About Jen | Secure Base Psychotherapy
About Jen

Planted in Dublin.
Warmed in Florida.
Bloomed in Toronto.

My professional journey was theoretically, educationally, and physically multicultural — learning and uprooting across three countries and two continents inside of ten years. I understand how doing difficult things can foster resilience and self-growth, as much as it can lead to self-doubt and loneliness.

Jen McDonnell, Registered Psychotherapist
Jen McDonnell, RP #10697
My journey

A path built across three countries

From Ireland to the US to Canada — my clinical training has been moulded by my curiosity for travel, love of cultures, and understanding of how our roots grow deeply into the generations that came before us.

The beginning · Dublin, Ireland

Born and raised in Dublin

I was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, beginning my training in psychology there with a strong focus on the whole person — a holistic, non-pathologising lens that has stayed with me ever since. Ireland is a country of rich culture and deep solidarity. Irish people carry a particular sense of pride, duty, and kinship with cultures across the world who have suffered, are suffering, and whose older generations hold vibrations of deep collective loss. That cultural understanding is woven into how I see people and how I work.

2014–2020 · Florida, USA

International training

I moved to Florida in 2014, completing my Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Psychology at the University of Central Florida, before earning my Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counselling from Stetson University. Graduate training in the American South was its own kind of cultural navigation — learning to hold a clinical framework built in one context while knowing I'd eventually bring it somewhere else entirely.

Following graduation, I worked in inpatient psychiatric care, inpatient addictions, and community mental health. These environments highlighted for me the power and importance of trauma work, and the noble pursuit of supporting individuals in healing their inner child.

2021–Present · Toronto, Canada

Building a practice rooted in real life

I moved to Canada in 2021 and became registered as a Registered Psychotherapist with the CRPO. Through clinical practice in community mental health and private practice, I have supported individuals through workplace trauma, childhood trauma, infidelity, loss, addiction, car accidents, somatic anxiety, phobias, nightmares, and so much more — working with first responders, lawyers, COOs, scientists, and many others.

I completed certifications in Cognitive Processing Therapy, Accelerated Resolution Therapy, and Emotionally Focused Therapy, alongside additional trainings to deepen my knowledge in trauma work, somatic work, and compassion-focused practice. Over time, my trauma focus and deep appreciation for attachment work have brought me to my current niche. In 2025 I began providing clinical supervision to psychotherapists with qualifying status.

I have a soft spot for the unconditional love we share with animals, and hold future goals of incorporating equine therapy into my practice — alongside modalities to further support inner health and self-love, including Compassion Focused Therapy and sex therapy.

How I actually
work in the room

I don't work from a script or provide overly generic homework. I start by giving you the space — the space to say what you really need to, without limitations or judgement. I believe you have all the insight you need within yourself. I'm simply a mirror and a guide to support and gently push you along your journey.

"I want clients to leave feeling — for a moment — that some of the weight they've been unknowingly carrying has been lifted."
01
Your Secure Base
Sessions begin with your goals, experiences, and comforts. The space is yours to reflect on what burdens you the most — which may likely change as we progress. I am a judgement-free safe space, working with you as an equal partner for as long as you may need.
02
Comfortable with what's difficult
When clients arrive angry, or crying, or speaking so fast they can barely keep up with themselves — I don't redirect or rush past it. I stay with it. I've found that when people feel their emotion is genuinely welcome in the room, something shifts. Guards come down. What's underneath becomes visible.
03
Inward, then outward
With some humour and some gentle challenge, I guide clients inward — to know themselves more honestly, to understand their needs and their wounds. Then we work outward: how do you align that inner reality with the life you're actually living? This is where lasting change happens.
Training & Modalities

Evidence-based.
Human-first.

I draw from a range of evidence-based modalities, always in service of what the client needs rather than what the model prescribes. The approach adapts to you — not the other way around.

🧠
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
A structured, evidence-based approach that explores the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviour — useful for anxiety, depression, and patterns that feel stuck.
🔄
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
A trauma-focused approach that helps clients process and reframe the meaning of difficult experiences — particularly effective for trauma and PTSD.
✨
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
A newer, evidence-based modality that uses eye movement techniques to rapidly process traumatic memories and distressing images — often achieving significant results in fewer sessions.
💛
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Rooted in attachment theory, EFT works with the emotional experiences underlying patterns in relationships — with others and with ourselves.
🌿
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
Developed by Paul Gilbert, CFT helps clients — particularly those with high self-criticism and shame — develop a more compassionate relationship with themselves.
Training in progress
🔗
Attachment-Informed Practice
The thread running through all of the work — understanding how early relational experiences shape who we become, and how the therapeutic relationship itself can be a place of healing.

Ready to find your
secure base?

A free 20-minute consultation is a conversation, not a commitment. We'll talk about what's bringing you here, how I work, and whether we feel like a good fit.

Book Your Free Call