Christopher Jenkin
M.A., LPA, LPC-S
I founded Greater Heights Behavioral Health Associates with the intention of providing a quiet, comfortable setting for the exploration, understanding and acceptance of the inner self.
I’ve constantly sought the story behind the story, and when I began to uncover my own unconscious, it revealed a whole new world. Now, decades into my career, I continue to do my own therapy and ongoing professional consultation, so that I can be fully present and objective as a psychotherapist and supervisor. I am constantly tweaking the recipe, personally and professionally, and I recognize that human development is a lifelong endeavor.
As a child, I immigrated with my family to Houston from England, and I was raised in a home that did not quite match the American culture. I had the sense of being an outsider, and as a natural introvert, I preferred to be at the periphery, quietly studying human nature. I moved to Padre Island and completed an undergraduate psychology program while working as a windsurfing instructor. I was fascinated by the forces of nature and the collective human experience.
My curiosity around the human psyche led me to a graduate program in clinical psychology, where I was trained in the art and science of evaluating and treating psychiatric disorders. While in graduate school, I was employed as a mental heath technician, providing direct care in a psychiatric hospital. The work provided a little more that minimum wage, but a wealth of experience that has been invaluable. Licensed as a Psychological Associate and Professional Counselor, I continued working with inpatient and outpatient psychiatric programs for the next several years, providing psychotherapy and administering psychological evaluations (1995-2005).
I began my private practice in Corpus Christi, Texas in 2005, and returned to Houston in 2015. Greater Heights Behavioral Health was founded with the intention of building a team of compassionate, trustworthy experts who share the same love for the work.
I have a strong connection with nature, particularly the ocean, and I have spent the majority of my life living and playing on the water. I have found that many of life’s questions can be answered in nature, if we just take the time to stop and look. As with anyone well into middle age, I have experienced my fair share of tragedy. I have lots of scars, literally and figuratively, and they serve as a reminder of our ability to heal ourselves. My life, just as my practice of psychology, is a work in progress.
I believe that psychotherapy is about seeking and uncovering the true self, where we make conscious work of creating the life for which we were born. We seek to find meaning to what we are doing, to live intentionally and to find love, inside and out.