Jenna Gotte

About Jenna Gotte

I like to consider myself a “scientist second to lived experience,” meaning I believe in uplifting those with lived experience in our mental health system and build upon those experiences. I think those of us with lived experience are the most valuable assets to a program’s team. With my academic background being in Biological Sciences and my first job out of college in Chemistry, I could not shake that guttural feeling of unfulfillment and decided on a whim to quit my job and search for a career that I was passionate about; a career that added to my life worth living; a career that I’d be excited to get ready for in the mornings. I quickly applied for a Mental Health Technician position—taking a leap of faith as I did not have much professional experience in this type of role and it had peaked my interest due to my own lived experience. That one brisk decision changed my life forever. I found fulfillment in this field, and suddenly all of the “bad parts” of me became valuable—I was able to make meaning of my struggles. I take pride in my passion for mental health and inclusivity, while being experienced in trauma-informed care at residential, partial hospitalization, and outpatient levels. I value transparency, community, and inclusivity amongst many other things and I strive to uphold these values in my work life as well. I have received much admiration from clinical teams for my success in building rapport with clients and families, skillfulness when leading crisis interventions, and my creativity when facilitating group therapy. Numerous clients have given me grateful praise for how transparent I am and how my use of appropriate self-disclosure gives them hope again. Often, I get told by clients that I saved their life and my response is always that I’ve only showed them that their life is worth living, they are the ones who chose to save themselves. My areas of interest include: Mental Health, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Crisis Management, Group Therapy, Youth Counseling, Inclusivity, Health Equity, Research, Mental Health Reformation, Queer and LGBTQIAA+ Topics, Reproductive and Sexual Health.

Experience

1. Crisis Intervention Specialist

   Be Well Oc

   Apr 2026 — Present · Garden Grove, CA, US

Education

• UC Irvine

  Bachelor of Science - BS, Biological Sciences