Meet Jenny Bilskie-Smith | Psychotherapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jenny Bilskie-Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jenny, how does your business help the community?
At its heart, my work helps people remember their wholeness. Through Wise Body Therapy, I support individuals in healing emotional wounds from the source—using relational, body-based approaches like EMDR, Parts Work, Polyvagal-informed therapy, and Intuitive Eating. Each method helps clients reconnect with the innate wisdom of their bodies and build safety within their nervous systems. That personal healing ripples outward; when people feel safer and more compassionate within themselves, they create safer, more compassionate relationships, families, and communities.

Beyond therapy, my writing and resources at www.jennybsmith.com extend that work into the wider world. Through essays, courses, and reflective tools, I help people who carry invisible weight—anxiety, shame, self-abandonment—find gentle ways back to themselves. I believe healing is communal; when one person softens their inner world, it creates space for collective healing. My goal is to make trauma-informed, nervous system–aware wisdom accessible, so more people can live connected, meaningful lives—and contribute to a kinder, more attuned world.

What should our readers know about your business?
My work really began from my own healing. I earned my bachelor’s degree in nutrition, exercise, and psychology with the intention of practicing holistic healing, but not long after graduating, I went through a period of deep reckoning with pain and addiction. That experience became the most profound education of my life. In 2008, I began my own healing journey and discovered approaches that truly worked—ones that honored both the body and the nervous system. Over time, I realized I wanted to share those discoveries with others.

That vision became Wise Body Therapy, my private practice where I help people heal emotional wounds from the source so they can finally break free from painful cycles. My approach is deeply relational—healing happens in the presence of another safe nervous system, not in isolation. I use EMDR, Parts Work, Polyvagal-informed therapy, and Intuitive Eating, all of which help clients reconnect with their body’s innate wisdom and build trust in their own internal guidance. What sets my work apart is the emphasis on relationship and presence. I bring my full self into the room—grounded, attuned, and human—because that’s where real change begins.

Beyond the therapy room, I created JennyBSmith.com, a space for those seeking accessible pathways to emotional healing. It’s a collection of writing, courses, and reflective tools designed for people who carry invisible weight—anxiety, shame, trauma, self-abandonment. I think of it like a treasure chest of healing tools—each one a small clue that helps people find their way back to themselves.

It hasn’t been an easy road. I’ve worked in large systems and learned that bureaucracy can easily pull people away from the heart of the work. I’ve had to accept that reality while creating my own space—one that allows me to maintain both agency and accountability. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that healing and business growth follow the same principles: presence, patience, and trust in the process.

Right now, I’m especially excited about my upcoming book, Softening the Shadows: A Guide to Transforming Trauma and Coming Home to Yourself. It explores the subtle relational traumas many of us carry—the ways we learned to prioritize others’ emotions over our own—and offers a path back to inner safety and freedom. I’m also developing a companion course that brings these ideas to life through guided practices and somatic tools.

At its core, my brand exists to help people feel safe enough to heal—and empowered enough to live fully. I want the world to know that none of us are broken. The work is about remembering our wholeness and coming home to ourselves, one gentle step at a time.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend came to visit, I’d probably create more of a cozy retreat than a packed itinerary. I love caring for people through food, so I’d start by cooking for them—maybe homemade pizza from scratch or something fresh from the garden. We’d drink lots of coffee and tea, have conversations that are regenerative to both of us, and take brisk walks through the neighborhood or along nearby trails.

I’d also want to share a few of my favorite Arizona spots—I’m a Diamondbacks fan, so if it’s baseball season, I’d take them to the ballpark. Otherwise, we’d visit places that feel restorative and full of life. We’d spend a morning at the Desert Botanical Garden, maybe catch a play or wander through an art museum, and take a day trip up north to Sedona or Jerome for a change of scenery. The focus wouldn’t be on doing everything, but on being—savoring beauty, connection, and good company. That’s my idea of the best time ever.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d dedicate my shoutout to the healers—the ones who’ve had the courage to dig in, face the hard truths, and challenge the status quo. The people who don’t look away from discomfort, because they know it’s trying to tell them something. It takes real courage to face both personal pain and the systems of oppression that have shaped or benefited them—and to stay present with what they find. It can feel easier to repress what’s hard to face, but what we bury doesn’t disappear. It lingers beneath the surface, often influencing our relationships, communities, and choices in ways we don’t intend. The ones who choose to look, to feel, and to do the work anyway—they’re the ones quietly changing the world.

I’m also deeply grateful to my husband, whose steady, safe love has given my nervous system the space it needed to truly heal. And to my parents, for their willingness to engage in repair and growth later in life. Their efforts have been a profound part of my own healing story, reminding me that it’s never too late to soften, reconnect, and begin again.

Website: https://www.therapistnearmeinaz.com & https://www.jennybsmith.com

Instagram: jenny_bilskie_smith

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-bilskie-smith-lcsw-ciec-20a984ab/

Facebook: jennybilskiesmith

Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/Jenny_B_Smith/