Long Story Short | ME: PART THERAPIST, PART CHAOS MONSter

Jess Clodfelter, MS, LCMHC, LPC, NCC, CCTP-II

she/they (What's a Pronoun & Why Do They Matter?) - PLEASE 🙏🏻 click here ⬅️ if you don't know

That’s a lotta damn letters, right? Here’s what they mean: I graduated with my Master’s in Counseling & Human Development, with a focus on Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Radford University in 2014. I’m a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in NC & a Licensed Professional Counselor in SC. I’m also a Level II Certified Clinical Trauma Professional - basically, I’ve done a shit ton of school & training to make sure that I'm a great trauma therapist, can help my clients work through triggers, & heal their attachment wounds. Oh, and  I’m also a Nationally Certified Counselor, which means I’ve passed the big-deal national exam, meet annoyingly strict training standards yearly, & keep up with my continuing ed (where I usually pick to do fun trainings around queer issues, gender & sexuality, attachment, & other fun things I'm interested in)💁🏼‍♀️. I do it to make sure you’re never left figuring it out all alone - "I gave my blood, sweat, and tears for this".

Sure, I’ve got the trainings, the credentials, & the fancy letters after my name - but who gives a shit if I don't vibe with you? Looking good on paper doesn't mean a damn thing to me. I believe the real magic 🪄in therapy happens when you trust me, we feel connected, & you feel genuinely seen. Our relationship? That’s the change-maker. The rest is just extra sparkle.✨

“They’re burning all the witches even if you aren’t one - so light me up.” - Taylor Swift, I Did Something Bad 🔥

Therapy isn’t a cookie-cutter process - & I’m not a cookie-cutter therapist. You’re not a worksheet. You’re not a diagnosis. You’re a fucking human. So, yeah, I’m gonna treat you like one.

I lead with a person-centered approach & use whatever modalities fit your needs best. Some days that means putting my trauma therapist hat on or doing some parts work, other days we're leaning into some CBT or DBT skills, the next sesh we might be having a FIERCE boundary pep talk, & the next? Dismantling internalized bullshit through feminist therapy.

I work primarily with queer clients & provide gender-affirming therapy for trans, nonbinary, & enby folx (but cishet (read: cisgender heterosexual) folks who know how to act are always welcome, too). My clients are navigating dysphoria, unpacking big feelings, healing deep trauma, exploring identity, trying to live whole, unapologetic lives, & also just trying to exist. If you’re looking for therapy that’s honest, affirming, & truthfully a little bit unhinged - congrats, babes. You found me.💁🏼‍♀️

Here’s your peek behind the curtain. (Spoiler: I’m a Swiftie with a football problem!)

When I’m not helping people untangle their inner chaos I’m hanging out with my wife Emily 👰🏼‍♀️ (truly my favorite human), trying to wrangle our four fur babes, staying on top of (for better or worse) what's going on in this ever-changing political climate, & feeling deeply emotionally compromised by football. (I said what I said: Panthers forever 🩵, Chiefs fan by love ❤️, & I will bring up the 2024 Super Bowl unprompted.)

I read like it’s a sport. 87 (Travis coincidence fully noted) books last year (nbd), mostly psychological thrillers that make me question everyone & everything. If Benson & Stabler (not my cats - the real people) are on TV, I’m watching. And yes, I can - & will - recite the Miranda Rights along with them. Dun dun.

And then the Swiftie energy.🫶🏻🪩 It's REALLY REAL over here. Four Eras Tour stops & a dream. Closer to the stage each time - the last one 9 rows back on the final night in Vancouver. I sprinkle Taylor lyrics throughout this website like little landmines of validation & catharsis cause it makes me happy & I can. (Go ahead, see how many you can catch.) 🫶🏻 And I collect tattoos like they’re mile markers - each one tied to a moment, a person, a feeling that shaped me. It's my therapy.

Let’s start here: I work with LGBTQIA+ adults because I am one, I love y’all deeply, & I know firsthand how much bullshit the world throws at you for simply existing.

So whether you’re questioning your gender or sexual orientation, transitioning in whatever way makes sense for you, navigating the mental toll of being misunderstood, or just trying to feel more at home in your own damn skin - I GOT YOU. I specialize in gender-affirming therapy, identity exploration, & trauma therapy that doesn’t treat your queerness like a “problem to solve.”  ✨✨(Newsflash: that's because it’s not.)✨✨

Been carrying around gender dysphoria, body dysmorphia, or internalized garbage someone else handed you? We’ll unpack that too. Safely. Gently. Maybe with a few f-bombs & a LOT of compassion.

Trauma work is my jam - especially when it’s layered with identity stuff. I work with folx who’ve survived all kinds of hard things:

• Single-incident trauma that still wrecks your nervous system✔
• Complex PTSD & the emotional Tupperware tower of childhood wounds✔
• Attachment stuff that makes relationships feel…complicated at best✔

If you’re untangling your past, trying to stop spiraling every time someone takes too long to text back, or learning to trust that you’re not “too much" -  you’re my kind of person.

And beyond all that? I work with adults figuring their shit out - whether that’s about:

• Self-worth, confidence, & not hating who looks back at you in the mirror✔
• Big life transitions that feel like a quarter-life (or midlife) crisis✔
• Relationships in all flavors: monogamy, polyamory, ENM - you name it✔
• Women’s issues, identity shifts, & the messiness of being a grown-up human in the year 20-whatever-the-fuck-it-is✔

If you're looking for someone who’ll affirm your identity, call you out on internalized shame, & remind you to hydrate, feel your damn feelings, & kiss whoever the fuck you feel like - hi, it’s me.💁🏼‍♀️💛

Oh, and remember how I said I’m a fur-mama to four fur-babes?

Yeah…they love being involved. 

You’ll definitely meet Phoenix 🐕, my two-year-old golden retriever & full-time emotional support goofball. Benson & Boonie (neé Stabler) 🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛ - my tuxedo twins - like to pop in regularly to judge us both from my lap (or shoulder)➡️ with matching side-eyes. And if the stars align, you might get a special appearance from Smush 🖤, my elusive little shadow (aka all-black cat & part-time cryptid), who’s usually busy avoiding Phoenix like her life depends on it.

They’re all very committed to the therapeutic process.

Mostly by napping through it. 😴