Meet Jenn

your guide to holistic, trauma-informed psychotherapy

Hi, I'm Jennifer O'Malley Pearlman.

My work started long before I ever became a therapist. Even in high school, I was deeply curious about emotions and how people can heal from the inside out. I thank my high school volleyball coach—who was also my psychology teacher—for introducing me to the power of understanding the mind. That curiosity is at the core of my practice, and my teachings, intuition, and lived experiences continue to shape it today.

Over the years, I learned this: healing isn't just mental, it’s something we experience through awareness, relationship, and presence.

Every body has a story, and these stories aren’t just in our heads. These stories live in our breath, our muscles, our nerves, our relationships, and the ways we’ve learned to protect ourselves. This understanding guides my practice.

Rooted in Awareness

After earning my degree in psychology from Northeastern University, I became deeply interested in how emotional experiences are held and processed beyond words alone. My early training included exposure to embodied and contemplative approaches that shaped how I understand stress, trauma, and resilience.

Over time, this perspective informed the way I practice psychotherapy today. While work is grounded in talk-based therapy, it is guided by an appreciation for how awareness, breath, nervous system regulation, and relationship play a role in meaningful change.

While I do not currently offer hands-on or body-based treatments, I integrate these insights through a therapeutic, non-touch approach.

As Above, So Below

The idea that our minds and bodies reflect one another is at the essence of my work. When the world shifted during COVID, so did my practice. I moved online and learned how to integrate body-based awareness into virtual sessions, helping people tune into their inner experience even from a distance.

Today, my work is informed by:

Trauma-informed psychotherapy
Somatic awareness and integration
Somatic CBT (Cognitive-behavioral therapy)
DBT-informed (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) principles
Attachment and mindfulness practices
Nature-based and grounding approaches

But at the end of the day, modalities are just tools. What matters most is presence. The ability to listen, notice, and meet someone where they are.

My approach is gentle, intuitive, and collaborative. I’m not here to fix you. Instead, I help you listen to the story of your mind and body.

A Great Purpose

For 17 years, I’ve trained with my teacher, Dharma Mittra, whose teachings in yoga, meditation, discipline, and compassion have been transformational. That devotion to daily practice continues to guide both my personal and professional path.

I also serve as an adjunct professor in a graduate counseling program, helping future therapists understand the power of presence, breath, and embodied awareness. Teaching is one of the ways I give back to what has given me so much.

Planting New Roots

After many years in New Jersey, I moved to California. The trees, the pacific air, and the expansiveness of it all offered me a powerful sense of connection. To me, this connection is the belief that healing is not about becoming someone new, but coming back to who you’ve always been.

I believe therapy is a process of becoming more whole. More present, more grounded, more aligned with your true self.

If you feel drawn to begin your own healing journey, I’d be honored to walk beside you.