About Jesse
Jesse Thornton is a licensed psychologist who provides counseling to individuals, couples and families.
From Jesse:
You may understand your problems well and still find yourself repeating the same patterns. You know the relationship isn't working, but conversations keep ending in the same place. You know you shouldn't be this anxious, angry, ashamed, or overwhelmed, but knowing that doesn't seem to change how you feel. Therapy can help us understand what is happening beneath those patterns and, more importantly, begin changing them.
I work extensively with adults and couples struggling with relationship problems, anxiety, depression, life transitions, emotional disconnection, and longstanding patterns that have become difficult to change. My style is active and collaborative. I will listen carefully to your experience, but I will also help you examine patterns, consider perspectives you may be missing, and identify what remains within your control.
Much of my work focuses on relationships, both the relationships we have with others and the relationship we have with ourselves. I often incorporate Internal Family Systems and other relational and insight-oriented approaches to understand the parts of us that become anxious, angry, ashamed, guarded, or reactive. Rather than simply trying to eliminate those reactions, we work to understand why they developed and what they may still be trying to accomplish.
For couples, I help partners move beyond repeatedly arguing about who is right and begin understanding the cycle they create together. We can work on trust, emotional and sexual intimacy, resentment, communication, parenting, betrayal, and the gradual loss of connection that can occur in long-term relationships. My goal is not to assign blame, but neither is it to avoid difficult truths. Good therapy should help each person understand both what has happened to them and what responsibility they have for what happens next.
Ultimately, I want therapy to lead somewhere. Insight matters, but so do the choices you make with it. The work is often about becoming less reactive, more intentional, and increasingly capable of building the relationships and life you actually want.
In Jesse's free time, he loves to spend time with his family, read historical fiction, and build model ships. Check out the ships in his office!