About Jen
I received my Master of Science in Oriental Medicine degree from Southwest Acupuncture College in Boulder, Colorado after completing an intensive 3000+ hour program including didactic, practical, and herbal education as well as 900+ hours of clinical experience. I am a board certified Diplomate of Oriental Medicine with the NCCAOM (National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine), the national governing body for acupuncture and Oriental medicine, and am licensed by DORA, the Department of Regulatory Agencies, in the state of Colorado.
I specialize in treating musculoskeletal pain, dysfunction, and injury of both acute and chronic natures. It is rewarding to help people learn to get more in touch with themselves and their bodies, empower them to participate in their care and healing process, and give them tools they can use to maintain the results they get from treatments. I incorporate my knowledge of anatomy as well as proper body mechanics and alignment when I teach yoga as well as when I am helping my acupuncture patients to identify and correct lifestyle patterns that may be impacting their condition.
I like helping people identify and bring awareness to what is out of balance or not functioning optimally in their internal environment and be able to help them restore harmony and function, reduce or eliminate pain, improve quality of life, return to activities they enjoy, and find increased well-being in both mind and body.
Each patient is unique and each treatment is tailored for that individual's needs on that particular day. In any situation, I like to empower people to participate in their own healing process by offering at-home self-care exercises, nutrition and lifestyle recommendations, and herbal formulas if they would be helpful and appropriate. I believe that successful treatment involves a partnership between patient and practitioner to expedite the healing process, make the duration of treatments last longer, and truly address the core issues that are allowing disharmony to exist in the body. I strongly feel that if we strive to increase our own personal body awareness, we are better able to advocate for ourselves in any healthcare setting because we are more mindfully aware and can address small disharmonies before they manifest into more severe ailments.
Outside of my acupuncture world, I also maintain my certification as a certified veterinary technician (CVT) which I have held since graduating from Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology with an Associate of Applied Science in Veterinary Technology degree in 1996 and passing the Veterinary Technician National Exam in 1997. Although I am not currently working in the field, my 15+ years of experience in veterinary medicine was mostly in fast-paced, high volume, high quality of care settings ranging from overnight and emergency practices to the Boulder Valley Humane Society. In addition, I have a Holistic Health Certificate and Small Business Management Certificate from Front Range Community College which I earned just prior to beginning school at Southwest Acupuncture College.
There's no denying it - I am a yoga, rock climbing, and anatomy enthusiast! I am a Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT 500) with Yoga Alliance and have been teaching yoga since 2006. My first yoga class ever was a Bikram class in 2005 and it profoundly changed my life, for the better, forever. I attended a 9 week long Bikram Hot Hatha Yoga teacher training in the fall of 2006. Over the years, I have attended a number of other trainings and added a variety of other styles to my repertoire including Kaiut, Yin, Hatha, & Vinyasa as well as self-myofascial release techniques for soft-tissue health and injury prevention. I completed a 200 hour teacher training with Yoga Medicine and Tiffany Cruikshank, LAc in February 2015 and am currently working toward my 500 hour advanced training with them. In December 2016 I participated in a week-long untreated cadaver lab immersion at the Laboratories of Anatomical Enlightenment in Phoenix, AZ through the Yoga Medicine program which was an incredible experience that reaffirmed my passion for anatomy, human form and the fact that everything is indeed connected. Also with Yoga Medicine, I have completed 60 hours of Myofascial Release, a 30 hour Yoga for Athletes training in 2019, a 55 hour Nervous System & Restorative training in 2020, and a 55 hour Shoulder Module in 2021. In 2020, after my own ACL reconstruction surgery, I began training in the Kaiut Yoga method. It is a therapeutic, biomechanical yoga style that emphasizes a kind, non-aggressive, sustainable approach to practice in order to balance the nervous system, regain lost function in the joints (mobility, stability, and structure), and reconnect the mind and body in areas we may have become "blind" or unaware of. I completed my 300 hour Kaiut Teacher Training program in February 2022 and I currently teach exclusively in this style at my climbing gym which has been very rewarding to watch people benefit and evolve so much from a "less is more" approach to their yoga practice.
I enjoy being fit and active and love the outdoors and all nature has to offer including rock climbing, camping, cycling, bird watching, and hiking. I also enjoy a good challenging spin class, pilates, reading, sleeping, vegging out, and cuddling with my cat and husband.