Jeff Plankeel's history
Jeff Plankeel's history
Jeff grew up in a small New England coastal town and went to college at Wheaton outside of Chicago. He majored in psychology and minored in biology. In college, he had a unique internship where he lived and volunteered on the south side of Chicago at a residential substance abuse treatment program while commuting to the far north side to work with the homeless at the Salvation Army in Uptown. He has always had the heart to help others, and his experiences in Chicago shaped his decision to become a mental health therapist. During that time, his course work involved learning about the vast cultural neighborhoods and communities that make Chicago thrive. After school, he moved to Denver where he worked with teenagers in a residential facility and one night a week running a coffeehouse mission for the homeless off Colfax Avenue. Ultimately, he spent most of his work time in Denver helping in the start of a mentoring program for kids in the Denver probation system called Friends for Youth. After meeting his wife in Denver, she finished her schooling, and they moved to Baltimore, MD where he completed his master's in social work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. He interned with the Baltimore City Department of Social Services working in foster care, and then at the Department of Veterans Affairs in their substance abuse program. After graduating, he worked in foster care and then became a therapist for both a residential diagnostic center for teens and a non-public high school. He and his wife and kids moved to Colorado Springs, CO due to her connection to the city - her father being a retired 1st SGT last stationed at Ft. Carson. Jeffrey worked as a therapist and then clinical supervisor at Pikes Peak Mental Health, now called AspenPointe, with adults - mostly men and women struggling with severe and chronic mental illness. He then worked just over four years at the Department of Veterans Affairs here in Colorado Springs, specializing in PTSD treatment for all-era combat veterans, and couples therapy. Before launching into private practice in 2014, he was a program manager at AspenPointe over their Comprehensive Health Services Program for adults struggling mostly with severe depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
He is excited to bring years of experience to private practice and considers it such a privilege to do this work of helping people understand themselves and their relationships, and then aiding in the healing and restoration that can come with good, evidence-based treatment. However, the best treatment approaches are only as good as the collaborative relationship. Lots of research shows, that people get better in the context of relationships, and in the therapeutic relationship, he understands that healing can't happen without first establishing trust, understanding, and rapport. He will work hard to earn your trust and build confidence while empowering you by teaching you everything you want to know about how treatment works and why we might choose one approach over another. He is a very relaxed and laid-back presence, and he enjoys his work. Don't hesitate to reach out and let Jeff know how he can help.