Editor’s Note: This article is part of a larger series called “Becoming Anchored” by Anchored Wellness. In each article, readers can get to know Anchored better, discover more about their mission and meet the team members that are making Georgetown more anchored in wellness.
At Anchored Wellness, each team member specializes in something unique. For Jennifer Bommer, MA, LPC-Associate, CBIS, it’s helping those who have suffered brain trauma and those who are currently struggling with athletic or academic anxiety, making her unique addition to the team at Anchored Wellness in Georgetown.
Becoming Anchored
Bommer is a natural fit at Anchored Wellness. After attending Southwestern University with the center’s owner Emily Kipp-Wright, the two continued working together through their graduate and intern work.
Image Courtesy: Jennifer Bommer
“We partnered on research as undergraduates, attended St. Edward’s University for graduate school, and even interned at Austin State Hospital together,” Jennifer Bommer told Hello Georgetown. “I always wanted to stay connected to Georgetown after graduating college and moving to Austin, so when Emily first opened Anchored and offered office space, I knew it was a great opportunity to be a part of the special community that Georgetown has to offer.”
Bommer believes in helping her clients acquire the resources to tackle their toughest problems and knows that journey is different for every person.
“Becoming anchored means that you have the skills, tools, and relationships in place to overcome the challenges that life presents,” Bommer said. “What gives someone their ‘sea legs’ is different for every person, but my hope is that my work and therapeutic connection with people gives them the adaptive strategies to navigate and overcome any hurdle they might face.”
Brain Injuries
As a counseling therapist and brain injury rehabilitationist, Bommer is uniquely qualified to help people find mental wellness in the midst of recovering from brain trauma.
“Being a brain injury specialist means that I can identify and support a range of symptoms, limitations, or cognitive deficits that someone might experience after head or medical trauma,” Jennifer Bommer told Hello Georgetown. “It’s not uncommon for diagnosed brain injury patients to be told to give their injury six months or a year to heal. Yet during those months of waiting people are left without support for the side effects of their unseen injury that can wreak havoc on their normal functioning.”
Brain injuries can come in a variety of ways and the impact can be unique to each person. Likewise, the healing process is individual and varied.
“My first priority is to validate the symptoms my client is experiencing because even “minor” symptoms can leave someone feeling disconnected from their former self,” Bommer said. “Sometimes my work focuses on developing new coping methods or tools to help someone’s daily functioning at home or work. Other times I take a more hands on approach to helping a client regain ability by practicing those skills with them in session. Sometimes the most therapeutic thing I can do is counsel someone through the emotional difficulties of being injured and not knowing how much of their normal will return. My overall goal is to attune to where my client needs the most help so that they feel that progress is possible and that they are not alone in their recovery.”
Addressing even less severe cases of brain trauma and injury is important, Bommer added, as many mild and moderate traumatic brain injuries can go undiagnosed especially if the individual isn’t aware of new symptoms or if healing the physical injuries have taken a higher priority.
“If you sustain any kind of head trauma and experience subsequent cognitive and emotional changes, therapeutic support can make a world of difference while your brain heals and learns to adapt,” Bommer said.
Athletic or Academic Anxiety (Performance Counseling)
Brain injuries aren’t the only area of mental wellness Bommer can help clients address. As students cope with the pressure of school and sports, Bommer is ready to help them process through performance anxiety.
“So much of my work with athletes and students revolves around our conceptualization of expectations and failure,” Bommer said. “The fear and anxiety tied to coming up short is so immense that it’s easy to overlook any amount of progress we achieve.”
Individuals who struggle in this area can find relief though, she said, by going on a journey of rediscovery or learning new techniques to address the stress.
“Sometimes I help clients rediscover the joy they once felt for competition or their job by untangling them from anxiety and burnout,” Bommer said. “In other scenarios I teach people the mental “tricks” of distress tolerance, emotional management, and staying cool under pressure. Other times my neutral or unbiased role as the therapist best serves as a sounding board for someone who just needs help sorting through what to do next.”
A healthy competitive mindset is vital to achievements, accomplishing goals or realizing personal expectations, Bommer emphasized, and not just to be able to accomplish something, but also for the sake of deriving fulfillment and satisfaction from that accomplishment.
“When you can truly enjoy the process of what you’re working to achieve,” Bommer said, “it makes the outcome so much sweeter.”
Learn more about Jennifer Bommer at https://www.becomeanchored.com/jennifer or schedule an appointment by emailing jennifer@becomenachored.com or calling/texting 512-387-0006.
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