MIDDLESEX WELLNESS & MEDIATION, LLC

Jackie Boudinot, LMFT, NCC, CDM, CFTP

 

 

I was recently asked why I became a Marriage and Family Therapist and why people should come see me. My answer came easily. I want to help people feel validated, understood and empowered. Many times we question why we respond or feel a certain way when something negative happens to us, often retrospectively. We wonder if we over-reacted, think of another way we could/should have replied or we even question what someone else in our situation might have done. The truth is, we are all unique and our experiences belong to us individually. My role is not to judge or admonish anyone, but instead to help you decide if your response or behavior is healthy – for you – and if not, how can we work to improve that so it is. Therapy is about you – not what I think or would do. It’s about your experiences and attached emotions and how they are working – or not - within your world. My goal is to bring you to a place of personal comfort and positive overall health through an individual plan and personalized goals.

 

I’d like my practice to be known as a safe place where you can explore what’s weighing on your mind or causing you to feel unsettled. I hope to be a benefit to you, a source of relief and someone that you feel has your best interest in mind at all times. Many people believe that I only work with divorcing couples; that’s only a part of my work. I also enjoy working work with children, adolescents and adults in an individual, couple or family modality. I like hosting group sessions when I see a common challenge impacting many. Some of the workshops/groups that I have led include grandparents raising grandchildren, step/blended families, LGBTQ+, and adolescent social and emotional skill building. I work both as a clinician and facilitator at local Youth and Family Service bureaus. I also honor the LGBTQ+ community and look to how I can be a positive support because I believe there is a greater resource need for those community members and their families than is available.

 

I’m also a certified Divorce Mediator, but why? It’s no secret that divorces are responsible for any number of emotional challenges but also are extremely costly to both parties. The husband hires an attorney, the wife hires an attorney and if there’s children – the court will appoint an attorney for them as well. The financial impact can run into the tens of thousands of dollars and higher. The divorcing couple wants to “get” everything they can from their future ex-spouse and it becomes a competition to who can degrade or hurt the other more. The reality is the court is only going to approve a fair and equitable division. Many couples don’t realize they can build their own agreement, there’s no hard-fast rule that it has to be this or that. As long as they both decide on the division and accept it, it can be done quickly, in a civil manner and for a considerable amount less than three attorneys would charge. Where there’s no agreement, we can talk through it. Mediation works best for those resolved to the process of negotiation and respect for each other and themselves. Best of all – no pricey retainers…pay as you go. Separating from someone you once loved with dignity and respect in tact is a gift you give yourself.

 

What I want you to know about me is that I’m a person just like you. I’ve felt fear, sadness, anger and disappointment as well as self-doubt and insecurity. I’ve experienced many similar life events that you have and it’s because of those experiences, I have a greater understanding of what you’re feeling and how you react. “Living” life – not just studying about it - is what led me to become a Marriage and Family Therapist and a divorce mediator.

 

My credentials include the following: a Master's Degree from Capella University (COAMFTE and CACREP accredited), a Bachelor's Degree from Argosy University and an Associate's Degree in Early Childhood Education from Capitol Community College. I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a Board Certified Counselor, a Certified Divorce Mediator, a Certified Family Trauma Professional as well as a Clinical Fellow with AAMFT.

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I use the best clinical approach for each individual. There are so many variables to people and situations that one way is not always the right way. Some of these approaches include Solution Focused Therapy (SFT), Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT.)

 

My community is very important to me and therefore I volunteer with my church, within our school system and assist in other town efforts. I'm an at-large member representing Essex on the Regional Mental Health Board, Catchment Area 10 and am secretary of the board of directors for True Colors in Harford. True Colors is a non-profit organization that works to ensure that the needs of sexual and gender minority youth are both recognized and met.

 

Most importantly, I extend a warm welcome to all people regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity and/or expression.