ABOUT ME

I am a passionate and curious person with a plethora of interests, including reading, being in nature, video games, cooking, creative arts, writing, current events, listening to and playing music, contemplating deep and/or random thoughts, and spending time with family and friends. I am a self-identified geek and revel in the likes of Lord of the Rings, Zelda, Harry Potter, Star Trek, Star Wars, Ted Lasso, and other pop culture phenomena. I currently reside in the New Ulm area with my husband and children.

THERAPEUTIC PHILOSOPHY

Short Version: You are not crazy. You are not alone. I believe you are worthy of love and belonging exactly as you are. Therapy can help you understand the struggles of life and find what you need to heal and grow. Humor and metaphor are my favorite strategies.

Long Version: I believe we are meant to help each other as fellow human beings to heal and grow in order to become fully human and fully alive. We are not meant to journey through the difficulty, pain, and darkness of life alone. Mental health means living your life with love and courage, not just improving symptoms and surviving the storm.

My calling is to help clients by accepting them without judgment and listening to their stories with compassion. I help clients learn how to understand, accept, heal, and grow within themselves and their relationships. I offer professional guidance, tools, and knowledge tailored to each client’s unique journey.

Overall, I have an integrative approach in my therapeutic techniques. I most often utilize cognitive-behavioral (CBT), internal family systems (IFS), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), acceptance and commitment (ACT), mindfulness-based, client-centered, narrative, attachment-focused, trauma-informed, and experiential approaches.

SERVICES PROVIDED

I provide diagnostic assessments and outpatient therapy for a full spectrum of mental health concerns.

I particularly enjoy helping adolescents, couples, and adult individuals with anxiety, addiction/substance abuse, anger management, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), adolescent issues, depression, domestic violence, family issues, grief and loss, LGBTQIA concerns, major life changes, relationship/marital stress, serious and persistent mental illness, spiritual and faith-based concerns, stress management, and trauma/post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Arts in English (minors in secondary education and French), College of St. Benedict, St. Joseph, MN
Master of Science in mental health counseling from Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN

WORK EXPERIENCE

During my graduate internship at New Ulm Medical Center in New Ulm, MN, I provided individual, family, and group therapy in outpatient mental health and dual diagnosis substance abuse units.

Upon completing my masters degree in 2012, I worked as an outpatient mental health therapist at a community mental health center in New Ulm, working with clients of diverse ages, backgrounds, and diagnoses. I also served as a mental health advocate with local drug courts and co-facilitated a men’s domestic violence group.

I have been a fully licensed marriage and family therapist in the state of Minnesota since 2014. I joined Eunoia in March 2016 as an outpatient therapist to continue my journey by serving the New Ulm area.

Jesse Van Leeuwe, M.S., LMFT, is located in our New Ulm office and provides services for ages 12 and up.