Interview with Jaymin Cox, LMSW, CAADC

Check out our clinician interview with new IDENTITY therapist, Jaymin Cox, LMSW, CAADC. Jaymin is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor practicing at our office in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Jaymin is passionate about working with adults and young adults dealing with a variety of mental health concerns, offering therapy in specialty areas including trauma and PTSD, addiction, grief, relationships, and self-esteem issues. Contact us today to schedule an intake appointment with Jaymin.

What is your specialty?

I specialize in trauma and addiction issues. Since I began working in the addiction field as an intern in 2014, I have been very aware of the role trauma and PTSD play in people’s lives, and what it can lead people to do. I have created psycho-education projects about trauma, and I have geared my training and orientation towards trauma since I was an intern. It’s my passion, and helping people heal is what I enjoy doing.

What made you want to become a therapist?

I’ve always wanted to help people, just how I help them has changed as I’ve gotten older. When I was 14 I wanted to be a psychologist, but then that quickly changed to wanting to be in the military. I was in the Navy for a couple of years, and afterwards I returned to school. While I was getting my bachelor’s degree, I ended up volunteering for America Reads, and taught kindergarten one day a week for a year in a low-income area. Through that experience, I decided to get a master’s in social work. My first internship was at the Salvation Army in Tucson, Arizona, which was an inpatient rehab. This was my first experience doing addiction counseling and it ended up being a focus of my career so far.

What can clients expect when they first come to therapy? What is a typical therapy session like with you?

When they first come to therapy, I think they can expect to laugh and learn a lot more than they would expect. I try to create a safe and relaxed space where ideas can flow, and people don’t feel judged. My aim is to give people knowledge and tools, and then help them use those tools effectively. I know that I would want to have all of the necessary information about my concerns of the day, and about the tools I could use to achieve my goals. I think people are often surprised at how quickly I can help push away the clutter and get to the bottom of whatever concerns they have. The therapeutic process is a lot less frightening or doom and gloom than people often expect.

How have you seen therapy be helpful to your clients?

From my observation, therapy can create a domino effect in a person’s life. Once you start taking care of your mental health, other things start improving. Therapy helps us understand why we do things that felt unexplainable prior to therapy, but once we know why we do things, it’s easier to use the coping skills we’ve learned, and our problems start to seem manageable. Once we’re able to address our problems in a meaningful way, we often feel better about life and our place in the universe. I think for many of my clients, therapy has given them a space to speak openly about fears they didn’t talk about before and helped them overcome those fears.

What do you think are the most important considerations when looking for a therapist?

It’s ok to shop for a therapist who is the right fit for you. You want someone you feel safe being emotionally open with and someone who is a good listener. Without those two things, it will become very hard to craft solutions to your specific situation. You also want to consider the therapist’s training and experience working with your specific issue, and whether they will challenge you to meet your goals.

What do you hope your clients walk away with?

Therapy is like dancing, except the dance is between the client and their lives, and the therapist is the dance instructor. Hopefully, you’ll be a little bit better at dancing every time you leave therapy, and you’ll feel a little better about understanding the steps.

 

Visit Jaymin’s profile to learn more about his counseling services or to schedule an appointment.