Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jeanette Yoffe. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Jeanette with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I have always had a knack for organizing as far back as I can remember. As a young child, surprisingly I would ask my mom if I could organize her papers. This actually gave me a sense of relief to see organization unfold before me. And now that I am a psychotherapist, I understand this was an early “psychological need” to externally organize the “chaos” I felt inside because I was separated from my birth family at age 15 months and placed into foster care for a multitude of years. Yet, I started to believe this was a “strength” for me. Something I could utilize in my daily life, which gave me structure, and even a purpose every day. I was forming the habit of making “to-do lists” everyday. Knowing what was going to happen the next day pleasantly kept me moving, keep me striving and keep me going.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My first job in the Los Angeles child welfare system was as a paraprofessional volunteer at the Stephen S. Weiss Temple Adoption Support Center under the supervision of Stephanie Siegel, PhD. I mentored children who were adopted, assisted with support groups, and helped answer questions about my experience at special events and panels for families.
What was my experience you ask? I was placed into foster care when I was 15 months old in New York City, until seven and and then adopted at age 7 and a half. I didn’t think much of the connection between my past and my work at the time, beyond a strong sense of connection and pride with the foster youth I interacted with, because I was even more busy working on the craft of acting which I studied at Pace University and have a Bachelor of Fine Arts. In 1998 I moved to California to pursue a further career in the performing arts and my life took a big turn.
I joined a theatre company, Venice Theatre Works and I had written and performed a one woman play, “What’s Your Name, Who’s Your Daddy?” which shed light on growing up in foster care with the objective to share “what it feels like with a broader audience.” I wrote a scene about a little girl who “auditions for a family.” My fellow thespians didn’t know if they should be laughing or sad? I did the show at benefits for local foster care and adoption organizations, and it was after one show, during a Q & A, with county social workers and psychotherapists that I realized I knew more than the professionals knew. That I understood the impact of growing up in foster care intimately, because I had lived it. And that’s when the light bulb went on.”I think I want to work with children and families connected by foster care and adoption!”
So, I went back to school to pursue a Masters Degrees in Psychology at Antioch University, and was hired not as a psychotherapist at first, but as a Foster Care Social Worker at Southern California Foster Family and Adoption Agency under the direction of Sylvia Fogelman who became a mentor to me. One day when I was questioning myself and the value of my own experience she said to me, “Trust your instincts, you have a lot to offer.” No one had ever told me that and from that moment forward, I did exactly that, trusting my instincts, learning as much as I could about the Foster care system in Los Angeles and also developing my own techniques and interventions which I developed and published into a book called Groundbreaking Interventions: Working with Traumatized Children, Teens and Families in Foster Care and Adoption.
My desire to become a child therapist with a special focus on adopted and foster care issues derived from my own experience of being adopted and moving through the foster care system in New York City. My personal experience has informed my education and I can provide deep insights into the unique stresses involved with these issues. I now have a private group mental health practice, Yoffe Therapy, and created a non-profit organization named after my first mother, Celia, named Celia Center. I help clients, families, and communities reach their full potential through mental health therapy and make the difficult journey from despair towards resiliency and hope.
Please join Jeanette at the upcoming 2nd National Virtual Adoption Conference in November 2023: https://tinyurl.com/344cepz6
Jeanette’s YouTUbe Channel “Jeanette-ically Speaking: https://www.youtube.com/@Jeanette-icallySpeaking/featured
Listen on Audible her One Woman Play, “What’s Your Name, Who’s Your Daddy?” written in 1999,
which inspired her to leave the theater and become a professional in the field: https://amzn.to/3FoA5w3
Mental Health Practice: https://yoffetherapy.com/
Celia Center Non Profit Org: https://celiacenter.org/
Learn more about Jeanette’s Books: https://amzn.to/403Udgz
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Looking back, I think there were three skillsets that were most impactful in my journey. Number one, self-discipline, number two drive to succeed and number three willing to learn and get better at whatever I put my mind to.
Self-discipline is a learned experience. It is a habit that needs practice, willingness and it’s okay to lessen your standards to get to where you want to be. One of my first jobs living in New York City, was being a “maid.” I didn’t like it, however I accepted it. It paid the bills, It allowed me to live in New York City. I showed up, cleaned up and got paid. It was a discipline. I actually felt gratitude for helping others, who were successful, come home to their clean apartments. his gave me pride knowing one day I would be like them. So find the pride in the work you are doing. It is a part of your journey. You “GET” to show up every day, you “GET” to live your dreams. Self-discipline actually builds your self-esteem and confidence. Nothing is beneath you, everything is before you, and every experience you have teaches you the life skills you will need, ahead of you.
I was driven to be driven. I utilized Affirmations every day, to stay focused on the positive. I had a negative internal dialogue in my head, I realized that I needed to counteract. I learned that for every one negative thought, if I told myself three positive thoughts, I could negate that thought. So I created this practice for myself. Not throwing myself off the bus, but sticking with the bus of thoughts, and putting them in a new direction. “I am not good enough” AND “I am doing the best that I can.” AND “I will learn from this experience.” AND “You are unique and have a lot to offer from your lens of the world.”
Lastly, my third mother taught me to “love learning.” She inspired me to fall, get up, fall, get up, and always fall reaching.” She modeled for me that learning is knowledge. So I accepted the “task of learning.” How I did this was I chose the mentors I wanted to learn from, whether they were people I knew or didn’t know. I read about their work, their stories, and their autobiographies. I looked up to them as mentors. If I wanted to be a psychotherapist, I would find a psychotherapist I could work for and do their filing or better yet, I became a temp worker, did tedious tasks and learned accounting and used that skillset to bridge into my new career. I placed an ad in a Psychotherapist Magazine “Bookkeeper available. Reliable and organized. Ready to start ASAP. I will organize your finances, so you can focus on helping others.” I got a call and worked for a psychotherapist who had a thriving business called Trauma Consultants. I was then was hired as a therapist, providing post-traumatic debriefing interventions with employees who were victims of bank robberies. I learned 3 skillsets in one job! And she inspired me to build my own business’: Yoffe Therapy Inc. and Celia Center Inc.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
Live Your Dreams by Les Brown and Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow by Marsha Sinetar.
Both of these books had an impact on me. They inspired my passion, to pursue a career and follow my instincts. If something felt off, I would question my “inner compass” and find the answer. Whether I should move forward in a direction or turn a different corner. There were times I made mistakes, however I learned from them. I “accepted” the adverse experience, moved on from the event and made a choice to “let it go.” The more I fought it, the more it fought me. I learned the art of “pursuing” and not dwelling in the pitfalls. These books gave me inspiration. We all need propellers. I encourage you to read one of these books and hope they can propel you forward, to manifest your dreams.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jeanetteyoffe.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeanetteyoffe/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeanette.yoffe
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanetteyoffe/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeanetteYoffe
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jeanette-icallySpeaking/featured
- Other: Jeanette’s Books: https://amzn.to/403Udgz
Please join Jeanette at the upcoming 2nd National Virtual Adoption Conference in November 2023: https://tinyurl.com/344cepz6
