As a mental health professional, I have devoted much of my life to working in the service of others. Whether that was “counseling” a dying 25-year-old man by wheeling him downstairs from the sixth floor of the hospice inpatient unit, where I worked and he was a patient, so that he could watch the annual Kentucky Derby Pegasus Parade; for a few minutes, he was able to forget he was dying, as he sang Dancing Queen and danced with his arms while the ABBA float coasted by. Or whether that was advocating for a student with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD, and a very superior I.Q. score, with obtaining accommodations and financial aid to go to engineering school. Or whether that was helping clients absorb and integrate the loss of a relationship, a meaningful job, or their physical health.
These experiences have shaped who I am today, both personally and professionally. I often ponder on the fragility of things in the context of impermanence. And I often ponder on the astounding fact that we even exist on this tiny planet in this too-massive-to comprehend universe. But I also ground those existential ponderings in a knowledge base that fulfills the licensure demands of a mental health professional. My imagination was captured by my first psychology textbook when I was in college back in the 1980s, and I continue reading psychology books for both professional and personal development. I actually read the DSM-5 (the manual of psychological diagnoses) in my leisure time, and I was downright giddy when the text revision came out. (I also like gardening, playing the piano, and making sourdough bread. And I deeply love my partner of 22 years and my dog Ruby.) I am schooled in various therapy approaches, with leanings toward the humanistic, existential, contemplative, and cognitive behavioral, and I have acquired a toolbox of skill sets to share with clients so they may experiment and decide what works best for them.
My hope for you is that you have a helpful and meaningful experience with a therapist. My own experience in therapy involved a lot of hard work and grit, but each step in the right direction invigorated me, and little by little, a little became a lot. Before therapy, I saw the world almost exclusively through an anxious lens, but therapy gave me the chance to reframe my life minus the distortion. I view therapy as the endeavor of two people creating a safe space to identify those thoughts, feelings, and emotions that otherwise may be too disorienting or too frightening to do on one’s own, and then learning the skills conducive to a more compassionate and supportive inner dialog. I often ask my clients with a harsh inner critic if they would talk to another person the way they talk to themselves, and the answer is usually a tearful no. With some courage and the guidance of a therapist, this tearful no can be the start of a more authentic and meaningful life.
If my approach resonates with you and you’d like to schedule a session, please take a look at my appointment calendar and see if the posted openings fit your schedule. If you do not see a time posted that works for you, let me know what does fit your schedule, and I will do my best to accommodate. Also know, I usually like to devote the first session to a modified clinical interview, to help me know where you’ve been and where you want to go. If you have any additional questions or concerns that you’d like to address before you schedule a session, feel free to reach out. In the meantime, please be gentle with yourself!
Additional areas of focus: Relationship issues, Family conflicts, Trauma and abuse, Self esteem, Career difficulties, Depression, Aging and geriatric issues, Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Cancer, Hospice and end-of-life counseling, Intellectual disability, Life purpose, Panic disorder and panic attacks, Phobias, Traumatic brain injury, Women's issues
Clinical approaches: Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Existential Therapy, Jungian Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy
KY LPCC 104457
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Jamie Godby. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
She is amazing. She is caring and quite responsive. She listens without judgement. At the end of a session, I feel calm and hopeful.
Written on Aug 26, 2024 after therapy with Jamie for 1 year and 10 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, sleeping disorders, self esteem, anger management, and coping with life changes
I do not like to send reviews because they are always very subjective, but... I can objectively say that Jamie has been helping me tremendously over the last year with simple steps that did not make therapy overwhelming yet made a huge difference for my well being.
Written on Jan 11, 2024 after therapy with Jamie for 1 year on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, and relationship issues
Jamie is so kind, knowledgeable, humorous, and compassionate. She makes me feel valued and heard and she knows how to guide me through my journey! I couldn’t ask for a better therapist!
Written on Jun 06, 2023 after therapy with Jamie for 5 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, grief, self esteem, career difficulties, and coping with life changes
I thank my lucky stars to have matched with Jamie
Kind, honest, reliable, relatable, knowledgeable, down to earth and wonderfully professional!
Thank you, Jamie. I always look forward to our sessions
Written on Mar 04, 2023 after therapy with Jamie for 2 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, self esteem, career difficulties, coping with life changes, and adhd
Ms. Goodbye is excellent and provides me with great strategies!
Written on Dec 29, 2022 after therapy with Jamie for 2 weeks on issues concerning adhd
Love her
Written on Nov 04, 2022 after therapy with Jamie for 3 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, self esteem, and career difficulties