Meet Jenn Kerns

As a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC-VT), Depth Psychotherapist (Jungian-oriented, Pacifica Graduate Institute), and Certified Integrative Medicine Mental Health Provider (CIMMHP), I specialize in guiding clients through post-traumatic growth, life and identity transitions, and the “messy middle” of personal transformation.

I have been in private practice since 2014, and in the field of mental health for over 20 years.

I often experience my therapeutic work as an evolving arc that goes something like this: first, creating refuge and cultivating self-awareness—the early groundwork of all conscious healing; then entering the alchemical space of transmuting wounds into wisdom, where we learn how to foster the soul and turn love inward; and finally, bridging our gifts to the world—connecting inner transformation to a sense of purpose, contribution, and meaning.

As someone whose work is deeply rooted in the tenets of Buddhist studies and Positive Psychology, I believe that healing comes not only from doing “the work,” but also from experiencing our interconnectedness with all of humanity through giving back and being of service.

My lived and clinical experience suggests that healing is incomplete when it becomes one-sided or overly hyper-individualized, reinforcing self-centering and loneliness. Research shows that part of what moves us toward wholeness, fulfillment, and human flourishing is orienting our lives toward others—through service, community-building, and a felt sense of our shared humanity.

A Lifelong Commitment to Transformation

For more than 20 years, I have immersed myself in the study, practice, and teaching of psychology, spirituality, meditation, and the healing arts:

Academics:
BA in Psychology from Saint Michael’s College (with a concentration in Buddhist Studies); MA in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute; and coursework through Antioch College’s Buddhist Studies Program in Bodh Gaya, India (2006).

Professional & teaching experience:
I have worked in a range of mental health settings, including Latham Centers Inc. (Brewster, MA), the University of Vermont Psychiatry Department, Middlebury College’s Counseling Center, and Spectrum Youth and Family Services (Burlington, VT). I have been in private practice since 2014.

I was certified as a Reiki Master Teacher and practitioner in 2010, and in 2014 I founded Temenos Vermont, a personal self-development platform and school. My interests in spirituality and the healing arts have also taken me to India, Sri Lanka, Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia for field study and research.

Research & scholarship:
My senior undergraduate independent research took place over four months in Bodh Gaya and Darjeeling, India. Titled “Buddhist Theory of Mind: Transforming Suffering into Self-Empowerment,” the project was supervised by Georgios Halkias (Oxford University).

My published graduate work at Pacifica Graduate Institute, “Degendering Psyche: Considerations for a Movement to Queer Jungian and Archetypal Thought,” explored queering Jungian and archetypal frameworks through the lenses of Deep Ecology, Queer Theory, and Engaged Buddhism.

Over the past six years, my own reckoning with acute and chronic illness has inspired an academic research focus on stories of spontaneous healing and near-death experiences—an area I find endlessly fascinating and awe-inspiring. My next professional steps include training in EMDR and completing my death doula training through the University of Vermont. I plan to expand my private practice part-time in 2026, while also devoting more energy to creative pursuits such as writing and teaching.

The Training Ground of Life

My own life has been as much a teacher as any degree or training. Growing up in foster care and being adopted at age 10 taught me early about separation and belonging—about exile, alienation, deep grief, and the soul’s longing for wholeness. I learned firsthand how access to resources and supportive community can shape whether someone struggles or thrives.

Early on, sports became my refuge and sense of purpose—the place where I felt deep belonging. Years of soccer, lacrosse, and endurance training taught me discipline, somatic awareness, and resilience. My identity as an adoptee initiated me into the archetypal journey from Orphan to Pilgrim—a lifelong quest of redefining what “family” really means and orienting to my sense of place in the world. From a very young age (like five!), I was already asking questions such as: Who am I? Why am I here? What’s this all about? Over time, I came to understand that family is sometimes chosen, built, or found along the way.

That path shaped my passion for spirituality (feeling connected to something greater than myself), community-building, and working in teams. It taught me that healing never happens in isolation, and that helpers and teachers often arrive from unexpected places—a stranger, a teammate, a neighbor, an Uber driver, a mentor, someone from a completely different culture or background—maybe even an angel or a guide (if you’re open to that).

In my early 30s, I was blindsided by a disabling health crisis that left me housebound and bedridden for years—forcing me to close my businesses and enter a six year medical sabbatical. Facing what could not be controlled invited deep surrender, renegotiation, and rebuilding, while asking me to intimately host grief, identity loss, increased dependency, and vulnerability.

I was reminded to “look for the helpers” and given the chance to stress-test many of my personal and professional beliefs about healing and renewal. I’ll admit that things became chaotic and messy at times (hello, human). I’m grateful to say that many of those beliefs not only checked out, but were profoundly enriched through those humbling years of acute illness and recovery.

Those chapters were not only initiatory, but deeply spiritual. On a non-abstract, embodied level, I was forced to confront my own question: Am I alone, or is God real? In that darkness, I came to recognize what I call my soul’s agenda—clearly taking the reins—and was invited to meet my deepest fears and wounds while uncovering inner strengths and psychological endurance I didn’t know even existed.

As St. John of the Cross reminds us, God often comes to us through the dark night.

Those who have walked through the deepest valleys and emerged are often the most spiritually alive and resilient souls I know. I’ve been there myself—and it is now my life’s work to hold space for others, reflecting back their power, value, and light.

Outside of the therapy room, I’m a part-time youth soccer coach at Far Post Soccer Club, a multidisciplinary artist, momma to my three fur babies, proud auntie, gardener, and lifelong student of what it means to be human.

Spiritually, I practice the meditations and teachings of Dr. Joe Dispenza, and I identify as a Buddhist with a long-standing Vipassana meditation practice that has been profoundly supportive in my own life. My Buddhist journey began in 2004 and has taken me through the traditions of Theravada, Zen, and Dzogchen, as well as to India and Sri Lanka for study. In 2018, my path led me to join Soka Gakkai International—one of the most diverse and engaged Buddhist communities in the United States. Practicing with SGI has deepened my understanding of compassion, resilience, and human potential.

👉 [View Jenn’s Qualifications & Certifications]
👉 [Jenn’s Psychology Today Profile]

In their Words:

Client Reflection