01 · Who Jennifer works with

Jennifer works with LGBT, relationship issues and family conflicts

Jennifer lists 17 specialisms and 34 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Jennifer chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Jennifer's own words

What Jennifer says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

WELCOME TO SEED OF HOPE COUNSELING SERVICES!

ABOUT THE FOUNDER Jennifer M. Forbes, M.S., LMFT is the Founder of Seed of Hope Counseling Services and is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She is passionate about the work that she does and is grateful to God for the training, opportunities, and people that she has been able to serve throughout the years. She has successfully counseled hundreds of individuals, couples, and families through difficult times and it has been one of her greatest joys.

Jennifer has served both in the non-profit and private sector, since 2009, providing counseling, consulting services, support, supervision, and leadership to various teams, clinicians, leaders, and organizations. She has been a pioneer in the field, working with agencies to create and implement innovative therapeutic initiatives. She has developed, established, and assessed various community programs for crisis, trauma, and clinical services.

She has served on clinical committees for the Illinois Health Practice Alliance, the Behavioral Health Consortium and the Westside Community Triage and Wellness Center. Jennifer is a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapist (AAMFT).

Jennifer received her formal training from Northern Illinois University where she earned her Bachelor's in Psychology and Masters in Applied Family & Child Studies with a Specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy.

Ready to Connect? We are confident you have come to the right place. Request your appointment today! We are looking forward to speaking with you.

Feel free to visit www.sohcs.com for more information.

Warmest Regards, Jennifer M. Forbes, LMFT

MEET OUR THERAPIST: CHRISTINE HUFFAKER

Throughout difficult years in my own mental health journey, I developed a growing passion for supporting others with their mental health from a place of empathy and understanding. I have always had a passion for sitting with others in both moments of joy and sorrow and honoring both spaces.

I approach counseling with a genuine understanding of what it feels like to struggle silently with mental health and feel alone in the process. Out of my own time in counseling, I developed sincere belief in the therapeutic process.

During my clinical experience as a masters counseling student through Indiana Wesleyan University, I have gained experience working with children, adolescents, young adults, and adults on a wide range of topics including anxiety, depression, grief, and anger management. My approach to counseling is rooted in person-centered care and the belief that clients are always the experts of their own lives.

Above all, I strive to create a safe and nonjudgmental space for all clients characterized by compassion and acceptance. I believe deeply in the power of self compassion and the practice of attuning to our own emotions without shame.

Topics of interest and possible future areas of specialization include: counseling work with teens and young adults, couples counseling, sexual functioning, obsessive compulsive disorder, and anxiety. Reaching out takes great courage, and I look forward to celebrating that victory with you in our first session!

Sincerely, Christine Huffaker

Don't Wait Another Day! Request an Appointment Today!

Jennifer Forbes, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Jennifer works

The 6 approaches Jennifer lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Jennifer lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Jennifer's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Jennifer runs a session.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

Narrative Therapy

Treats the story you tell about your life as something that can be examined and retold rather than as the plain facts. Separates the person from the problem - “the anxiety” rather than “your anxiety” - to make room for the parts the current story leaves out.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed

CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Jennifer practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Jennifer's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Jennifer at this point.

2. Naming Jennifer specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Jennifer is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Jennifer.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

3 questions worth asking Jennifer

Built from what Jennifer actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Jennifer's - Jennifer has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LMFT

Licensed in

Illinois

Licence

IL LMFT 166.001007

Licence number

166.001007

Licence expires

28 Feb 2027

NPI

1861770935

Years in practice

14

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Jennifer's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Jennifer. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.