Meet Anne Jansen, MA, RN, LPC Christian counselor in Grand Rapids
You don’t have to hold this alone.
From the outside, life may appear to be going well. But inside, things feel chaotic. You’re exhausted and overwhelmed, and despite being surrounded by people, you feel deeply alone. Your relationships feel strained—or even in crisis. Your faith feels flat, and God feels distant. You don’t recognize yourself the way you used to, and you long to feel grounded again; to have a steadier grasp on your life and your heart.
I work with teens and adults who are seeking lasting change in their lives and relationships. I believe you deserve a space where you are seen for where you’ve been, accepted for who you are, and supported as you move toward healing and growth. I hold deeply to God’s promise that He is making all things new…
And I believe that means YOU too.
Before becoming a counselor, I spent many years as a nurse working in oncology, hospice, and postpartum care. Walking alongside people through illness, death, new life, and major transitions shaped both my clinical lens and my heart for this work. These experiences ultimately led me to my calling: caring for people’s inner lives and creating safe, compassionate spaces where they can be fully seen and known.
It was a profound privilege to walk with individuals and families during some of their most vulnerable moments. Through my own life experiences, and my own counseling, I came to deeply understand the importance of trustworthy guides and companions on the journey toward healing. That understanding continues to anchor the work I do today.
I have received advanced training under Dr. Curt Thompson, integrating interpersonal neurobiology, attachment, and faith formation into therapeutic practice. I have also worked as a contractor with New Story Behavioral Health, where I facilitated group therapy training for clinicians centered on healing relationships, embodied faith, and the integration of neuroscience and Christian formation. This work deeply informs my approach, helping clients understand not only what they are experiencing, but why, and how healing occurs through safe, connected relationships. For clients who desire it, therapy may include faith-based reflection. I approach spirituality with humility and awareness that faith can be both a source of healing and of harm.
I work with teens and adults and have specialized training in EMDR, trauma-focused care, betrayal-trauma recovery, polyvagal theory, and group therapy. My work is relational, trauma-informed, and grounded in both clinical excellence and a hope-filled vision of restoration.
I’ve been married for 20 years and am the mother of four children. Outside the therapy room, I find joy in flower gardening, time outdoors, beekeeping, and caring for animals. I am also the Founder and Executive Director of The Well GR—a space created for women to come as they are, be seen and known, encounter Christ, experience transformation, and carry that healing into the world.
If you’re feeling weary, disconnected, or unsure of your next step, you are not alone—and you don’t have to walk this path by yourself.
What is it like to work with me as your therapist?
I believe that one of the most important ways I care for my clients is by tending to my own ongoing personal work. Over the course of my life, I have spent many years in counseling myself and have experienced a wide range of therapeutic relationships—some that felt misattuned or unsafe, and others that were deeply healing.
Through that journey, I came to understand that healing does not happen through pressure, performance, or being “fixed.” It happens in relationships that feel safe, gentle, compassionate, and real—where your pace is respected and your story is held with care.
Because of this, I am not a therapist who remains distant or detached. I work in a relational, trauma-informed way that prioritizes safety, trust, and collaboration. I pay close attention to your nervous system, your sense of agency, and what feels manageable in each moment. You are never pushed to go faster or deeper than you are ready for. We move together, guided by curiosity, consent, and compassion.
Clients often describe our work as genuine, deeply caring, empowering, and safe. My hope is to offer a space where you can gradually exhale, feel more at home in yourself, and experience healing through connection at a pace that honors your story.
What will our work together look like?
I believe our lives have been traumatic enough, counseling shouldn’t be. Therefore, my approach is gentle. I do not want you powering through the hard things, overwhelming and overriding your protective systems, thereby betraying yourself.
I will teach you to listen to, attune to, and care for your body - as it holds our story and information necessary for healing.
Through the lens of the Internal Family Systems model (IFS), I will help you identify the different “parts” of you and help you, as your Spirit-led self, to care for all your most vulnerable parts.
I will equip you with knowledge and understanding into how our brains and nervous systems work. I will teach you tools to care for yourself in feelings of anxiety, depression, overwhelm, and deep grief drawing from the Christian faith and neurobiological truths.
I will guide you through exercises to experience God, your inner world, forgiveness, and compassion
If you are experiencing betrayal trauma or abuse in your relationship, I will be a fierce guide, advocate, and person to lean on when you feel like you might collapse. My priority is your safety - emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually and together we will lay a foundation of truth and set up a system for your protection.
I believe your experience is TRUE and VALID, and I am here for you.