Prime Counseling was built in response to a system that too often fails people. We created this space due to frustration with the current gaps in our mental health system.

In traditional mental health settings, clients who are high-risk, emotionally intense, high conflict, or diagnostically complicated are funneled out to other practices or higher levels of care.

One of the big parts of Prime Counseling is our therapists are relatable, approachable, and also fallible humans. We know what it is like to sprint to our own therapy session, squeeze one in during a lunch break, or talk to a therapist as we walk the dog. We have had baby-sitters cancel and needed to switch to online therapy at the last minute only to talk about being frustrated with the babysitter. We have been ghosted, judged, made the enemy, and fought to be heard by others. This is why we created Prime Counseling; to provide our clients a place to feel more comfortable and less intimidated while on a journey to healing.

When you read our therapists’ bios, you will see that we are not shy about our own mental health diagnoses and struggles. We work with the behaviors and diagnoses that we have walked through ourselves.

The owner of Prime, Jennifer Shotwell, often shares about her recovery of Borderline Personality Disorder and substance use. The niche areas of mental health that we work with can often feel misunderstood at a typical counseling practice.

Prime specializes in working with clients that many practices avoid. We exist to make sure every person and every disorder has a place to feel accepted.

Jennifer Shotwell’s Story:

My story includes feeling misunderstood and overwhelmed with the incorrect information being shared with me in therapy. It felt that all the help I was getting was only looking at the external coping skills and behaviors. I kept being told '“stop drinking” when seeking substance abuse help or “you need to be nicer” when seeking support for broken friendships. I remember feeling that I would never get the help I needed. It wasn’t until I had messed up my life pretty bad that someone finally asked what else was going on. At Prime Counseling, we skip the first part and immediately dive into the core issues negatively impacting your life and relationships.