Jennifer Rulli, LCSW

She/her/hers – what are personal pronouns and why do they matter?

Clients I work with: Adolescents aged 12 to 18 and their families/caregivers, parents and caregivers, couples, and adult individuals.

Issues I work with: Adolescent and parent relationships, couples relationships, communication, increasing connection in relationships, sexual connection, trauma/attachment-based trauma, family of origin issues, adverse childhood experiences, managing emotions, trauma, ADHD, anxiety, depression, shame, self-esteem, identity exploration, chronic illness/special needs, life transitions, gender/sexual identity, school issues, neuro-diversity

We all have innate human needs to belong, to be seen and understood, and to feel secure with and connected to those around us. And at the same time, those closest to us have an uncanny ability to brush up against our raw spots and vulnerabilities. I believe our early family of origin experiences lay the foundation for internal and
interpersonal patterns that we may continue to play out in later life.

Though these patterns are not set in stone, they are often automatic and hard to recognize, change, and understand. Many of our patterns include our best and most creative efforts to adapt to the tough stuff of life such as trauma, misattunement, and loss. Together we can explore the ways in which our adaptations may have served us well in earlier times but are no longer proving to be helpful, effective, or in line with our needs.

Capitalizing on the brain’s innate plasticity and resiliency, we can practice new ways of being ourselves and connected to others, especially in the context of a healthy therapeutic relationship. I value collaborating with clients to utilize your strengths and creatively problem-solve new ways to seek connection, soothing, safety, and satisfaction in your life.

I approach my clients from a strengths-based perspective and then integrate attachment-based, trauma-informed, and body-based resources such as mindfulness into our ongoing practice. I also incorporate practical skill-building and problem-solving, especially in my work with teens and caregivers.

I strive to create an environment for clients where they feel safe in the therapeutic relationship, can collaborate on building a wide variety of resources, and are able to navigate the process of healing and growth.

In my work with couples, I utilize Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, a n evidence-based model for supporting clients to build or deepen emotional connection, security, openness, and responsiveness.

I work with couples to identify and calm their relationship patterns or cycles. Where you have very different ways of navigating emotions, conflict, distance or disconnect, I can support you to bridge the gap and find more satisfying ways to connect.

Sessions make space for the hurts, needs, and longings that live on the inside of each partner, especially where these might have occurred long before the relationship started. Couples are supported to talk more openly and vulnerably about what they need from each other.

Where there have been fractures in trust or security in previous relationships that are impacting your current connection, I can support couples to be a source of healing for each other. Together, I can support you to repair these hurts, rewire your experience of connection, and strengthen your emotional bond. Couples leave therapy feeling more understood and supported, clear on how to meet the needs of their partner, and grounded in the security of their relationship.

I have worked with adolescents in multiple settings, including school, active-duty military families, and home-based therapeutic services. The way teens express their discomfort can be internal or external. In my work with teens, we can identify healthy ways to process and cope with distress, supporting your teen to feel more confident and less burdened by anxiety.

The challenge of the teen years is to balance the need to explore the world and emerging identity with independence and individuality and then return home to the security of connection and belonging. In therapy, we make space to explore identity and practice skills such as emotional regulation, communication, mindfulness, boundaries, and healthy relationships.

In our post-Covid world, supporting adolescents in their return
to school and feelings of safety and mastery at school is paramount.
I especially feel called to support young people in their gender and sexuality journeys, encouraging their process of discernment, as well as working with caregivers to deepen their understanding of the process.

I understand both from my professional experience as well as my own lived experience as a parent to teens, the challenges of parenting today. Parenting can feel like a roller coaster as children’s needs change from one developmental stage to the next or when circumstances change the support needs your child may have.

We can work together to help you feel able to adapt to these needs and increase communication between caregivers, especially when there are differences in parenting styles. I also recognize how our own emotional development in our family of origin might trigger our insecurities and raw spots as parents. We can explore these patterns in the safety of parent sessions so that you can increase your connection to your children as well as your confidence in your parenting decisions and structure.

In my work with families, I help individual members feel more validated and understood to reduce conflict and increase a sense of connection. In the therapy room, this might look like pausing and using our curiosity to look at the recurring patterns of engagement in the family, and how the natural inclination to connect might be clouded by prior hurts or conflicts.

Together we can practice new ways of being together and responding to each other. We may also explore how pain can work its way through generations of families while acknowledging that each generation is doing the best they can with the information they have.

In working with individuals, I value the process of identifying when parts of ourselves may be overwhelmed by anxiety, depression, loneliness, confusion, or shame. Honoring our wounded parts allows us to learn more about our unmet needs, nurture self-compassion, and at the same time make more wise decisions for ourselves and our relationships.

I can also work with you to adapt to major life transitions and changes so that you can be true to your own needs and values even when stress or hurt feels overwhelming.

My own life experience provides me with humble insight into the internal and external resources needed for living and how important it is to keep nurturing the idea that our needs, boundaries, and sense of security are precious.

As such, I also enjoy working with those who live with special needs or a chronic illness and the additional demands these can have on your inner and outer resources and your relationships. We can work together to explore your unique needs so that you can feel understood, seen, and supported while you are identifying more satisfying ways to navigate additional needs.

As a social worker, it is in my core values to honor diversity, and I actively seek to support clients with a wide variety of lived experiences—cultural, spiritual, familial, and economic. I earned a Master of Clinical Social Work from Catholic University and am independently licensed in Virginia. I have completed Level I Advanced Trauma Treatment and completed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teacher Training. I offer Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), an evidence-based practice that helps clients reprocess trauma and impactful experiences. Practicing yoga for almost two decades has informed my understanding of the brain and body connection and the wisdom of the body as a resource. Together we can practice using this resource whether it is breathing, slow movement, or just noticing what is happening in your body when you are under stress.

I identify as an LGBTQIA+ ally, non-monogamy-affirming, sex-positive, culturally humble therapist.