Dr. Jessica Stahl

Licensed Psychologist

Prounouns: She/her

I am a counseling psychologist with more than 15 years of experience.

My practice is currently focused primarily on adults (18+) who are ​navigating a career transition (graduating from school, returning to ​work after time out of the workforce, considering shifting to another ​line of work., etc.). My area of specialty is helping people explore ​themselves and career options in order figure out the answer to ​"what's next?". I use a variety of activities (interest & personality ​assessments, discussions about skills, values, strengths, mission ​statement) to facilitate career exploration. I provide career counseling ​services both through telehealth individual career counseling as well ​as through an online career exploration workshop.

In addition, I take a limited number of adult clients for individual ​telehealth psychotherapy. I have particular interest & experience in ​providing psychotherapy to therapists/therapists-in-training and ​LGBTQIA+ individuals.

about me

Education

I earned my B.A. in Psychology from Middlebury College in 2001. After a gap year working as a research assistant, I entered the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Maryland- College Park. There, I focused my research on therapist development and therapy process/outcome. I graduated with my Ph.D. in 2008. I have been a licensed psychologist in Massachusetts since 2009.

clinical training & Professional experience

During my doctoral program, I completed almost all of my clinical training at the counseling center at the University of Maryland - College Park. I also provided psychotherapy and career counseling at Howard Community College in Columbia, MD. I completed my predoctoral Internship at University Counseling & Consulting Services at the University of Minnesota. My postdoc was completed at Counseling Services at Salem State University. I subsequently briefly worked at a group private practice in Foxboro, MA.

Since 2009, I have been a full-time faculty member at William James College in the M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. I primarily teach classes in basic counseling skills, career counseling, research & program evaluation, and diversity, difference & inclusion. In addition, I developed and direct a college-wide concentration in LGBTQIA+ Studies.

My Clinical Approach

My approach is warm, collaborative, and practical. I believe my clients have strengths and self-healing capacities, and that they are the best experts on themselves. I provide my clients with a supportive and accepting environment allowing them to explore internal and external barriers to their self-healing. I am committed to honoring all of my clients' identities and to consider their life contexts in our work.

In my work as a career counselor, I am focused on using the counseling relationship to help clients better understand themselves and how they want to approach the world of work. The focus of the work varies according to what my clients believe they would benefit from the most. Our work can focus on things such as: identifying what type of work would best fit my clients’ interests, skills, values, etc.; navigating occupational transitions; managing work/life balance; and navigating the job/school work and interview process. I view my role as being an expert in the process of identifying career goals, making plans to pursue those goals, and gaining skills to navigate the process successfully (e.g., writing strong resume & cover letter; interview skills, etc.).

I believe that therapy is a journey in which we collaboratively navigate your way to being a more effective participant in your own life. I also believe that a good therapeutic relationship is about "fit," so please do not hesitate to contact me if you want any additional information about me or my work.

career Exploration

Workshop

individual therapy

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