Jenna Witkowski, LCSW-R
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Buffalo NY
I approach my work with clients as a collaborative process, grounded in trust, curiosity, and genuine human connection. I strive to create a space where people feel comfortable bringing the full range of their experiences, including the parts that may feel confusing, uncomfortable, or difficult to put into words.
My style is warm, engaged, and conversational. I listen closely, ask thoughtful questions, offer reflections, and gently challenge patterns or beliefs that may no longer be serving someone. I believe therapy can be both compassionate and challenging, creating opportunities to better understand ourselves while also taking meaningful steps toward change.
When working with clients interested in psychedelic-assisted therapy, I place significant emphasis on preparation and integration. Preparation involves exploring intentions, expectations, personal history, and the emotional resources that can support the experience. Integration offers an opportunity to reflect on what emerged, explore its personal significance, and consider how insights might translate into everyday life. Not every experience is profound or immediately clear, and I support clients in making space for uncertainty rather than feeling pressured to find meaning.
I recognize that each person's process is different. Some may be seeking relief from longstanding patterns of suffering, while others are navigating transitions, exploring identity, or looking to deepen their relationship with themselves. Wherever someone is in their process, my intention is to meet them there while supporting greater self-awareness, agency, and connection to the life they want to create.
I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and psychotherapist based in Buffalo, New York, with over 17 years of experience in the mental health field. My work has centered on supporting individuals navigating trauma, grief, life transitions, and the complexities of being human.
Over the years, my clinical practice has evolved to integrate traditional psychotherapy with emerging approaches to healing, including ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and psychedelic preparation and integration. I have specialized training in EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and psychedelic-assisted therapy, and have been actively involved in developing and facilitating ketamine-assisted psychotherapy programs, clinician education, and experiential training.
Beyond my clinical practice, I'm passionate about advancing thoughtful, ethical, and evidence-informed psychedelic care. I've developed educational programming, trained and mentored clinicians entering the field, and currently serve as an external collaborator with the Psychedelic Science Initiative at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, contributing to efforts to advance research in psychedelic-assisted therapies.
At the heart of my work is a belief in our capacity for growth, self-understanding, and meaningful transformation. I'm particularly interested in how healing can extend beyond addressing past experiences to creating a deeper relationship with ourselves, others, and the lives we want to build.
My practice offers individual psychotherapy, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP), psychedelic preparation and integration services, and professional education and consultation for clinicians working in the psychedelic therapy field.
**Individual Psychotherapy**
I provide trauma-informed, integrative psychotherapy for adults navigating trauma, grief, anxiety, relational challenges, life transitions, and personal growth. My clinical work draws from EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), attachment-based approaches, and other therapeutic modalities to support meaningful and lasting change.
**Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)**
I offer ketamine-assisted psychotherapy in collaboration with qualified medical prescribers, utilizing both sublingual and intramuscular (IM) routes of administration when clinically appropriate. Services include preparation, supported ketamine experiences, and integration, with an emphasis on individualized care, psychological safety, and translating insights into meaningful changes in everyday life.
**Psychedelic Preparation and Integration**
I work with individuals seeking therapeutic support before or after psychedelic experiences. This includes exploring intentions, navigating challenging or meaningful experiences, processing emerging insights, and supporting the ongoing integration of these experiences into daily life. These services are offered within a legal, ethical, and harm-reduction-oriented framework.
**Clinician Education, Mentorship, and Consultation**
In addition to my clinical work, I provide mentorship, professional consultation, and educational opportunities for clinicians interested in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. As a New York State-approved continuing education provider, I have co-developed and co-authored training curriculum in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, including foundational education and experiential learning opportunities for licensed mental health professionals. My work in this area focuses on supporting ethical, informed, and clinically grounded practice.
**Root & Rise Alchemy | Workshops and Integration Offerings**
I am also the founder of Root & Rise Alchemy, a separate initiative dedicated to personal growth, integration, and community-based learning. Through workshops, group experiences, and educational offerings, Root & Rise creates opportunities for individuals to explore identity, navigate life transitions, deepen self-understanding, and move beyond longstanding patterns toward greater agency and connection.
Root & Rise Alchemy operates separately from my clinical psychotherapy practice and offers nonclinical opportunities for reflection, personal development, and community connection.