Jen Clifton, a therapist in Arizona, with curly blonde hair, glasses, and wearing a brown sweater, smiling indoors with shelves and blurred background.

Jen Clifton, MC, LAC

Psychology Today profile

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I’m a therapist, writer, educator, former coach, and lifelong athlete. My work is shaped by both clinical training and lived experience, personally and working with others, navigating pressure, transitions, institutions, and identity over time.

Most of the people I work with — youth and adults — are thoughtful, capable, used to managing a lot.

But something has shifted not only in their lives, but in them.

Therapy isn’t about fixing something that’s broken.

It’s about:

  • Exploring and understanding what’s happening beneath the surface

  • Seeing patterns that are hard to see on your own

  • Building capacity to respond differently

  • Moving toward a life that feels more aligned with who you are and where you see yourself headed

Education

  • Arizona State University, May 2025

  • Arizona State University, May 2012

  • Kennesaw State University, May 2008

  • Kennesaw State University, May 1999

Counseling Credentials

MC, Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC-23965)

I practice under the clinical direction and supervision of Hannah Schlueter, MA, LPC, at Evolve Counseling & Behavioral Health Services.

Professional Background

Education and Community Development

Middle school teacher

Middle school & high school JV basketball, softball, track coach

Professor, University of Missouri

National Writing Project Director, Missouri Writing Project

Professor, Rhetoric and Writing Studies, University of Texas at El Paso

Director, Rhetoric and Writing Studies, University of Texas at El Paso

Assistant Director, Community Economic Development, Arizona State University

Psychotherapy

Licensed Associate Counselor, Evolve Counseling & Behavioral Health Services

I work with a small number of clients across different stages of life:

  • Adults navigating burnout, transition, and complex life decisions

  • Youth (pre-teen and teen) dealing with pressure, self-esteem issues, identity, and emotional overwhelm

  • Older adults facing later-life transitions, including retirement, loss, and questions of meaning

I intentionally keep my practice small to offer thoughtful, consistent care.

Who I Work With

A laptop and a coffee cup on a wooden table in a room with large windows showing a sunset and trees outside.

My Approach

Individualized in-depth therapy to support the many ways of being a complex human in an uncertain world.

Woman in athletic clothing stretching on a wooden deck outdoors, with trees and buildings in the background.

Thoughtful and collaborative

We make sense of things together

Grounded and practical

Insight paired with real life application

Respectful of complexity

Not over-simplified or rushed

We’ll focus on:

  • cultivating a greater sense of safety with others, and a trust in your ability to navigate the world as it comes at you

  • reflecting on your inner experience of self and others

  • understanding patterns

  • making space for what’s difficult

  • identifying what matters most and what’s at stake

  • opening up more choices and options for you and increasing your sense of personal agency

  • increasing emotional regulation and resilience

  • nurturing your sense of presence, vitality and capacity to play as well as your capacity for forgiveness, gratitude, and acceptance