Jennifer Ratajczak, MA, LCMHCS, NCC
She/Her/Hers
Founder & CLINICAL Director
Trauma Specialized Psychotherapist
Jen's Specialization
-
Transpersonal Growth Depth Work for Soul Retrieval
-
Identity Development & Embodiment
-
Navigating Neuro-diversity (unique brains possibly labeled as HSP, ASD, DID/OSDD, or ADHD)
Jen's Roots
Some of us knew early in our life journey that our path would be that of helping and healing. My professional years have focused mostly on clarifying strength areas and associated skill sets. I started my academic studies at the University of Cincinnati where I obtained my degrees in Psychology and Criminal Justice Corrections. Following graduation I worked on inpatient psychiatry units with a variety of individuals, most of which were youth. This experience preceded my decision to pursue my Masters in Community Counseling at UNC-Charlotte. Since that time I have been honored to work as an outpatient therapist with clients from a variety of walks of life. My broad experiences working with children, adolescents and adults in rural and urban areas, hospitals, shelters, agency settings and in private practice made it clear that to create the most optimal environment without compromise I needed to build a specialized practice to best meet the needs of the individuals I was working with. Rooted Therapy has empowered me to thrive as a fellow soul traveler and therapist committed to providing quality individualized and evidence based therapy without the restraints often associated with managed care.
Membership & Credentials
-
NC-LCMHCS (Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor)
-
NCC Nationally Certified Counselor (NBCC)
-
Approved Charlotte Trans Health PATH provider
-
Approved Duke EASE program provider
​
-
ISSTD Member (International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation) ​
-
Governance Committee Chair Charlotte Trans Health
-
Past Board President CTH
-
-
LPCANC Member (Licensed Professional Association of North Carolina)
-
ACSSW Member (ACA-Association of Counseling Sexology and Sexual Wellness)
Jen's Approach to Therapy
My approach focuses on promoting deeply rooted lasting change by taking a holistic perspective. Since each client I work with has a unique story, my theoretical approach is shaped from an integrative model. I incorporate evidence based psychological theory with neurological research and a physiological knowledge base. I personalize services to blend the individual strengths unique to you with the theory and research specific to the reasons that brought you to seek services. I take into consideration that we are social creatures, and that minority stress, adverse childhood events and the culture of our greater community all impact us.
I blend a variety of research based techniques, often pulling from Psychodynamic, Systems, Existential, Somatic, Social Justice, Energy Psychology and Neurofeedback Models. This perspective stresses the importance of understanding the personal meaning created throughout each of our lives and the impact of our lived experience on multiple layers of our identity and neurological wiring. Often this meaning is embedded in unconscious, symbolic and socialized beliefs and behaviors that can serve as forces in our lives that often we 'can't explain' or we 'just feel'.
​
-
The Roots to Our StoryRooted Therapy was founded in 2012 by Clinical Director Jennifer Ratajczak. After years working in a variety of therapeutic settings, Jen stepped away from the limitations of managed care to focus on providing more specialized integrative healing practices for personal growth and complex trauma recovery. Informal interdisciplinary collaboration with other medical providers, body workers, and other healers throughout the years has only empowered the mission to facilitate deep integrative wellness and healing. The pandemic only illustrating futher that there is a deep call to action from the collective as we all work to heal and reemerge from this transformative experience. Embodying the mission to empower everyone to transform and heal through the process of embracing their most authentic and integrated selves. Just as roots of trees, the neurons within our brains continue to grow and adapt in complex and deeply entrenched ways. At Rooted Therapy we promote deep, healthy emotional and psychological healing and growth to facilitate deep lasting transformation. By integrating neurocounseling research with a depth focused psychodynamic approach, sessions are designed to facilitate lasting neurological changes in the brain and nervous system that impact our resonance with others. Our outpatient therapy services are individualized, trauma-informed, culturally considerate and based in the latest research. This approach addresses underlying issues from their root cause and plants seeds for growth deep enough to support healing related to transgenerational adaptive response, systemic oppression, and attachment disruption.