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If that last line landed somewhere tender — sit with it for a minute. So much of what we carry into adulthood as “I’m too sensitive” or “I’m too much” started as a child who felt things deeply in a space that didn’t have room for those feelings. Not because anyone meant harm, necessarily. Just because the adults around you were doing the best they could with what they had — and sometimes “the best they could” didn’t include teaching you what to do with what you felt.

So you learned to feel it alone. You learned to manage it alone. And then one day someone called you “too much” and a part of you believed them.

This is the work I do with clients. Not making the feelings smaller. Giving you back the language for them. Teaching your nervous system that being a feeling person was never the problem — being a feeling person without support was.

You’re allowed to be exactly as much as you are. 🩷

.
.
.

#TraumaTherapist #TraumaHealing #InnerChildHealing #ChildhoodTrauma #NervousSystemHealing

If that last line landed somewhere tender — sit with it for a minute. So much of what we carry into adulthood as “I’m too sensitive” or “I’m too much” started as a child who felt things deeply in a space that didn’t have room for those feelings. Not because anyone meant harm, necessarily. Just because the adults around you were doing the best they could with what they had — and sometimes “the best they could” didn’t include teaching you what to do with what you felt.

So you learned to feel it alone. You learned to manage it alone. And then one day someone called you “too much” and a part of you believed them.

This is the work I do with clients. Not making the feelings smaller. Giving you back the language for them. Teaching your nervous system that being a feeling person was never the problem — being a feeling person without support was.

You’re allowed to be exactly as much as you are. 🩷

.
.
.

#TraumaTherapist #TraumaHealing #InnerChildHealing #ChildhoodTrauma #NervousSystemHealing

Here’s something I tell clients all the time:

The behaviors you’re judging yourself most harshly for almost always started as protection.

▪️The shutting down — that kept you safe in a room you couldn’t leave.
▪️The overworking — that earned the love that wasn’t freely given.
▪️The people-pleasing — that managed the people who couldn’t manage themselves.
▪️The hypervigilance — that scanned for danger no one was naming.

Your nervous system learned these patterns for a reason. It was trying to keep you alive.

Healing isn’t about shaming yourself for how you survived.

It’s about slowly — gently, with support — helping your body learn that it may not have to live in survival mode forever.

That’s the work. And you don’t have to do it alone.

—

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Clinical Trauma Therapist | Founder, FreeThinkers

Here’s something I tell clients all the time:

The behaviors you’re judging yourself most harshly for almost always started as protection.

▪️The shutting down — that kept you safe in a room you couldn’t leave.
▪️The overworking — that earned the love that wasn’t freely given.
▪️The people-pleasing — that managed the people who couldn’t manage themselves.
▪️The hypervigilance — that scanned for danger no one was naming.

Your nervous system learned these patterns for a reason. It was trying to keep you alive.

Healing isn’t about shaming yourself for how you survived.

It’s about slowly — gently, with support — helping your body learn that it may not have to live in survival mode forever.

That’s the work. And you don’t have to do it alone.

—

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Clinical Trauma Therapist | Founder, FreeThinkers

One of the quietest forms of healing is learning to stop arguing with what your body already knows.

Not rushing to explain it away.
Not immediately turning it into productivity.
Not convincing yourself you’re “fine” while your body is carrying the opposite.

In the rooms I sit in — therapy, workshops, consulting — this is where so much of the real work begins. Not with transformation. With attention.

Your body keeps a fuller map than most people realize.

And healing often starts with something far less dramatic than we expect:

Paying attention.

If this gave language to something you’ve been feeling, send it to someone who needs to read it too. 🤍

—

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Clinical Trauma Therapist | Founder, FreeThinkers

I break this all the way down in my monthly letter, First Sunday. Link in bio. 🫶🏽

One of the quietest forms of healing is learning to stop arguing with what your body already knows.

Not rushing to explain it away.
Not immediately turning it into productivity.
Not convincing yourself you’re “fine” while your body is carrying the opposite.

In the rooms I sit in — therapy, workshops, consulting — this is where so much of the real work begins. Not with transformation. With attention.

Your body keeps a fuller map than most people realize.

And healing often starts with something far less dramatic than we expect:

Paying attention.

If this gave language to something you’ve been feeling, send it to someone who needs to read it too. 🤍

—

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Clinical Trauma Therapist | Founder, FreeThinkers

I break this all the way down in my monthly letter, First Sunday. Link in bio. 🫶🏽

Tightness. Fluttering. Heaviness. Numbness.

Most of us learned to judge these sensations before we ever learned how to understand them.

But as a trauma therapist, here’s what I want you to know: your nervous system is not malfunctioning. It’s communicating.

Anxiety is a signal.
Exhaustion is information.
Numbness is protection, not failure.

So the question shifts.

It’s not: “How do I make this feeling disappear?”

It’s: “What is this feeling trying to tell me?”

That question alone changes everything.

Save this as a reminder to listen more gently to yourself this week. Send it to someone who’s been told they feel too much. 🤍

—

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Clinical Trauma Therapist | Founder, FreeThinkers

Tightness. Fluttering. Heaviness. Numbness.

Most of us learned to judge these sensations before we ever learned how to understand them.

But as a trauma therapist, here’s what I want you to know: your nervous system is not malfunctioning. It’s communicating.

Anxiety is a signal.
Exhaustion is information.
Numbness is protection, not failure.

So the question shifts.

It’s not: “How do I make this feeling disappear?”

It’s: “What is this feeling trying to tell me?”

That question alone changes everything.

Save this as a reminder to listen more gently to yourself this week. Send it to someone who’s been told they feel too much. 🤍

—

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Clinical Trauma Therapist | Founder, FreeThinkers

After years of sitting with clients and studying the human experience, here’s one of the truest things I can tell you:

We spend years trying to think our way out of things, ignoring what our body has been telling us all along.

The body notices before the mind explains.

So a gentle question for the week:

What have you been feeling in your body lately that you’ve been overriding, minimizing, or pushing past?

You don’t have to solve it. You just have to notice it. Honestly.

That noticing is where the work begins.

Save this for the days you forget to check in with yourself. 🤍

—

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Clinical Trauma Therapist | Founder, FreeThinkers

I write more about this in my monthly letter, First Sunday. Link in bio to join. 🩷

After years of sitting with clients and studying the human experience, here’s one of the truest things I can tell you:

We spend years trying to think our way out of things, ignoring what our body has been telling us all along.

The body notices before the mind explains.

So a gentle question for the week:

What have you been feeling in your body lately that you’ve been overriding, minimizing, or pushing past?

You don’t have to solve it. You just have to notice it. Honestly.

That noticing is where the work begins.

Save this for the days you forget to check in with yourself. 🤍

—

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Clinical Trauma Therapist | Founder, FreeThinkers

I write more about this in my monthly letter, First Sunday. Link in bio to join. 🩷

Your body has been telling you the truth — usually long before your mind catches up. 🤍

As a trauma therapist, one of the first things I tell clients is that the body keeps score. Your physical sensations are often the first honest language you have.

A gentle map of what your body might be saying:

📌 Tight chest or throat — often something you’re bracing against. Usually fear or anger you haven’t let out.

📌 Fluttery, restless stomach — like you need to do something but you don’t know what? Often anxiety. It wants to move.

📌 Heavy, sinking feeling — often the actual weight of carrying too much. Grief lives there. So does burden.

📌 Numb, checked-out — not “nothing.” Often a nervous system that’s carried too much for too long and finally hit the brakes.

And the body keeps a fuller map than most people realize:

→ Dread tends to gather in the stomach
→ The words we never said collect in the throat
→ Grief and longing settle in the chest
→ The weight of responsibility rests across the shoulders

Your body isn’t being dramatic. It’s being honest.

You don’t have to fix the sensation. You can simply begin to notice it — where do I feel this? what’s its texture? heavy or light, moving or still? That noticing is where awareness begins.

The deeper work of helping the body release what it’s been holding is real and powerful — and not meant to be done alone or rushed. It’s done slowly, with support, at the pace your nervous system can trust.

This is Part One. Next, I’ll walk you through what your body might be asking you to do about it.

If you want the fuller version of this map — and a quieter, monthly letter from my therapist’s chair to your inbox — First Sunday is in my bio. 🤍

Screenshot this for the next time you feel something you don’t have words for yet. And send it to someone who’s been pushing past what their body is trying to say.

—

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Clinical Trauma Therapist | Founder, FreeThinkers

#SomaticHealing #TheBodyKeepsTheScore #NervousSystemRegulation #TraumaTherapist #TraumaInformedCare

Your body has been telling you the truth — usually long before your mind catches up. 🤍

As a trauma therapist, one of the first things I tell clients is that the body keeps score. Your physical sensations are often the first honest language you have.

A gentle map of what your body might be saying:

📌 Tight chest or throat — often something you’re bracing against. Usually fear or anger you haven’t let out.

📌 Fluttery, restless stomach — like you need to do something but you don’t know what? Often anxiety. It wants to move.

📌 Heavy, sinking feeling — often the actual weight of carrying too much. Grief lives there. So does burden.

📌 Numb, checked-out — not “nothing.” Often a nervous system that’s carried too much for too long and finally hit the brakes.

And the body keeps a fuller map than most people realize:

→ Dread tends to gather in the stomach
→ The words we never said collect in the throat
→ Grief and longing settle in the chest
→ The weight of responsibility rests across the shoulders

Your body isn’t being dramatic. It’s being honest.

You don’t have to fix the sensation. You can simply begin to notice it — where do I feel this? what’s its texture? heavy or light, moving or still? That noticing is where awareness begins.

The deeper work of helping the body release what it’s been holding is real and powerful — and not meant to be done alone or rushed. It’s done slowly, with support, at the pace your nervous system can trust.

This is Part One. Next, I’ll walk you through what your body might be asking you to do about it.

If you want the fuller version of this map — and a quieter, monthly letter from my therapist’s chair to your inbox — First Sunday is in my bio. 🤍

Screenshot this for the next time you feel something you don’t have words for yet. And send it to someone who’s been pushing past what their body is trying to say.

—

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Clinical Trauma Therapist | Founder, FreeThinkers

#SomaticHealing #TheBodyKeepsTheScore #NervousSystemRegulation #TraumaTherapist #TraumaInformedCare

If this lands, that’s worth paying attention to.

The body holds what the mind has tried to move past. That’s not a metaphor — it’s how we’re wired. In trauma work, we don’t try to talk the body out of what it knows. We listen to it. We let it lead. And slowly, gently, we help it learn that the moment it’s bracing for isn’t happening right now.

#TraumaTherapist #TraumaHealing #NervousSystemHealing #TherapyWithJenay #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth 💚

If this lands, that’s worth paying attention to.

The body holds what the mind has tried to move past. That’s not a metaphor — it’s how we’re wired. In trauma work, we don’t try to talk the body out of what it knows. We listen to it. We let it lead. And slowly, gently, we help it learn that the moment it’s bracing for isn’t happening right now.

#TraumaTherapist #TraumaHealing #NervousSystemHealing #TherapyWithJenay #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth 💚

A reframe I come back to often in trauma work. The patterns we call “reactive” or “too much” almost always started as protection.

They kept you safe in a moment when safety was scarce. They’re not broken. They’re outdated. And the nervous system can absolutely learn something new — not through force, but through patience and the right kind of safety.

.
.
.

#TraumaTherapist
#TraumaHealing
#EmotionalRegulation
#NervousSystemHealing
#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth 💚

A reframe I come back to often in trauma work. The patterns we call “reactive” or “too much” almost always started as protection.

They kept you safe in a moment when safety was scarce. They’re not broken. They’re outdated. And the nervous system can absolutely learn something new — not through force, but through patience and the right kind of safety.

.
.
.

#TraumaTherapist
#TraumaHealing
#EmotionalRegulation
#NervousSystemHealing
#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth 💚

You can feel it fully and still not act on it. Both of those can be true.

I am furious AND I don’t have to do anything with it right now. This hurts AND I’m safe. I feel out of control AND I can still choose my next move.

This is one of the most important shifts I watch people make in this work — and it’s harder than it sounds.

We’re trained to think in either/or. If I feel it, I have to act on it. If I’m calm, I must not really care. But the nervous system doesn’t work in either/or. Neither does healing.

Two things can be true at the same time. And learning to stay in that “and” — instead of collapsing into one side just to make the discomfort stop — that’s where the real change happens.

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Founder, FreeThinkers

#TraumaTherapist #TraumaHealing #EmotionalRegulation #NervousSystemHealing #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth 💚

You can feel it fully and still not act on it. Both of those can be true.

I am furious AND I don’t have to do anything with it right now. This hurts AND I’m safe. I feel out of control AND I can still choose my next move.

This is one of the most important shifts I watch people make in this work — and it’s harder than it sounds.

We’re trained to think in either/or. If I feel it, I have to act on it. If I’m calm, I must not really care. But the nervous system doesn’t work in either/or. Neither does healing.

Two things can be true at the same time. And learning to stay in that “and” — instead of collapsing into one side just to make the discomfort stop — that’s where the real change happens.

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Founder, FreeThinkers

#TraumaTherapist #TraumaHealing #EmotionalRegulation #NervousSystemHealing #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth 💚

This is why so much of trauma work happens in the body, not in the story. You can talk about something for years and not feel different. But once the body learns it’s safe, the story softens on its own.

Mind follows body.

Not the other way around.

#TraumaTherapist #TraumaHealing #NervousSystemHealing #TherapyWithJenay #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth 💚

This is why so much of trauma work happens in the body, not in the story. You can talk about something for years and not feel different. But once the body learns it’s safe, the story softens on its own.

Mind follows body.

Not the other way around.

#TraumaTherapist #TraumaHealing #NervousSystemHealing #TherapyWithJenay #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth 💚

“Nothing outside of me has the power to control my peace.” 🤍

Sit with that one.

Because protecting your peace was never about silence. It was about alignment.

A reflection for Mental Health Awareness Month — because the conversations we skip are often the ones worth having.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t about staying in spaces that harm you. Some relationships need distance, not dialogue. That’s alignment too.

And it isn’t about forcing a conversation before you’re ready. Emotional regulation isn’t making yourself say the hard thing on command — it’s building the capacity to sit with the discomfort long enough to choose, instead of letting the discomfort choose for you.

Here’s the growth, though: not everything deserves your energy — and the work is being regulated enough to know the difference. As we go inward and get honest about our own activators, we stop reacting and start choosing. That’s the shift. Not avoiding the conversation. Not forcing it. Choosing wisely — because we actually know ourselves well enough to.

So before you walk away — before you rehearse it one more time in the shower or draft the text you’ll never send — get curious instead of critical: do I leave this conversation, or do I leave most hard conversations? And what has that cost me that I haven’t let myself count?

Real peace isn’t the absence of a hard conversation. Sometimes it’s the growth waiting on the other side of it.

Save this for the next time someone tells you protecting your peace means walking away.

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Founder, FreeThinkers

#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth 💚 #ProtectYourPeace #EmotionalIntelligence #NervousSystemRegulation #InnerWork

“Nothing outside of me has the power to control my peace.” 🤍

Sit with that one.

Because protecting your peace was never about silence. It was about alignment.

A reflection for Mental Health Awareness Month — because the conversations we skip are often the ones worth having.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t about staying in spaces that harm you. Some relationships need distance, not dialogue. That’s alignment too.

And it isn’t about forcing a conversation before you’re ready. Emotional regulation isn’t making yourself say the hard thing on command — it’s building the capacity to sit with the discomfort long enough to choose, instead of letting the discomfort choose for you.

Here’s the growth, though: not everything deserves your energy — and the work is being regulated enough to know the difference. As we go inward and get honest about our own activators, we stop reacting and start choosing. That’s the shift. Not avoiding the conversation. Not forcing it. Choosing wisely — because we actually know ourselves well enough to.

So before you walk away — before you rehearse it one more time in the shower or draft the text you’ll never send — get curious instead of critical: do I leave this conversation, or do I leave most hard conversations? And what has that cost me that I haven’t let myself count?

Real peace isn’t the absence of a hard conversation. Sometimes it’s the growth waiting on the other side of it.

Save this for the next time someone tells you protecting your peace means walking away.

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Founder, FreeThinkers

#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth 💚 #ProtectYourPeace #EmotionalIntelligence #NervousSystemRegulation #InnerWork

This is one of the more freeing realizations I watch clients land on.

So much of what we call “losing control” is really just the belief that the feeling and the action have to come as a pair.

They don’t.

You can feel the full weight of something — anger, grief, overwhelm — and still choose what you do with it. Both of those can be true at the same time. That space between feeling and acting is where the real work lives.

#TraumaTherapist #TraumaHealing #EmotionalRegulation #NervousSystemHealing #TherapyWithJenay 🩷

This is one of the more freeing realizations I watch clients land on.

So much of what we call “losing control” is really just the belief that the feeling and the action have to come as a pair.

They don’t.

You can feel the full weight of something — anger, grief, overwhelm — and still choose what you do with it. Both of those can be true at the same time. That space between feeling and acting is where the real work lives.

#TraumaTherapist #TraumaHealing #EmotionalRegulation #NervousSystemHealing #TherapyWithJenay 🩷

It’s Mental Health Awareness Month — and I wanted to talk about something I wish more people knew before they started this work.

Therapy isn’t one thing. There are so many ways to do it, and the way your therapist practices shapes what becomes possible for you. So if therapy didn’t work for you before, please hear me — it might not have been you. It might have been the lens.

CBT for the spiral. DBT for the waves — and for learning that two things can be true at once. Person-centered for the remembering. Somatic for what your body’s been holding. Each one does something different. Each one meets you somewhere different.

In my own practice, I pull from all of them. Because you’re not a textbook, and healing isn’t a formula. But before any modality, before any “work” — we build trust. We build safety. For me, there is no healing without connection. That’s where I always start. That’s what I believe people deserve.

So here’s what I want you to walk away with: you’re allowed to ask your therapist how they practice. You’re allowed to want a fit, not just a slot. And you’re allowed to try again if the first one didn’t land.

Therapy works. The match matters. And you deserve someone who sees you before they reach for a tool. 🤍

Save this for when you’re ready. Send it to the friend who’s been thinking about starting. I’ll be here.

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Founder, FreeThinkers

#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth 💚 #TherapyWorks #TherapyWithJenay #FreeThinkers #MentalHealthMatters

It’s Mental Health Awareness Month — and I wanted to talk about something I wish more people knew before they started this work.

Therapy isn’t one thing. There are so many ways to do it, and the way your therapist practices shapes what becomes possible for you. So if therapy didn’t work for you before, please hear me — it might not have been you. It might have been the lens.

CBT for the spiral. DBT for the waves — and for learning that two things can be true at once. Person-centered for the remembering. Somatic for what your body’s been holding. Each one does something different. Each one meets you somewhere different.

In my own practice, I pull from all of them. Because you’re not a textbook, and healing isn’t a formula. But before any modality, before any “work” — we build trust. We build safety. For me, there is no healing without connection. That’s where I always start. That’s what I believe people deserve.

So here’s what I want you to walk away with: you’re allowed to ask your therapist how they practice. You’re allowed to want a fit, not just a slot. And you’re allowed to try again if the first one didn’t land.

Therapy works. The match matters. And you deserve someone who sees you before they reach for a tool. 🤍

Save this for when you’re ready. Send it to the friend who’s been thinking about starting. I’ll be here.

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Founder, FreeThinkers

#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth 💚 #TherapyWorks #TherapyWithJenay #FreeThinkers #MentalHealthMatters

It’s Mental Health Awareness Month — and one of the most empowering things you can do for yourself or someone you love is understand the types of therapy and what each one is built to do.

Because not all therapy is the same. And the right fit changes everything.

▫️ Individual therapy. You are the focal point. The work centers your lived experience, attachment history, trauma, nervous system, and relationships through your story. The goal is helping you show up more authentic, regulated, and aligned with what matters to you. (This is the work I do.)

▫️Couples therapy. The relationship is the client. The work focuses on communication, conflict, repair, and the dynamic between partners. This is why many couples therapists recommend each person also have their own individual therapist.

▫️Family therapy. The whole family is the client. Family therapists look at patterns, roles, and what gets passed down across generations. They treat the system, not just one person inside it.

Here’s the part most people don’t know: couples and family work require specialized training. An individual therapist isn’t automatically equipped to do that work well — and an ethical clinician will tell you that.

Knowing the difference saves you time, money, and months in the wrong room.

So if you’ve been wondering where to start, ask yourself first: what kind of support am I actually looking for? The answer often points the way. 🤍

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Clinical Trauma Therapist | Founder, FreeThinkers

➡️ Save this. Send it to someone who’s been trying to figure out where to start. Share to your stories — this is the kind of information that takes the guesswork out of getting care.

#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth 💚#MentalHealthEducation #IndividualTherapy #CouplesTherapy #FamilyTherapy

It’s Mental Health Awareness Month — and one of the most empowering things you can do for yourself or someone you love is understand the types of therapy and what each one is built to do.

Because not all therapy is the same. And the right fit changes everything.

▫️ Individual therapy. You are the focal point. The work centers your lived experience, attachment history, trauma, nervous system, and relationships through your story. The goal is helping you show up more authentic, regulated, and aligned with what matters to you. (This is the work I do.)

▫️Couples therapy. The relationship is the client. The work focuses on communication, conflict, repair, and the dynamic between partners. This is why many couples therapists recommend each person also have their own individual therapist.

▫️Family therapy. The whole family is the client. Family therapists look at patterns, roles, and what gets passed down across generations. They treat the system, not just one person inside it.

Here’s the part most people don’t know: couples and family work require specialized training. An individual therapist isn’t automatically equipped to do that work well — and an ethical clinician will tell you that.

Knowing the difference saves you time, money, and months in the wrong room.

So if you’ve been wondering where to start, ask yourself first: what kind of support am I actually looking for? The answer often points the way. 🤍

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Clinical Trauma Therapist | Founder, FreeThinkers

➡️ Save this. Send it to someone who’s been trying to figure out where to start. Share to your stories — this is the kind of information that takes the guesswork out of getting care.

#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth 💚#MentalHealthEducation #IndividualTherapy #CouplesTherapy #FamilyTherapy

It’s Mental Health Awareness Month and one of the most confusing parts of getting mental health support is figuring out who does what.

Psychiatrist. Psychologist. LPC. LCSW. PCP. The alphabet soup of care can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re already exhausted just from trying to ask for help.

So here’s the breakdown:

▫️Psychiatrists (and psychiatric nurse practitioners) are who you see for medication. They can also diagnose. They can do a full psychiatric evaluation and tailor your treatment to what’s actually showing up — which is often more precise than what your PCP can offer.

▫️Psychologists hold a doctorate. They’re who you see for formal testing — ADHD, autism, comprehensive psychological and neuropsychological evaluations. They diagnose. They provide therapy. They don’t prescribe medication.

▫️Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) are your talk therapy specialists. We diagnose. We use clinical assessments to track what’s coming up — depression, anxiety, trauma, and more. And when medication or formal testing is part of your care, we coordinate with the specialists who do that.

Here’s what I want you to hear:

A well-rounded clinical home should give you access to all of it — even if it’s through the right referral. You shouldn’t have to figure out the care system alone.

If you’re uncertain about where to start — start with a conversation. That’s what we’re here for.🤍

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Clinical Trauma Therapist | Founder, FreeThinkers

Save this for someone trying to figure out where to start. Tag a friend. Share to your stories.

#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth 💚 #MentalHealthEducation #TherapyMatters #ClinicalTraumaTherapist #MentalHealthSupport

It’s Mental Health Awareness Month and one of the most confusing parts of getting mental health support is figuring out who does what.

Psychiatrist. Psychologist. LPC. LCSW. PCP. The alphabet soup of care can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re already exhausted just from trying to ask for help.

So here’s the breakdown:

▫️Psychiatrists (and psychiatric nurse practitioners) are who you see for medication. They can also diagnose. They can do a full psychiatric evaluation and tailor your treatment to what’s actually showing up — which is often more precise than what your PCP can offer.

▫️Psychologists hold a doctorate. They’re who you see for formal testing — ADHD, autism, comprehensive psychological and neuropsychological evaluations. They diagnose. They provide therapy. They don’t prescribe medication.

▫️Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) are your talk therapy specialists. We diagnose. We use clinical assessments to track what’s coming up — depression, anxiety, trauma, and more. And when medication or formal testing is part of your care, we coordinate with the specialists who do that.

Here’s what I want you to hear:

A well-rounded clinical home should give you access to all of it — even if it’s through the right referral. You shouldn’t have to figure out the care system alone.

If you’re uncertain about where to start — start with a conversation. That’s what we’re here for.🤍

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Clinical Trauma Therapist | Founder, FreeThinkers

Save this for someone trying to figure out where to start. Tag a friend. Share to your stories.

#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth 💚 #MentalHealthEducation #TherapyMatters #ClinicalTraumaTherapist #MentalHealthSupport

Some conversations we keep putting off. The ones at the dinner table. The ones in the leadership meeting. The ones we keep meaning to have with ourselves.

And across all the rooms I sit in — therapy, workshops, consulting with leadership teams — I keep noticing the same thing:

People aren’t avoiding hard conversations because they don’t know what to say. They’re avoiding them because of what those conversations might reveal — about their leadership, their relationships, the parts of themselves they haven’t been ready to look at yet.

That’s not a flaw. That’s human.

And it’s something no script can really fix on its own. Not for leaders, not for partners, not for parents, not for any of us. Because the harder skill isn’t what to say. It’s how to stay regulated while we’re saying it. How to hold our ground without abandoning our softness. How to let the conversation be hard and still stay in the room.

What I keep wondering is what becomes possible when we stop trying to perform our way through these moments — and let ourselves actually be in them.

That’s the work I’m interested in. With individuals. With teams. With the leaders I partner with.

#ExecutiveLeadership #HealthcareLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #WorkplaceWellness #OrganizationalHealth

Some conversations we keep putting off. The ones at the dinner table. The ones in the leadership meeting. The ones we keep meaning to have with ourselves.

And across all the rooms I sit in — therapy, workshops, consulting with leadership teams — I keep noticing the same thing:

People aren’t avoiding hard conversations because they don’t know what to say. They’re avoiding them because of what those conversations might reveal — about their leadership, their relationships, the parts of themselves they haven’t been ready to look at yet.

That’s not a flaw. That’s human.

And it’s something no script can really fix on its own. Not for leaders, not for partners, not for parents, not for any of us. Because the harder skill isn’t what to say. It’s how to stay regulated while we’re saying it. How to hold our ground without abandoning our softness. How to let the conversation be hard and still stay in the room.

What I keep wondering is what becomes possible when we stop trying to perform our way through these moments — and let ourselves actually be in them.

That’s the work I’m interested in. With individuals. With teams. With the leaders I partner with.

#ExecutiveLeadership #HealthcareLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #WorkplaceWellness #OrganizationalHealth

Something I keep coming back to in this work.

In the therapy room with individuals, in workshops with teams, in consulting with healthcare systems and mission-driven institutions — across all three, I keep noticing the same pattern:

We’ve been handed a vocabulary for protecting ourselves and almost none for staying.

For sitting in the heat of a hard conversation without running. For holding a position without abandoning our tenderness. For staying regulated when our nervous system is screaming at us to shut down, perform, or leave.

This isn’t just a healthcare thing. It’s a human thing. Showing up at home, in leadership rooms, inside the organizations trying to figure out why their people are so tired.

Maybe it’s not just the workload. Maybe somewhere along the way we got trained to confuse withdrawal with wisdom. To call avoidance a boundary. To call silence regulation. To mistake leaving the room for doing the work.

We’re not healed. We’re exhausted. And the toll is showing up everywhere — in our homes, in our leadership, in the institutions trying to hold us all together.

I’m curious what would shift if we got slower. If we let ourselves stay in the room a little longer. If “the work” looked less like another self-care app and more like learning — at the pace of the nervous system — how to be present when it’s hard.

That’s the conversation I’m trying to keep having. With clients. With teams. With the institutions I partner with.

And with myself.

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Founder, FreeThinkers | Therapy, workshops, and workplace wellness for individuals, teams, and mission-driven institutions

#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth 💚 #PhysicianBurnout #HealthcareLeadership #WorkplaceMentalHealth #ClinicianWellbeing

Something I keep coming back to in this work.

In the therapy room with individuals, in workshops with teams, in consulting with healthcare systems and mission-driven institutions — across all three, I keep noticing the same pattern:

We’ve been handed a vocabulary for protecting ourselves and almost none for staying.

For sitting in the heat of a hard conversation without running. For holding a position without abandoning our tenderness. For staying regulated when our nervous system is screaming at us to shut down, perform, or leave.

This isn’t just a healthcare thing. It’s a human thing. Showing up at home, in leadership rooms, inside the organizations trying to figure out why their people are so tired.

Maybe it’s not just the workload. Maybe somewhere along the way we got trained to confuse withdrawal with wisdom. To call avoidance a boundary. To call silence regulation. To mistake leaving the room for doing the work.

We’re not healed. We’re exhausted. And the toll is showing up everywhere — in our homes, in our leadership, in the institutions trying to hold us all together.

I’m curious what would shift if we got slower. If we let ourselves stay in the room a little longer. If “the work” looked less like another self-care app and more like learning — at the pace of the nervous system — how to be present when it’s hard.

That’s the conversation I’m trying to keep having. With clients. With teams. With the institutions I partner with.

And with myself.

Jenay Hicks, MS, LPC, NCC | Founder, FreeThinkers | Therapy, workshops, and workplace wellness for individuals, teams, and mission-driven institutions

#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth 💚 #PhysicianBurnout #HealthcareLeadership #WorkplaceMentalHealth #ClinicianWellbeing

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and I want to start somewhere honest.

Not with a stat. Not with a tip. Just a question.

And not the one that sounds good out loud. Not the version that fits at the dinner table, on the group chat, in the performance review.

The real one. The one underneath.

What do you want?

First Sunday Freethinkers is in your inbox. If you’re not on the list, link in bio.🤍

#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #FirstSundayFreethinkers #InnerWork #SundayReflection #MentalHealthMatters 🩷

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and I want to start somewhere honest.

Not with a stat. Not with a tip. Just a question.

And not the one that sounds good out loud. Not the version that fits at the dinner table, on the group chat, in the performance review.

The real one. The one underneath.

What do you want?

First Sunday Freethinkers is in your inbox. If you’re not on the list, link in bio.🤍

#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #FirstSundayFreethinkers #InnerWork #SundayReflection #MentalHealthMatters 🩷

You know that feeling. You wake up before the alarm. Nobody called. Nothing happened. But your chest is already heavy and your eyes are already wet and you haven’t even gotten out of bed yet.

That’s not you being dramatic. That’s your nervous system catching up to something your brain keeps outrunning.

You’ve been so busy managing it — performing okay, holding the room together, making it through the day — that the only time your body gets to feel it is when you’re still.

You’re not falling apart. You’re finally letting it land.

Take what resonates. Let the rest go.

#TherapyWithJenay #Grief #NervousSystem #MentalHealth #Healing

You know that feeling. You wake up before the alarm. Nobody called. Nothing happened. But your chest is already heavy and your eyes are already wet and you haven’t even gotten out of bed yet.

That’s not you being dramatic. That’s your nervous system catching up to something your brain keeps outrunning.

You’ve been so busy managing it — performing okay, holding the room together, making it through the day — that the only time your body gets to feel it is when you’re still.

You’re not falling apart. You’re finally letting it land.

Take what resonates. Let the rest go.

#TherapyWithJenay #Grief #NervousSystem #MentalHealth #Healing

When you’re activated — when the frustration, the hurt, the exhaustion all hit at once — everything feels sharp and urgent. It feels like knowing. But that’s the pain talking, not the wisdom.

Your wisdom lives in the pause. In the breath after the storm. In the version of you that says “I’m not making decisions from this place.”

That’s not weakness. That’s the most powerful thing you can do.

#EmotionalRegulation #PauseBeforeReacting #SelfAwareness #InnerPeace #MindfulHealing

When you’re activated — when the frustration, the hurt, the exhaustion all hit at once — everything feels sharp and urgent. It feels like knowing. But that’s the pain talking, not the wisdom.

Your wisdom lives in the pause. In the breath after the storm. In the version of you that says “I’m not making decisions from this place.”

That’s not weakness. That’s the most powerful thing you can do.

#EmotionalRegulation #PauseBeforeReacting #SelfAwareness #InnerPeace #MindfulHealing

The loving relationship. The peaceful vacation. The career shift. Whatever it is — your brain needs a picture before it builds the road.

Don’t wait until you “deserve” to dream about it. Dreaming about it is the first act of ownership.

#SelfWorth #PersonalGrowth #Manifestation #Mindset #InnerWork 💖

The loving relationship. The peaceful vacation. The career shift. Whatever it is — your brain needs a picture before it builds the road.

Don’t wait until you “deserve” to dream about it. Dreaming about it is the first act of ownership.

#SelfWorth #PersonalGrowth #Manifestation #Mindset #InnerWork 💖

You have this running scorecard in your head. And every day you check it: Am I better yet? Do I feel different? Is this working?

And because the answer keeps being “not really” — you decide you’re failing.

You keep waiting to feel like it’s working before you give yourself credit for showing up.

But you got up. You’re here. You haven’t stopped looking for the thing that helps — even when the last ten things didn’t.

That’s not failure. That’s a person who refuses to abandon themselves.

The trying doesn’t need a result to count. The trying is the proof that you haven’t given up on your own life — even when your life hasn’t caught up to what you deserve.

Stop overlooking that. It matters.

Take what resonates. Let the rest go. 🤍

#TherapyWithJenay #Healing #Resilience #MentalHealth #Innerwork

You have this running scorecard in your head. And every day you check it: Am I better yet? Do I feel different? Is this working?

And because the answer keeps being “not really” — you decide you’re failing.

You keep waiting to feel like it’s working before you give yourself credit for showing up.

But you got up. You’re here. You haven’t stopped looking for the thing that helps — even when the last ten things didn’t.

That’s not failure. That’s a person who refuses to abandon themselves.

The trying doesn’t need a result to count. The trying is the proof that you haven’t given up on your own life — even when your life hasn’t caught up to what you deserve.

Stop overlooking that. It matters.

Take what resonates. Let the rest go. 🤍

#TherapyWithJenay #Healing #Resilience #MentalHealth #Innerwork

You’ve been doing the hardest work of your life and nobody’s clapping.

The conversations you held together through. The moments you chose yourself even though every part of you wanted to collapse into someone else’s arms and just not have to be strong anymore.

That work still counts. Even without the acknowledgment. Even without the applause.

Barely getting through counts. Barely is brave. Barely means you haven’t quit — and that’s the part that matters.

The proof isn’t in the applause. It’s in the fact that you’re still here.

So keep going. One aligned, unapologetic moment at a time.

Take what resonates. Let the rest go. 💕

#TherapyWithJenay #YouAreNotAlone #Resilience #Grief MentalHealth Healing Therapy InnerWork

You’ve been doing the hardest work of your life and nobody’s clapping.

The conversations you held together through. The moments you chose yourself even though every part of you wanted to collapse into someone else’s arms and just not have to be strong anymore.

That work still counts. Even without the acknowledgment. Even without the applause.

Barely getting through counts. Barely is brave. Barely means you haven’t quit — and that’s the part that matters.

The proof isn’t in the applause. It’s in the fact that you’re still here.

So keep going. One aligned, unapologetic moment at a time.

Take what resonates. Let the rest go. 💕

#TherapyWithJenay #YouAreNotAlone #Resilience #Grief MentalHealth Healing Therapy InnerWork

What if you’ve been walking around collecting opinions like evidence? Stacking them up. Holding them against yourself in the mirror to see if they fit.

And some of them don’t fit. They never did. But because you’re someone who wants to be good — who genuinely cares about how you show up — you try them on anyway. Just in case.

Here’s the thing: being open to growth doesn’t mean being open to everything. Some perceptions are projections. Some feedback is just someone else’s discomfort with you — not the truth about you.

You get to decide what’s yours. Choose thoughtfully.

Take what resonates. Let the rest go. ✨

#TherapyWithJenay #Boundaries #SelfWorth #MentalHealth #Healing

What if you’ve been walking around collecting opinions like evidence? Stacking them up. Holding them against yourself in the mirror to see if they fit.

And some of them don’t fit. They never did. But because you’re someone who wants to be good — who genuinely cares about how you show up — you try them on anyway. Just in case.

Here’s the thing: being open to growth doesn’t mean being open to everything. Some perceptions are projections. Some feedback is just someone else’s discomfort with you — not the truth about you.

You get to decide what’s yours. Choose thoughtfully.

Take what resonates. Let the rest go. ✨

#TherapyWithJenay #Boundaries #SelfWorth #MentalHealth #Healing

You built the system. You hold the system. And somewhere along the way, everybody got comfortable letting you.

But the weight of being the one who keeps it all together — at work, at home, in your family — that weight is real.

And it’s yours to put down whenever you decide it is.

Carrying it well doesn’t mean it isn’t heavy.

It just means nobody’s asking if you’re tired.

I’m asking.

#EmotionalWellness #MentalLoad #YouDeserveRest #BoundariesMatter #CheckInWithYourself

You built the system. You hold the system. And somewhere along the way, everybody got comfortable letting you.

But the weight of being the one who keeps it all together — at work, at home, in your family — that weight is real.

And it’s yours to put down whenever you decide it is.

Carrying it well doesn’t mean it isn’t heavy.

It just means nobody’s asking if you’re tired.

I’m asking.

#EmotionalWellness #MentalLoad #YouDeserveRest #BoundariesMatter #CheckInWithYourself

Gentle reminder✨

The things that got you here were real. They worked. They kept you safe.

But safe and aligned are not the same thing.

And the discomfort you’re feeling right now isn’t a sign that something is wrong with your life. It might be a sign that you’ve quietly outgrown the version of it you’ve been maintaining.

That’s not a crisis. That’s an invitation.

First Sunday newsletter is live — link in bio

Gentle reminder✨

The things that got you here were real. They worked. They kept you safe.

But safe and aligned are not the same thing.

And the discomfort you’re feeling right now isn’t a sign that something is wrong with your life. It might be a sign that you’ve quietly outgrown the version of it you’ve been maintaining.

That’s not a crisis. That’s an invitation.

First Sunday newsletter is live — link in bio

Sometimes space is how we protect the love.

Not because we’re pulling away — but because we don’t want exhaustion speaking for our hearts.

#HealthyBoundaries
#EmotionalAwareness
#IntentionalLove
#SelfRegulation
#ProtectYourPeace

Sometimes space is how we protect the love.

Not because we’re pulling away — but because we don’t want exhaustion speaking for our hearts.

#HealthyBoundaries
#EmotionalAwareness
#IntentionalLove
#SelfRegulation
#ProtectYourPeace

Being honest about where I am shouldn’t feel dangerous.

Love that lasts makes room for limits, not just things feeling good.

#HealthyRelationships #EmotionalSafety #SecureLove #Innerwork #RelationshipGrowth

Being honest about where I am shouldn’t feel dangerous.

Love that lasts makes room for limits, not just things feeling good.

#HealthyRelationships #EmotionalSafety #SecureLove #Innerwork #RelationshipGrowth

When I say I’m a Protector of Hearts & Minds, I mean it.

I’m honored to partner with @higherheights4 — an organization doing the critical work of building power for women in political leadership.

Here’s what I know after 10+ years of working with high performers across industries — from medicine to politics, education to corporate leadership: the people doing the heaviest lifting are often carrying the most invisible weight. Grief. Burnout. Unresolved stress. And they’re doing it alone.

You don’t have to have “leader” in your title to be one. If you’re the person everyone leans on, the one who keeps it all together, this is for you.

This isn’t a lecture.

It’s not a checklist.

It’s an experience — designed to meet you exactly where you are.

If your organization is pouring into others, who’s pouring into your people?

Let’s talk. 🔗 jenayhicks.com

#MentalHealthMatters #WorkplaceWellness #HighPerformers #TraumaInformed #BIPOCMentalHealth

When I say I’m a Protector of Hearts & Minds, I mean it.

I’m honored to partner with @higherheights4 — an organization doing the critical work of building power for women in political leadership.

Here’s what I know after 10+ years of working with high performers across industries — from medicine to politics, education to corporate leadership: the people doing the heaviest lifting are often carrying the most invisible weight. Grief. Burnout. Unresolved stress. And they’re doing it alone.

You don’t have to have “leader” in your title to be one. If you’re the person everyone leans on, the one who keeps it all together, this is for you.

This isn’t a lecture.

It’s not a checklist.

It’s an experience — designed to meet you exactly where you are.

If your organization is pouring into others, who’s pouring into your people?

Let’s talk. 🔗 jenayhicks.com

#MentalHealthMatters #WorkplaceWellness #HighPerformers #TraumaInformed #BIPOCMentalHealth

Creating inner silence isn’t avoidance for me.

It’s how I hear what I actually want—beneath expectations, habits, and pressure.

#InnerWork #SelfReflection #EmotionalWellness #MindfulLiving #HealingJourney 🤍

Creating inner silence isn’t avoidance for me.

It’s how I hear what I actually want—beneath expectations, habits, and pressure.

#InnerWork #SelfReflection #EmotionalWellness #MindfulLiving #HealingJourney 🤍

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