Hi, I'm Sydney Jenish. I provide LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy for over thinkers, self-critics, and anyone figuring out who they are.
What Sydney wants you to know:
“If you can analyze a feeling to death but can't seem to feel it — if you replay conversations, ruminate on decisions, and hold yourself to a standard you'd never apply to anyone else — then I am a good match for you.”
About Sydney
Sydney works primarily with adults — and welcomes teens 14 and up — navigating anxiety, chronic stress, overthinking, self-worth, relationship challenges, identity questions, chronic illness (including POTS and EDS), and seasons of change. She especially loves working with LGBTQIA+, queer, polyamorous, and multicultural clients who want to understand themselves better, break out of old patterns, and feel more at home being who they are. She's also drawn to people whose minds get caught in loops — rumination, intrusive thoughts, the "what if" that won't quit.
Sydney came to this work partly through her own life. She knows what it's like to live with OCD and chronic illness, and to grow up queer and figure out where you fit in a world that doesn't always make that easy. Those experiences gave her deep compassion for the messy, complicated parts of being human — and they're a big part of why she cares so much about creating a space where people feel understood, accepted, and safe enough to be fully themselves. She believes people change when they feel safe enough to be honest, curious about themselves, and open to trying something different.
Outside of session, you'll find Sydney hiking, snorkeling, traveling, or anywhere near the ocean looking for sea creatures. Otherwise she's hanging out with her cats, hunting down a good tea spot, or rewatching Jurassic Park more times than she'd like to admit.
Sydney’s Approach
Her style balances warm compassion, authenticity, and a healthy dose of no-nonsense. Therapy with Sydney is collaborative and conversational: a place to show up as you are, without masking or needing to have it all figured out. She isn't there to tell you who to be. She'll get curious with you about what's going on, offer encouragement along the way, and gently notice when you're thinking your way around a feeling instead of through it.
Sydney tailors her approach to you, drawing from CBT, DBT, ACT, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, and parts work. In practice, that might mean untangling how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors feed each other; building skills for emotions that feel like too much; getting clearer on what matters to you; breaking big goals into doable steps; and getting to know the different parts of yourself — the critic, the protector, the one who overthinks — so you can meet them differently. She is currently completing training in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and beginning training in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).
The first session is straightforward. You'll talk about what's bringing you in, what's been going on, and what you're hoping to get out of therapy. Sydney will ask questions, get a sense of the bigger picture, and together you'll figure out where to start. You don't need to know exactly what to say.
Services and Fees
20 Minute Consultations: FREE
50 Minute Individual: $105
*Sliding scale services and discounts are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please email info@novamentalhealthcounseling.com for more information.
Credentials
Sydney is a Resident in Counseling in Virginia (#0704018606) and a National Certified Counselor, supervised by Katie Pancione, LPC, at NOVA Mental Health Counseling. She holds a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Southern New Hampshire University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, with a minor in Political Science, from Oakland University. She also holds a Professional Certificate in Human Resources Management from Cornell University, and has completed training in human trafficking awareness and implicit bias.