Jennifer Forbes, LMFT

Jennifer Forbes is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) based in Illinois with 14 years of clinical experience. She founded Seed of Hope Counseling Services and has guided hundreds of people through difficult seasons. Her work spans individual clients, couples, and family concerns while drawing on a faith-informed sense of purpose. Before opening her practice, she worked in nonprofit and independent settings starting in 2009. Jennifer developed community programs for crisis and trauma services and consulted with agencies on therapeutic initiatives. She has also served on clinical committees for regional health partnerships and behavioral health networks. Her training came from Northern Illinois University, where she earned a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Master’s in Applied Family and Child Studies with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy. She is a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists. In sessions she aims to be practical and rooted in real-world needs. She uses an array of approaches and focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, relationship struggles, grief, parenting strain, intimacy concerns, and addiction issues. She also works with people facing career shifts, chronic health challenges, and life transitions. People reach out to her for help with relationship patterns, family of origin issues, commitment worries, communication problems, and feelings of emptiness or abandonment. Jennifer combines clinical experience with program development background to offer structured help and hopeful guidance.

How her approaches translate to online care

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and understanding a person’s experience. The therapist follows the client’s lead, reflects what is said, and helps people make sense of their feelings and choices. This approach is useful for concerns like self-esteem, relationship stress, and grief. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions interact. It helps people try small changes in thinking and behavior to reduce anxiety, depression, and sleep problems. Sessions often include practical exercises and homework to try between meetings. Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with clients about goals and preferences and recommend methods that fit their situation. This collaborative process makes it easier to adjust techniques over time as needs change. Confirm which session formats are currently offered before booking, since formats are not specified here. Online therapy can make fitting sessions into a busy life easier by reducing travel time and by allowing therapy during work breaks or from different locations. It also makes regular check-ins and follow-up exercises simpler to maintain alongside daily responsibilities.