Jeremy Messenger
Adolescents, Adults & Elderly Therapist
Pronouns: Him/Him
Licensure: Provisionally Licensed Clinical Social Worker & Therapist
Location: Rhode Island
Language: English
Fee:
Sliding Scale: Available
Insurance:
Accepting New Clients: Yes
Specialties:
Life Coaching, Life Transitions, Maladaptive Personality Patterns
Incarceration / Reintegration, Criminal Justice System
ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Patterns, Dual Diagnosis
Children of Parents with Addiction, Intergenerational Trauma & Healing
Highly Sensitive Person, Self-Esteem / Worth / Compassion
Aging, Career, Coaching Career, Counseling, Child-free People
ABOUT ME
Jeremy works with adolescents, young adults, middle-aged individuals, and seniors. He specializes in Life Coaching, facilitating Life Transitions, addressing Maladaptive Personality Patterns, guiding Incarceration/Reintegration, and providing support for ADHD, anxiety, aging, bipolar patterns, career coaching, and counseling. He also focuses on helping child-free individuals, children of parents with addiction, those involved in the criminal justice system, dual diagnosis, and depression. Additionally, he supports highly sensitive individuals dealing with intergenerational trauma, healing, self-esteem, and compassion.
Jeremy's identity and lived experience include being heterosexual, cisgender, white, and mixed-race, and having experienced incarceration, homelessness, and adoption. His cultural knowledge encompasses the experiences of mixed-race individuals and adoption. He serves as an educator, therapist, or coach for fellow therapists. The therapeutic modalities he employs include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), humanistic approaches, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), and strength-based methods.
Jeremy is passionate about well-being and mental health. At Phoenix Rising Centers, he enhances his skills to create personalized therapeutic experiences. His strength lies in using narrative theory to assess individual needs, emphasizing the full context of each person's life and unique strengths.
He believes in the power of personal storytelling, recognizing that narratives can hold self-limiting beliefs. Through therapy, he helps clients rewrite these stories, empowering them to take control of their journeys toward well-being. This storytelling approach enables individuals to identify and reinterpret the narratives shaping their experiences.
Jeremy finds collaboration with individuals, couples, and families rewarding. He tailors his approach to their specific challenges using Solution-Focused, Strength-Based, and Client-Centered interventions. This flexibility allows him to meet each client’s unique needs effectively.
Jeremy views therapy as a sanctuary for empowerment and growth, where individuals can explore their thoughts and emotions. He looks forward to guiding you towards a brighter, fulfilling future.
Why I Do This Work
“I do this work because I’ve lived through systems that tried to define me before I ever had the chance to define myself. I believe in the quiet strength it takes to survive, and the even greater courage it takes to reimagine who you are outside of survival. My path through incarceration, homelessness, and adoption shaped the way I see people, not as problems to be solved, but as stories still unfolding. Therapy, to me, is an invitation to reclaim authorship and step into a narrative that feels more true, more whole, and more your own.”
— Jeremy Messenger
My Approach in Practice
My approach draws from multiple modalities like Internal Family Systems (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to offer support that is responsive, collaborative, and empowering. I also integrate narrative theory to help you explore how your internal and external stories have shaped your beliefs, patterns, and self-perception.
Grounded in a strength-based and client-centered framework, our work together will focus on building clarity, resilience, and alignment with your values. I believe healing happens when we move at a pace that feels safe and sustainable with your agency always at the center. My role is to walk beside you to help you notice patterns, uncover meaning, and create space for transformation.
Having experienced systems like incarceration, homelessness, and adoption firsthand, I approach this work with deep empathy and a commitment to honoring your full context. Therapy with me is not about fitting you into a box. It is about co-creating a space where you can reflect, grow, and reclaim the narrative of your life on your own terms.
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Humanistic, Solution Focused Brief (SFBT), Strength-Based
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Educator, therapist , or Coach for Therapists
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When you come into a session with me, I want you to feel like you can bring your full self. We’ll start by getting clear on what you’re hoping to explore or shift, and I’ll meet you wherever you are in that process. Some sessions may feel exploratory and reflective, while others might be more focused on identifying patterns, unpacking beliefs, or practicing concrete tools that help you navigate daily life.
I prioritize building a space that feels safe, steady, and grounded. I’ll offer questions, reflections, and frameworks that help you see your story from new angles, but you’re always in the driver’s seat. Whether we’re exploring how past experiences shape your current challenges, or strategizing around practical goals, I’ll follow your lead and adjust the pace to match what feels right for you.
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I show up to this work with curiosity, warmth, and deep respect. I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all approaches, and I’m not here to tell you what to do. My style is collaborative, flexible, and informed by your lived experience. I value directness and honesty when it’s needed, but I also move gently and with care, especially when we’re working with painful or tender places.
Clients often describe me as grounded, thoughtful, and steady. I’m comfortable sitting with complexity and emotion, and I aim to support you without judgment. I use evidence-based practices like CBT and ACT, but I also draw from narrative and relational work to help you explore meaning and transformation. My goal is to create a space that feels affirming and empowering, where you can reconnect with your own voice and sense of direction.
How We Can Work Together
Clients often reach out when they are:
• Facing transitions, disruptions, or instability and want support creating meaning and momentum in their lives.
• Exploring their personal identity in the context of mixed heritage, adoption, incarceration, or life experiences that defy simple labels.
• Struggling with difficult patterns in relationships, self-perception, or daily functioning and want to develop new frameworks of understanding and growth.
• Navigating the long-term impacts of trauma or systems involvement and looking for space that centers dignity, choice, and a path forward.
• Managing ADHD, mood shifts, or dual diagnoses and seeking support that honors their whole story, not just a label or diagnosis.
• Seeking purpose or direction in later life, or as child-free individuals, and wanting to explore aging, legacy, and meaning outside of traditional narratives.
I aim to create a space that honors the full complexity of your life, without judgment or prescription. I walk alongside you with curiosity, clarity, and respect for your pace and inner wisdom.
