Meet Pam, Individual Therapist
I count myself super fortunate to absolutely love what I do! Answering the call to become a Licensed Marriage + Family Therapist is truly my heart’s work. The only problem is, there’s only one of me! As I grew my private practice, I hated turning away new clients who needed support.
Enter Pam Schelnutt - licensed professional therapist who supports individuals as part of the Sonya Jensen Therapy practice.
I wanted to share more about Pam so I sat down with her and asked a few questions. If you feel like Pam could be of help to you, don’t hesitate to reach out and we’ll see if she’s a good fit for your needs!
- Sonya
What’s a common challenge you get from clients?
Honestly the biggest challenge I see with my patients is that they feel like things are going well and thus we reduce our sessions to bimonthly and then monthly and finally they go alone until the next wave of anxiety or depressive events occur and we have to start all over.
What’s your typical day look like?
I love helping people. I volunteer at various events and attend bible studies. I love helping my three children manage their day to day activities by assisting with the needs of my 7 granddaughters. I love teaching and often when given the opportunity to teach or guide others I feel I’m at my best. I love assisting my patients design coping tools they can use and guide them on ways to implement them in times when their symptoms get loud. I also enjoy working outside and spend as much of my free time outdoors as I can.
What do you love most about your work as a therapist?
I love being able to help others. I love to actively listen to their stories and find ways to help them in reframing their often negative or irrational thoughts. I love giving them tools to use and then offering up examples of times they can implement their newly learned tools. I love to speak of how anxiety and depression work and how the body keeps score during a trauma.
Did you always know you wanted to be a therapist? Or was the road more winding? Tell us how you got to where you are today :)
During my childhood I loved playing teacher to my dolls, never thinking I wanted to be a teacher. I went to college with an intent to become a pediatrician. However, I got married, had my first child and realized that dream wasn’t something I was willing to sacrifice my family for so I did the next best thing; I became a teacher.
I loved teaching, it was always a part of me. I taught 3rd grade for 6 years, and wanted to help more than just my classroom, so I went back and got my Master’s degree and became a School Counselor. I worked with K-5th grade until I retired from education and went into private practice as a full-time therapist.
Having worked around children, adolescents and their parents I feel very comfortable counseling ages 5 through 65. I love anxiety, depression, PTSD, OCD and Eating Disorders. I feel very confident in helping individuals navigate these issues.
Since I have over 18 years of experience in education I have been highly exposed to and trained on identifying and supporting ADHD and ADD in individuals.
I worked in an Eating Disorders Behavioral Center and ran a group two nights a week. I was also the coordinator for the institute while I was there.
Where are you from?
I’m from the midwest. My family lived in a small town in Southwest MO and when I got married we moved to St Louis, MO
Where did you go to school?
I got my Bachelor’s degree from Southwest MO State University before it had university status. I got my teaching degree from SMSU and my Master’s degree from MO Baptist University. I was in their first Master’s level graduating class.
I also earned my Master’s plus 30 in the education field.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
My hobbies include hiking, biking and spending time with family, but my passion is baking. I love making baked goods and sharing with friends and family.
What are 3 things most people might not know about you?
I grew up being the quiet girl at the front of the class
I’m a partner in a successful Med Spa business
I’m happiest when I am extremely busy, I don’t like to get bored
I’m not on any social media platforms