Jennifer Rivers, ASW,
Specializing in LGBTQIA+-Affirming Therapy
Associate Clinical Social Worker, ASW #103007
Supervised by Christina Dixon, LCSW #87870
323-379-5969
About Me
I am an activist and a clinician.
I received my Master's degree in Social Work at California State University, Northridge. I have multiple years of experience working with clients in different settings, such as day treatment centers, schools, counseling centers, and private practice. Additionally, I have multiple years of experience working in LGBTQIA+ policy at the California state level. I bring advocacy, empowerment, community building, and relational skills into my sessions with clients.
Clinical Work
My Approach
Since you are the architect of your life, your lived experience is the most valuable tool that we have as we begin to identify the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that no longer serve the true, authentic you. You are the guide in the therapy process. My role as your therapist is to collaborate with you and meet you where you are. Because every client and their therapy goals are different, I work with each client to meet those unique goals. I’m a trauma informed clinician who uses an integrative therapy framework. This means I use multiple different frameworks and fuse them together to meet your needs in a flexible way. I include frameworks such as attachment theory, internal family systems ("parts work"), somatic psychotherapy, psychodynamic therapy, cognitive behavioral informed therapy, and narrative therapy.
I hold immense love and gratitude for group therapy. When it comes to healing from trauma, including emotional and physical abuse and/or emotional neglect, building community and allowing ourselves to be seen and heard is vital to our healing process.
Process groups are very different than support groups. Process groups are less structured and are geared toward clients creating personal change(s) in relationship to themselves and with others. Clients are encouraged to bring in whatever it is they want to talk about with their fellow group members. Support groups, on the other hand, are more geared toward helping folks cope. While both are important in their own ways, I lean towards the processing group structure.
See below for information on groups currently running.
Groups Currently Running
This group is a virtual processing group for CA-based folks. It is open to all gender identities, sexualities, and relationships. This group meets on Tuesdays from 4-5:30pm. The next group start date is Spring 2024. A brief phone call/virtual call required to join group. Contact me to learn more and/or to get on my waiting list.
Policy Work
LGBTQIA+ Policy
I have worked on several campaigns (see below) to continue California's progress for LGBTQIA+ human rights.
SB-219 - Long-term care facilities: rights of residents
SB-918 - Homeless Youth Act of 2018
AB-2119 - Foster care: gender affirming health care and mental health care
I also lobbied for $17.5 million in funding to create the Lesbian, Bisexual, and Queer Womxn’s Health Equity Fund, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2019
Most recently, I helped author the beginnings of what turned into SB 923, Gender affirming care (TGI Inclusive Care Act) 2021-2022, which was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022