Jennifer Fitkin , LCSW, CSW

Jennifer Fitkin is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 20 years of experience in clinical practice. She holds clinical social work licenses across multiple states and is also a Licensed Independent Social Worker in Iowa - credentials that reflect advanced training and authorization to provide clinical social work services. Over the course of her career she has worked in diverse settings, from a girls' residential treatment facility to community programs serving foster care and juvenile justice youth, and she has provided therapeutic services inside a men's medium-security prison with a focus on rehabilitation and reintegration.

Her professional roles have included therapist, clinical supervisor, deputy senior clinician, senior clinician, and Clinical Director of a residential treatment program that specialized in attachment issues. She earned both a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Social Work from the University of Northern Iowa, and she has pursued advanced training in Functional Family Therapy, Schema Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and the Good Lives Model.

Jennifer's approach is strengths-based and informed by evidence-informed methods such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing within the Good Lives framework. She has experience working with individuals, families, and groups and values collaborating with people from varied backgrounds. Outside of clinical work she balances life with travel, hiking, paddleboarding, backpacking, and camping, and she is a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer who emphasizes sleep, movement, and nutrition as part of overall wellness. Her dog Boomer has accompanied her during in-person sessions in the past and still makes the occasional appearance during telehealth sessions.

Therapies Applied to Online Care

Jennifer Fitkin draws from several evidence-informed approaches that translate well to online settings. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and emotions while clarifying personal values and taking meaningful action; it can be useful for stress, anxiety, and navigating life changes. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on relational patterns formed early in life and how they influence current relationships - it can support work on parenting, adoption and foster care concerns, and attachment wounds. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers structured techniques to identify and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns, which is often effective for depression, anxiety, and coping skills development.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Jennifer works collaboratively with each person to determine which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. Together they tailor strategies and adjust the plan as progress unfolds.

Online therapy options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, offering flexibility to fit differing schedules and comfort levels. These modalities make it easier to access licensed professionals from home or other convenient locations and to continue care during life transitions or when in-person visits are difficult.