About Jenna Cummings, M.Ed., NCC

Hi! My name is Jenna and I’d love to hear your deepest darkest secrets!

I’ll show you mine… So that way you can show me yours…

Okay okay, here I go! I was born with a disability that makes my bones really weak so they break a lot, I use a wheelchair, and I’m really short (or travel size…). I have had countless broken bones, been sliced open (surgery) more than 20 times, and have had more radiation through X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs that it’s a miracle I don’t glow when the lights are turned off (although I secretly wish that would happen!). My bones were treated with infusions of a medicine that I received about every 4 months from 1 month old to 16 years old and I was told I had received the most doses of that medicine out of anyone at that time (although I think I’ve been outdone at this point but I still hold the title in my head). When I received the last treatment of this medicine I had annoyed my doctor just enough that they threw me a “party” in the infusion center.

Okay, Jenna but why should I care?

It’s safe to say I know how to cope with the medical and mental challenges of having a disability and how to get doctors to do things they may not normally do. These details about my life have colored my world and shaped my worldview. I believe I am more open-minded and accepting of those with disabilities and others who may feel like they don’t fit the stereotype society has set out for them. My approach to working with individuals with disabilities (and everyone else) is “yes and…?” Throughout my life, I’ve strived for people to see me and my chair and choose to get to know me as a person anyway. I welcome all curiosities about my physical challenges and love when people go that extra step to get to know me, my personality, and who I am on the inside. That’s my goal for my clients as well. I see your struggles and your diagnoses and I want to know – who you are alongside of those things. What are you hoping to do with your life? What are your interests/hobbies? What’s your family like? Do you cope with dark humor as much as I do?

Jenna, who are you even talking to?

This bio is very wheelchair and disability heavy and it’s true that I love working with individuals who struggle similarly but I also love all people and everyone’s deepest darkest secrets. I want to give you the acceptance you deserve and to say “Yes and…?” to get to know who you are alongside anxiety, depression, PTSD, grief, life transitions, and anything else life can throw at us and expect us to just keep moving. You may struggle with a physical or mental health issue but that is not your whole story. I’d love to listen as you tell it and maybe even help you write pieces of it.
I know what you’re thinking, “I hoped this bio wouldn’t be cheesy and cliche like all other therapists’ bios” so here’s some extra info about some things you might hear me say in the room about my disability. I often will make the joke “Oh I brought my own chair” because #wheelchairperks. Or if someone mentions walking somewhere you might hear me say “Well… I won’t…” Or in the random instances where people are required to stand for the national anthem or if the king walks in (highly unlikely but still) you might hear me say “This is me standing… ;)”