Hello! My name is Jason Baumgard. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in the state of Florida. I offer a unique approach that focuses on empowering my clients and providing them with the tools to cope with anxiety, depression, stress, addiction, relationship/family, or any other issues that are keeping them from living their happiest and most productive lives. I have a very calm and even-keeled demeanor, so that you can feel confident sharing personal issues and situations you are going through without feeling embarrassed or fearing that I will pass judgment. I also present an objective viewpoint, outside of those that you are in direct personal or professional relationships with, so you can get a fresh perspective on whatever you are going through in your life right now.
I have experience working with a variety of issues but my primary areas of specialty are in treating addictions and unwanted behaviors, anxiety and depression, managing family and couples issues, and dealing with past trauma and domestic abuse. My focus in developing a plan of treatment for my clients is to provide tools and strategies to overcome obstacles and issues that they are currently dealing with, focusing on strengths rather than weaknesses. My approach does not dwell too much on the past or what caused the issues, but on how to cope with or overcome them in the present. This does not mean, however, that I will not work with you to break harmful patterns or addictive behaviors that you find yourself consistently repeating the cycle of.
To give you a little bit of information about my education and experience, I have over 5 years of experience providing counseling services. I graduated from the Marriage and Family Therapy program at Nova Southeastern University with a Master of Science degree in 2015. Since then I have worked with both teens and adults struggling with substance abuse and mental disorders, with individuals and couples struggling in their personal lives, professional lives, and relationships, as well as with youths with learning disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Additionally, I have worked as a counselor in educational settings and with women and children who were victims of domestic abuse.
In addition to mental health counseling, I also have a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre. In my former career (before becoming a therapist) I also worked as an actor on movie sets and in televisions shows, including a recurring role on the sitcom 'Scrubs.' Having an educational background and experience as a performer, I also like to include elements of acting such as role play in my therapy sessions sometimes [and only when my clients are open to it]. Using role play has proven to be helpful, as it allows individuals to not only see a situation from another other person's perspective but also helps them practice responding/coping when certain difficult situations or confrontations arise.
If there are any questions you have about my therapeutic process and approach or if I can assist you in any way, please don't hesitate to reach out. If we decide to work together, I intend to make myself available in a format that best accommodates your needs (chat, email, text, video call), and to work out a schedule of sessions that works best for you. I hope to connect with you soon.
Additional areas of focus: Relationship issues, Trauma and abuse, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Sleeping disorders, Parenting issues, Anger management, Bipolar disorder, Coping with life changes, Compassion fatigue, ADHD
FL LMFT MT3536