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Meet Jennifer Vandegriff, LCSW of Cactus Flower Healing in East Valley

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Vandegriff, LCSW.

Jennifer, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I graduated with my Bachelors in Social Work in 1998 and worked in the field for a couple of years before I took time off to raise my first child. Two kids later I decided to go back to school in 2008 to pursue my Masters in Social Work. I always knew I wanted to go back to work after my kids were in school and I thought a graduate degree would give me more flexibility. It took me five long years of (extremely) part time attendance but I graduated with my MSW in 2013. I thought I would work part time and continue to be there as much as I possibly could for my kids. But a move to a new home, painful divorce, and death of my mother changed everything. Just as I was starting out on my new career path, my husband and I separated after 17 years of marriage. We had just moved away from the neighborhood where we raised our children and were in a big, expensive, new home. I felt pressured to take on a full-time job but had a hard time finding anything – even with a graduate degree. I chalked it up to my time out of the workforce and lack of experience in the field. Eventually I was offered a position in community mental health – but in a bachelor’s level job and pay grade. I put in so many hours those first couple years. It felt good to be successful and working distracted me from my painful life. In 2014 my mother came to live with me and my children and it was a difficult time for everyone. We had a complicated relationship at best and in November 2014 she died by suicide. The next couple years were a blur but I was committed to establishing a career that would ensure stability for my family. I sacrificed time and my physical health to earn my clinical license so I could practice therapy. My plan was to start a part time practice, while continuing in my agency job, but in January 2020 I made the decision to take a leap of faith and start my own therapy private practice.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The last seven years have been the most difficult time in my life. But they have also been the most rewarding and the catalyst for my personal growth and success. Adapting to my life as a single working mother, after being married and staying home with my kids for almost 15 years, was a challenge. Balancing homework, extracurriculars, co-parenting, and work requirements was like spinning plates – and often the plates would tumble to the ground. When I left community mental health to start my private practice, I had no savings and significant credit card debt. My significant other and I went through plans A, B, and C before finally securing startup funding for my business. And then COVID hit. And new clients and referrals dried up. I think I had two inquiries in March and I was only seeing a couple of paying clients a week. Then May came around and I was inundated with new clients and referrals. It was like a tsunami – first the water recedes and then the waves hit. I went from a couple paying clients a week to 20 in a matter of weeks. That has definitely been a blessing but it’s also a struggle to work on building your business when you’re working more than full time IN your business. At times it can be difficult to hold space for clients in the midst of my own pandemic worries and fears. But if I have learned one thing from the adversity of the past few years, it is to not let fear hold me back. When challenging situations arise, I am able to put them in perspective in a way I was not able to before. I finally feel like I am my most authentic and true self. It has been like the phoenix rising from the flames. Out of great tragedy came strength and courage.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Cactus Flower Healing – what should we know?
Cactus Flower Healing started as my solo therapy practice and has grown to a group practice recently, with the addition of an additional part time therapist. I started a private practice to have control over my time and resources. I wanted to spend more time with my family and make enough money to retire before I’m too old to enjoy it. Cactus Flower Healing specializes in supporting adult women’s mental health and we think our niche is important because we can focus on areas and treatment that directly impact us (motherhood, body image, pregnancy and infertility, anxiety and perfectionism, life transitions, etc.) Our therapists look at healing and growth through a trauma informed lens and this allows women to not just feel better temporarily, but to be able to work through the things that were holding them back and to discover who they truly are. Then they can go out and model this for their friends, families and their own children. Changing one life creates a ripple effect that can have benefits for generations. We want our clients to feel like they are talking with a friend who can be objective and not judgmental. We hope women will walk into the office and feel comfortable, nurtured and welcomed – like this is their calm place for an hour. My ultimate goal for Cactus Flower Healing is to create a holistic wellness hub for women.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My children and my significant other are the foundation of everything I do. My oldest child embodies courage and they are unapologetically who they truly are, even when it’s hard. My middle child has taught me patience, humility, and kindness and is always good for a random fact or observation about the universe. My youngest makes me laugh all of the time and isn’t afraid to stand up for what she believes. My significant other and I met online in 2016 and dated long distance for a couple of years before he moved into the carnival atmosphere that is our home. It was only with his support that I felt ready to quit my stable job to embark on this solopreneur journey. He believed in me until I started to believe in myself.

Professionally I would not be where I am without my former supervisor and current friend Angela. She hired me when it felt like no one else would and she supported me in my growth and development. Working in community mental health gave me the opportunity to support people who are generally disregarded in society. My proudest moments were when clients talked about how they could feel that I did not judge them and they were able to start seeing themselves the way I saw them – as perfectly imperfect human beings. I also had a supervisor at that time, who was directly responsible for shaping me into the therapist I am today. Kelly challenged me to be better but also validated that I was doing the best I could. My coworkers were a saving grace during those long, hard days. Dark humor helped get me through because at some points the only thing that you can do is laugh.

My best friends Allegra and Heather have been with me through it all (37 and 22 years respectively). They are the friends who know what to say, even when we haven’t talked in months. With them I know I am never alone.

I don’t believe we achieve anything in isolation. Humans are hardwired for connection and I would not be where I am without the love and support of friends and family.

Pricing:

  • $100 per session for individual adult clients. My associate therapist offers a reduced rate of $75 per session.
  • We take insurance: United, Cigna, Aetna and BCBS, and can provide superbills for out of network reimbursement.

Contact Info:


Image Credit:
Jennifer Vandegriff

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