A phrase can tell a story in just a few words. Consider Nettle & Ash Therapeutic Services, the name of Jenn Pohle’s mental health and support services practice.
“When I launched the business, I knew it was going to be many different things,” she said. “Nettle is a versatile herb, strong and durable; it spoke to what I wanted the practice to be. As a tree, an ash is strong, grounded and lives a long time.”
And as a concept, Nettle & Ash encapsulates her behavioral and mental health mission.
Pohle’s clients primarily range from age 11 to young adult, are usually part of the LGBTQ community and always neurodivergent – those with obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia or autism.
Weekly group or one-on-one sessions and workshops help young people navigate social situations, stay organized and make friends. They learn to handle a change in routine, and how to express thoughts and emotions effectively. The goal is to develop confidence and feel heard and understood. Most of the people who Pohle and her staff treat have experienced some form of trauma, may have post-traumatic stress disorder and are looking for informed care. Some are panicked by the current political environment.
“I used to start a session asking, ‘How are things, how are you doing,’ ” Pohle said. “Now it’s, ‘Do you have questions about your access to hormone replacement therapy?’ We’re lucky to live in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, where access to care hasn’t been affected. I have to do research in case that changes. I’m hearing fear from clients. It’s a real thing, not knowing what’s coming next.”
As a child, Pohle bounced around, living in Virginia, then Connecticut, before discovering Rhode Island as a 20-year-old in 2004.
“I went to WaterFire and fell in love,” she said. “It blew me away. In three months, I’d packed up and moved to Providence. It’s the most inspiring city I’ve been to; it’s beautiful. I love the culture here. The food and the art are what first attracted me. It’s a very diverse city.”
Pohle wasn’t always drawn to mental health as a calling. Many moons ago, she says, she was a baker at Whole Foods Market. As an undergraduate student at Rhode Island College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she studied science. Eventually, she moved on to Seven Stars Bakery, becoming assistant manager but also working as a behavioral analyst on the side. Along the way, she also earned her master’s degree in applied behavior analysis.
“I had to take a break from baking,” Pohle said.
That break became permanent in 2014, when she co-founded a standard behavioral health practice using traditional approaches. Pohle oversaw more than 45 employees, managing billing, helping her staff develop professionally and fostering a sense of workplace inclusion.
As time went on, however, she began to feel disconnected from the population she was serving. Many were in the queer community, which she felt the practice wasn’t adequately supporting.
“It hit me in the face that I had to make this more of my expertise,” she said.
Phole debuted Nettle & Ash in 2023 with an emphasis on young clients. She also coaches therapists to start their own counseling practices and has helped 50 practitioners, mostly female.
“Nothing empowers me more than helping women create a space where they feel confident as entrepreneurs,” she said. “They have doubts that hold them back. The big thing I hear is ‘I can’t do this because of X, Y or Z reasons,’ but as I work with them over a few months while they launch their practices, there’s a shift in their sense of empowerment.”
In treating clients in fraught situations, Pohle has learned to personally de-stress. She’s up at 6 a.m. and walks for 30 minutes. It’s a contemplative time when she thinks about work or listens to podcasts, then gets her 8-year-old son ready for school. She also keeps a daily journal.
“I jot down three things I’m grateful for, what would make my day great. It’s a type of affirmation. Then at the end of the day, I write down what I learned,” Pohle said. “I try to be specific, maybe how the sun on my face makes me feel. It settles my mind. A lot of people journal to dump it all and emphasize the negative, but it’s also important to emphasize the positive.”
And the professional rewards are immeasurable. She began working with a 13-year-old in the transgender community who had been in and out of hospitals for years due to struggles, and who had seen many practitioners.
Progress started slowly, Pohle says.
“It’s about building relationships,” she said. “At first, our sessions were just sitting in silence together. Eventually, we incorporated doing art as a way to work through barriers and we went from sessions twice a week to one a month.”
Five years on, this young person is managing their life and going off to college.
“Our understanding of mental health is always evolving,” Pohle said. “We’re becoming more aware of what affects the mind and the behavior that makes us profoundly human. We’re constantly developing new tools. I’m very passionate about empowering others.”
