Jennifer Unger Kroc, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker providing individual therapy and counseling services in Geneva, Illinois
Jennifer Unger Kroc (she/her) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with nearly 20 years of experience helping people through difficult times and life changes. She believes we are not meant to go alone through life’s challenges. Loss, grief, and unexpected changes; questions of identity, gender, or sexuality; aging or illness; spirituality and our sense of purpose or meaning – all of these can feel too overwhelming to sort through alone. In her practice she offers space and support to bring fears and questions out of the darkness and into a shared, safe environment where they can be faced. Jennifer uses a combination of cognitive-behavioral and relational therapeutic approaches, always with a client-centered focus. Jennifer has a strengths-based philosophy and approach in counseling. She also believes that challenges experienced by an individual can best be understood within the context of the larger environments, including the family, social, and cultural environments to which a client relates.
Jennifer received her Bachelor of Social Work degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and her Master of Social Work degree at Aurora University, with a concentration in Mental Health. Her Master’s research was a nationwide survey of programs and services available for LGBTQ youth and she is currently a trained LGBTQ youth volunteer. She is experienced in helping people explore identity, face decisions on whether, how, and when to come out, and aspects of transitioning and presentation. She will respect your name and pronouns, whether you’re certain what they are or need to explore different ones from week to week. She understands that gender and sexual identity can impact many aspects of life, and are also only part of what makes each person unique.
Throughout her career, Jennifer has worked with families affected by health issues such as chronic and acute illness including cancer, HIV/AIDS, and dementia, aging, and death and dying. She understands the shock and disorientation that can accompany an unexpected diagnosis, as well as the stresses on both patient and family of living with extended illness and caregiving needs. Jennifer has extensive experience working with grief and bereavement. She spent several years working in hospice services, providing support to those facing terminal illness and finding ways to live each day with dignity and perhaps changing forms of joy. This experience has shaped her philosophy and approach in working with the living as well as the dying, with a recognition that life is a fragile thing and that we all need to both give and receive help.
Jennifer’s background also includes close work with pregnant and new families, with a focus on attachment parenting. Babies are always welcome in session with their parents.
Please contact us to schedule at appointment.