I’m Jen, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES). I provide private‑pay virtual therapy for adults and couples across Florida who are navigating type 1 diabetes, chronic health conditions, and the emotional terrain that comes with long‑term medical demands.
Many of the people I work with are used to being steady, capable, and high‑functioning at work, at home, in parenting, or in athletic performance. From the outside, things may look fine. On the inside, though, the constant mental load of diabetes or chronic illness can create anxiety, exhaustion, or a sense of being stretched thin.
Therapy becomes a place where you don’t have to carry all of that alone.
As a therapist, my style is calm, grounding, and collaborative. I’m direct but gentle. I’ll be honest with you while also being deeply supportive as we work together toward meaningful change. I value curiosity, compassion, and a shared sense of purpose in the work we do together.
About My Approach to Therapy
Why I Specialize in Diabetes & Chronic Health
Before opening my private practice, I spent over seven years on the faculty of the CU Anschutz School of Medicine, supporting individuals and families navigating type 1 diabetes, chronic illness, medical trauma, and the emotional realities of long‑term health conditions. As part of the team at a prominent diabetes clinic, I’ve worked closely with endocrinologists, diabetes educators, and multidisciplinary medical teams, and I understand how physiology, stress cycles, sleep, movement, and identity intersect with emotional well‑being.
This background allows me to offer therapy that doesn’t require you to explain the basics. You don’t have to teach me what a CGM trend means, why overnight lows feel terrifying, or how performance pressure shows up differently when your body requires constant vigilance.
Instead, we can focus on the deeper layers:
The quiet burnout of interpreting data all day
The strain diabetes places on relationships
The pressure to perform at work or in sport while managing unpredictable glucose patterns
The identity shifts that come with chronic illness
The nervous‑system fatigue of being “always on”
The complicated relationship with your body, including moments of resentment or disconnection
My work integrates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), IFS/parts work, EMDR, somatic approaches, and attachment‑based perspectives. Together, we build awareness, flexibility, and resilience, not perfection or rigid control.
Inclusive, Anti-Oppressive Care
I strive to center and honor the experiences of clients whose lived realities may differ from societal norms. This includes holding an explicit awareness of how systemic oppression—such as racism, homophobia, ableism, and other forms of marginalization—shapes emotional well-being, relationships, and access to safety and care. I believe meaningful therapy must account for the intersection of identity, power, and context, and I approach this work with humility, curiosity, and an ongoing commitment to anti-oppressive practice.
A Bit More About Me
On the professional side, I’ve been a licensed clinical social worker since 2016 and earned my Master of Social Work from the University of Denver in 2013. My training as a social worker emphasizes understanding not only a person’s internal emotional world, but also the broader systems that shape their experience, including relationships and family, culture and values, identity, and societal expectations. This perspective informs how I approach therapy and helps ensure the work is grounded, contextual, and responsive to your lived experience.
Outside the therapy room, I enjoy reading, traveling, being active through lifting and long walks with my dog, and cooking with my partner. Like everyone else, I also spend time navigating the challenges of being human. Some days I do that with clarity and skill; other days, less so. It matters to me to engage in the same kind of reflective, values-based work I invite my clients into, because the tools and strategies I use in therapy are ones I believe are useful for anyone when life feels difficult.
If what you’ve read here resonates, I’d be honored to support you. You don’t have to navigate all of this on your own. When you’re ready, I’m here.
Jen Tilden, LCSW, CDCES
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Florida Telehealth Provider Number: TPSW7087
Online therapy for adults and couples in Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Palm Beach County, and across Florida via secure telehealth.
To book a free 15-minute consultation, please visit my booking link at ridgewaytherapy.sessionshealth.com
or call or email to schedule: 720-698-5750 or hello@ridgewaytherapy.com
I also provide virtual therapy for adults in Colorado. Learn more here.
Jen Tilden, LCSW, CDCES (she/her)
Ridgeway Therapy PLLC