Jeanne Peterson, Psy.D.

Thanks for taking the time to learn more about me and the services I can provide you. I take pride in providing psychotherapy services in a comfortable, caring, non-judgmental and optimistic setting. I enjoy working with people who are seeking to improve their lives and encourage you to consult with me about problems you are experiencing and changes you want to make.

I have been a licensed psychologist since 1994 and have been providing individual, couples, family and group therapy for over twenty years. I specialize in working with adults and couples and often see people seeking assistance with depression, loss, anxiety, stress, and recovery issues, as well as with those experiencing relationship problems, family conflicts, and parenting dilemmas. My approach is practical and understandable. I combine the best of what is known in the field about resolving problems quickly with your specific preferences and needs. One of the most important things to me is that your treatment works for you, so I seek a lot of input and feedback from you.

In addition to my background in psychology, I have special training and experience in family and couples therapy and substance abuse treatment. My areas of expertise include working with couples, providing support for those individuals and couples who are undergoing infertility treatment or grief, offering guidance on parenting dilemmas, structuring parenting in the context of divorce or remarriage, and working with substance abuse problems and their effects on the family. I’ve described those areas in more detail below. I enjoy working with adults and late adolescents and their families and partners and I welcome both traditional and non-traditional families.

Individual therapy for adults: We start with the problems you are facing and seek to provide some relief for your symptoms as soon as possible. Follow-up work may involve examining how significant relationships affect your own functioning, how closed down parts of yourself may result in problems in functioning and happiness, and how ambivalence can best be resolved. Throughout the treatment, my goal is to help you create the changes you want to see.

Infertility Support: I have a special area of expertise in working with individuals and couples undergoing infertility treatment and helping them to maintain a healthy and optimistic perspective throughout the process. As a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine member, I maintain up-to-date information about new treatments and their impact for the patient and partner. I have an appreciation for the particular pain experienced by people suffering this hidden loss and the up- and down- roller coaster of emotions that often accompanies the process of trying to conceive or adopt a child. I work with both individuals and couples on these issues.

Consultation with parents: I enjoy working with parents to develop plans for improving their families’ well-being and functioning and coaching them through the process of implementing the changes. This work includes the daily challenges of parenting as well as particular issues for those who are going through divorce, developing co-parenting arrangements, or forming a step-family. Sometimes, the chance to discuss child problems and plan specific responses to dilemmas is the critical factor in turning a negative situation around. In addition to being knowledgeable about how to create a positive emotional and behavioral environment for children, I also recognize the natural challenges of the process of parenting and help parents to develop an accepting attitude toward their own efforts as well as towards their children.

Working with substance abuse in the family: By assisting the “using” family member to establish sobriety, dealing with the emotional and behavioral changes of recovery, or assisting family members’ to cope with their loved ones’ behavior and create a stable and meaningful life for themselves. I appreciate the importance of recovery groups such as 12-step groups and Rational Recovery and coordinate treatment in a way that supports those efforts. Even when the using member is unwilling to change his or her behavior, there are many options available to other family members.

Couples Therapy: so often the relationship with a partner is the place where we feel the greatest intensity of feelings and frustration. My work with couples often focuses on finding new paths to negotiate and resolve problems, creating more effective communication and establishing satisfying intimacy. I have completed extensive couples therapy training and bring well-researched techniques to the process. I welcome both heterosexual and GLBTQ couples.

Providing supervision for therapists: I regularly provide supervision for professionals seeking licensure as a psychologist, mental health counselor or marriage and family therapist in the state of Florida, or seeking Clinical Membership in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). I am a Clinical Fellow and an Approved Supervisor for the AAMFT and am recognized by the state licensure board as qualified to provide LMFT, LMHC and LP supervision. I also offer consultation for professionals working with couples and families and provide supervision towards EFT Certification and proficiency in the Emotionally-Focused therapy model. Please contact me directly to discuss your needs, as services and fees can be tailored accordingly.

I hope this information is helpful to you. I respond to calls during weekdays and you can expect a call back as soon as possible, usually the same day. If you reach my confidential voicemail, please feel free to leave me a detailed message. I look forward to hearing from you.

I hold a license as a psychologist in the state of Florida and am also a Clinical Fellow and an Approved Supervisor for the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). I am Certified as an Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) Couples Therapist and EFT Supervisor. I received my doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology in 1992 from the Florida Institute of Technology, completing my internship at the USF Counseling Center. I previously earned a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University (1984) and completed a clinical externship in structural-strategic family therapy through the Institute for Juvenile Research in Chicago (1987). I am a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the American Psychological Association, and the Florida Psychological Association. I have previously served as a state Board Member for the Florida Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (FAMFT).

My previous clinical experience spans 25+ years and has been in a variety of settings including community mental health centers, substance abuse treatment facilities, University counseling centers, inpatient treatment facilities, and private practice. I have been a faculty member at the University of Connecticut in their COAMFTE-accredited marriage and family therapy doctoral program, at North Carolina State University in their APA-accredited School Psychology program, and at the Florida School of Professional Psychology (FSPP). I also previously served as Dean for the FSPP School of Psychology and Behavioral Health and was the Program Chair for their APA-accredited Clinical Psychology program.