clients who have been spiritually injured or are reevaluating their faith, offering support that is gentle, honoring, and healing.
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Collaboration with Faith Leaders
Jennifer enjoys working with pastors, educators, and faith leaders to incorporate psychological insights into their teaching and leadership. “The psyche and the soul are so closely connected it is impossible to bypass one to get to the other.” Through this collaboration, she brings psychological tools that deepen spiritual maturity and promote mental wellness within faith communities.
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A Nuanced, Client-Centered Approach
Jennifer holds space for spirituality to be an asset to therapy—whether it plays a subtle or central role. She recognizes that the connection between a person’s psyche and faith is deeply personal and cannot be separated. Her client-centered approach ensures that any spiritual integration remains authentic, chosen, and healing.
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Community & Professional Involvement
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Founder of Eagle Group Counseling & Outdoor Center: Offering serene, emotional healing and mental wellness through nature-based experiences in Upstate SC
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Chair and Co-Founder of Still Wind Ministries: A nonprofit dedicated to reducing cost barriers to specialized holistic care
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Speaker & Trainer: Offering workshops and trainings in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Nonviolent Communication (NVC) for mental health professional across the country
FAQs About Working with Jennifer Massey
What’s the difference between therapy and an IFS workshop?
Therapy is a focused individualized process and Workshops are broader, educational, and experiential. Both include hands-on practices that can be healing and insight.
How is Jennifer’s approach different from other therapists?
Jennifer’s approach is the fruit of her personal and professional development. She embodies the work she teaches. Her knowledge, training, and compassion are woven into a unique style that translates complex psychological systems into accessible, life-changing insights.
Can IFS help with anxiety, depression, or PTSD?
Yes. IFS was developed through work with these exact conditions and is widely considered one of the most effective methods for treating complex, chronic, and treatment-resistant psychological issues.
Jennifer welcomes people from all races, ethnicities, ancestry, gender expressions, national origins, financial situations, abilities, sizes, religions, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds.