Jennifer Mann, LCSW

10/10/2025

Trigger warning!
There aren’t two sides to abuse.
“He punched the wall once.”
“He threw something across the room. Not at me.” Studies show that any act of aggression or intimidation can one day becomes an act of physical violence. If you or someone you know is in danger, reach out for help today! Save your life!

“11-YEAR-OLD LEAPS TO PROTECT MOM — STABBED BY HER OWN FATHER”

Redstone Township, Pennsylvania is reeling after a brutal domestic violence attack.
Police say Richard Cody Hall broke into his estranged wife’s home despite a protection order. He lunged at her with a knife, stabbing her in the chest, neck, and arms.

But the most horrifying moment came when their 11-year-old daughter jumped onto her mother, trying to shield her. Hall stabbed her too.

The violence didn’t stop there — he then attacked his wife’s parents before turning the knife on himself. Miraculously, all four victims survived. Hall now faces over two dozen charges, including attempted homicide and child endangerment
This story rips away the illusion that children are “just witnesses” to abuse. Sometimes, they’re on the front lines — bleeding for their parents in a war they never chose.

💬 Should children automatically be placed in specialized trauma care after witnessing or experiencing domestic violence?
💬 What more could be done to enforce protection orders before they’re just paper promises?

If you or someone you know is living in fear of abuse — you are not alone:
📞 1-855-BTS-1777
⏰ 9 AM – 9 PM CST, 7 days a week

10/06/2025

💗 You’re Not Alone. Help Is Available 24/7:

National Domestic Violence Hotline
📞 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
💬 Text START to 88788
🌐 thehotline.org
Free, confidential, available anytime. They can help you make a safety plan or connect you with local resources.

⸻

Shalom Task Force (Confidential support within the Jewish community)
📞 Call, Text, or WhatsApp: 888-883-2323
📞 NY Local: 718-337-3700
📞 Legal Department: 212-742-1110
🌐 shalomtaskforce.org

⸻

Love Is Respect (for teens & young adults)
📞 1-866-331-9474
💬 Text LOVEIS to 22522
🌐 loveisrespect.org

⸻

RAINN (Sexual Assault Hotline)
📞 1-800-656-4673 (HOPE)
🌐 rainn.org

⸻

🤝 If You’re Supporting a Friend

You don’t have to fix it.
Stay close.
Keep the connection open, even if they defend their partner.
Say things like:

“I’m here anytime.”
“You don’t deserve to feel afraid.”

Your calm, steady presence could be the lifeline they reach for later.

⸻

🌿 No one should ever have to live in fear of the person they love.
If you or someone you know needs help, please reach out. There is hope. There are options. There are people ready to listen.

🤍
Jen Mann, LCSW

10/06/2025

https://www.instagram.com/p/DPd8XivAOGX/?igsh=MTc4azZtZGJiN3U5eQ==

10/01/2025

I was at an appointment yesterday and to register we were asked to scan a QR code on our phones. A gentleman in a lot of physical pain, upon learning how to register said in an unapologetic voice, “I don’t do this 💩. Come on, can’t I have a pen and paper? Jees!”

I loved that. I loved his honesty. I loved his rawness. And I relate to the sentiment. I just hate technology. I don’t get it. I’m bad at it. It frustrates me. And I want things to go back to how they were. Not before iPhones… maybe two or three years in. I’d like technology to stop there.”

It just got me thinking. How we are all human. All inhabit the same physical body and space. And all having completely different experiences here on earth. Different genes, different nurturing, different life experiences, different financial circumstances, different relationships, different kinds of anxiety, different careers. The sum total of these differences is that we cannot understand what it is to be another person. Because of this, it should be really hard to judge another person as well as take something personally.

Judging another person is human and natural and likely has some survival roots in there. It goes against our nature not to judge. So it’s ok if you do. I just thought I would share this moment with you. Sometimes going against our nature bares the greatest gifts that help us ultimately connect with these other humans in different realities roaming this planet with us. And that connection is what makes us feel most human, most alive. It is a need we all share. To be truly seen by another human is one of the greatest gifts of being human.
Jen

09/28/2025

Ode to the Ones Who Let Me In
By Jennifer Mann

To every soul who sits across from me,
you are nothing short of astonishing.

You invite me into the depths of your story,
the jagged edges, the hidden rooms, the quiet prayers.
It is holy ground, and I feel it every time.

I want to shout, I don’t have the answers!
I’m just a human with a beating heart, nervous like you.
And yet you come. That is mine to digest.
Not for my fixes or formulas,
but for the space we build together—
a space that whispers, You already hold what you need.

I watch as you gather the exiled parts of yourself,
the ones that had to hide to survive,
and I see the moment you recognize them as home. Sometimes my inclination is to give you insight (and sometimes i do) and yet i can’t help but make space for you to reach your insight; which may take a little longer but it’s oh so much better. And some people leave because the work is too slow and i honor that choice.

I cannot believe it is me you choose to witness this.
It is the greatest privilege of my life—
alongside the privilege of being a mother.

May the room we share always remind you:
every lost piece is welcome home,
and the light you’re searching for has been yours all along.
♥️
Jen

09/11/2025

I’m sitting here on a quiet Thursday morning, realizing that a lot of what I talk about on this platform is having boundaries. And I wanted to make sure I presented what I believe is the fuller picture when it comes to boundaries. Boundaries are not meant to make us inflexible and intolerant of others. Do we need them? Absolutely. They are meant to show others the path to ourselves. We want to make sure that that path is safe for the other to walk as well.

People are complicated and layered and beautiful. Yes, some have no respect for boundaries but most people do. It may take most people a bit of time to understand. And some people just don’t “get it.” And they have so many other qualities and traits that you do love and so you choose to maintain a relationship. No one is perfect. And we get to take inventory. It is ok to say or think “I like this AND I don’t like that.” Not every relationship will be a deep soul connection. There may be things you decide not to share or say. And I think that’s OK.

I guess what I am trying to say is that we don’t have to throw out the baby with the bath water. We can choose to focus on the good parts and not look at the other parts. This doesn’t make you an ostrich. It makes you human and makes space for the humanity in others too.

Some friends and family will feel like an Aliyah for your neshama. And others don’t. They may be funny, witty, intelligent, great company, caring but just don’t get you in that deep place. You can’t share that certain something with them. Maybe they’ll give a zug or say something kind of careless every now and again.

Becoming more tolerant (of people who do not hurt you repeatedly) is kind of important for our own growth. It softens us and helps us become more tolerant of ourselves.

Jen

09/10/2025

“You’re only as happy as your unhappiest child.”
I have felt this in my bones. Most parents have. Our hearts are wired to our kids. When they hurt, the wire hums. Of course it does.

The gift in this idea
It names real love. Attunement. Empathy. The way our nervous systems echo each other. It reminds us to show up. To sit on the floor with them. To listen. To pray. To ask for help. It says my child matters more than my to-do list. That is holy.

The trap in this idea
If I make my happiness hostage to my child’s current state, I disappear. My mood becomes a weather report I can’t control. My child feels pressure to be OK so I can be OK. That is too heavy for any kid.

What it actually asks of us
Hold two truths. I am deeply connected and I also keep a center. I feel with you and I also stay steady. I can be worried and still eat dinner. I can be sad for you and still notice the sunset. This is not indifference. This is regulation. This is the model our kids need.

Healthy version
I track my child’s world closely. I take their struggles seriously. I grieve when I need to. I act where I can. And I guard my own oxygen so I can keep loving them well.

Unhealthy version
I fuse with their feelings. I stop caring for myself. I make their mood my thermostat. I try to fix what is not mine to fix. I need them to feel better so I can feel better. That is not love. That is panic.

Psych angles in plain words
Attachment. Your presence calms their body.
Differentiation. You are connected and separate.
Boundaries. What is mine to carry and what is yours.
Cognitive traps. Catastrophizing turns concern into doom.
Family systems. One person’s pain moves the whole system. We shift together, and each person still has a lane.

Try this when your child is struggling
Name it: I love you. I see this is hard.
Soften your body. Shoulders down. Slow breath out.
Ask two questions: What part is mine. What part is yours.
Take one action that helps them. Message the teacher. Schedule the doctor. Sit and listen.
Take one action that steadies you. Walk. Shower. Text a friend. Eat real food.
Let a little joy in on purpose. Tea in a real mug. A song in the car. A two minute stretch. Joy is not betrayal. Joy is fuel.

A gentle reframe
Not only as happy as my unhappiest child.
As connected as my most tender child.
As steady as the care I give myself so I can keep showing up for them.

We can love our kids fiercely and still keep a self. That is the power of and. 💛

Jennifer Mann LCSW

09/04/2025

I love my head to toe SHEIN work outfit that arrived today. I love that the whole thing cost me less than 35 dollars. I also love the quality of the fabric (got to read those reviews.) Someone once said to me “don’t tell people what your outfit costs. Say thank you. It cheapens you.” I took that to heart as I think there’s truth to that. But there’s another truth which is my truth. I like sharing finds. I like it when someone who maybe doesn’t have the funds to shop at expensive stores knows that someone else doesn’t shop at those places either and there are ways to look great and feel great. In a world of labels making someone feel of inherent worth, I like subliminally saying “Not me.” If something is gorgeous to you, it’s gorgeous… not because a designer or fancy neighborhood lady or mom friend said so. You get to be you… unabashedly loud and proud!
Jen

08/28/2025

🌸 Unexpectedly Human 💗

None of us are living the life we pictured at 18—and that’s where the mess, the magic, and the truth live.

I created a new WhatsApp group called Unexpectedly Human 💗 It’s a space for anyone who’s ever thought: “How did I end up here?” Divorce, loss, career changes, parenting struggles, love that surprised you… whatever your story is, you belong.

As Irvin Yalom reminds us, “We are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is.” Mr. Rogers taught us that being yourself is enough. And Dr. Shefali shows us that awakening happens when we live the lives we actually have—not the ones we imagined.

Here, you are not broken. You are human. And being human is enough.

With warmth,
Jennifer Mann, LCSW
Therapist • Writer • Human • Coach
Living the unexpected life 💗

👉 Join us here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/JnIX9nAgDQ9LIAVeCqbtlv?mode=ems_copy_c

08/26/2025

08/25/2025

Remember Who You Are
For women married to narcissistic partners

Healing and Everything After - for women who have left

Group flier in comments

jennifermannlcsw@gmail.com
718.908.0512