What is the name of your business and where are you located?
Wayfinding Heart L.L.C located in Fair Lawn, NJ
Tell us more about it!
As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and trained Meditation Teacher, I offer holistic wellness services using a culturally in-tuned lens. Services include group facilitation, psychotherapy, clinical supervision, organization wellness assessments, and mental health consultations.
What inspired you to start Wayfinding Heart?
The stigma which surrounds mental health requires a comprehensive holistic-based approach. I support individuals, groups, and communities to identify their needs and build healthy approaches to coping with life stressors. I started my business to support and help strengthen the well-being needs within our community.
How does your business stand out from the rest?
My experiences as an immigrant, a woman, and a mom offer culturally in-tuned approaches to mental health services. I’ve trained in mindfulness-based stress reduction, positive psychology, and cognitive behavioral therapy. I encourage clients to engage their symptoms holistically and comprehensively.
Why is this so important, especially for the moms reading this now?
More than ever, focusing on our holistic well-being is essential for optimal parenting. Often, we think of our children’s needs ahead of our own, and by making this sacrifice, we might be neglecting a critical element in the parent-child relationship. When we as parents feel well, our families benefit. The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the significant burdens families could experience when challenged with multiple stressors. While society has returned to normalcy, our bodies are still adjusting to the surge of stress hormones. So, finding healthy ways to cope with the stress that will help to alleviate these symptoms is vital.
Many patients I speak with talk about the frustration of managing tasks that were previously easy to handle. They often talk of forgetting items and events and of difficulty focusing. These can all be symptoms of stress. Thankfully, many strategies, backed by science, can help improve these symptoms. Whether engaging in talk therapy, mindfulness activities, yoga, hiking, or dancing, our bodies need to feel a sense of joy to help escape the turmoil that can take over our parent brains. Cultivating joy has been found as an essential element in building healthy relationships and showing up as our best selves. So next time you think about the best thing you can do for your family or children, consider cultivating joy within yourself. This act of self-care will help to radiate joy to everyone around you.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced?
Making sure to cultivate balance and infuse self-care daily.
That is so relatable! What are you looking forward to for the future of your business?
I’m looking forward to running the 8-week intro to stress management class. The first one begins April 15th & meets Saturday mornings for 1 hour. This class is the perfect infusion of psychoeducation and short meditation approaches, perfect for beginners. It will offer a sense of community and allow participants to learn helpful tools to minimize stress response.
[Registration and additional information can be found: HERE]
What’s your best piece of advice for moms reading this?
That they aren’t alone. We are living in unique times with new challenges. Societal expectations are shifting rapidly, and women are experiencing insurmountable challenges to remain the cornerstone of their families, often leading them to neglect their well-being.
Jessica Lake is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, professor, and mom. As a psychotherapist, she supports individuals, groups, and organizations to learn techniques to reshape their thoughts about stress, get back on track, and meet their goals. With nearly two decades of clinical mental health, holistic wellness, management, and clinical supervision experience, she offers a humanistic, trauma-informed, and culturally aware lens. Her intervention styles include cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness techniques, and holistic wellness integration. To learn more about her upcoming in-person Intro to Stress Management group or to schedule a private consultation, visit her website www.wayfindingheart.com