- With Mayo Clinic behavioral counselor
Jennifer A. Kern, M.S., C.T.T.S.
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Jennifer A. Kern, M.S., C.T.T.S.
Jennifer A. Kern, M.S., C.T.T.S.
Jennifer Kern is a tobacco treatment specialist, certified through the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center.
Her counseling work addresses various aspects of tobacco addiction, including the love-hate relationship many tobacco users have with their smoking or chewing, education about nicotine addiction, and effective strategies to help with quitting.
In addition, she explores the importance of getting emotional and social support when stopping tobacco use, and offers ideas and suggestions about how to ask for and give this support.
Being bilingual, she enjoys counseling in both Spanish and English. She holds a master's degree in psychology, with interests including spirituality, psychosomatic illness, depression and anxiety, maladaptive coping behaviors, and overall health behavior change.
"As a former smoker, I am personally familiar with the complexity of dealing with the 'tobacco shackles,' " she said. "I am committed to helping others conquer this addiction so they may regain their freedom and possibly even save their own lives."
Latest entries
- Focus on gratitude, not craving a cigarette
Nov. 24, 2009
- Join the Great American Smokeout
Nov. 17, 2009
- Preparation key to quitting smoking
Nov. 5, 2009
- Learning to be a non-smoker
Oct. 23, 2009
- Build confidence in effort to go smoke-free
Oct. 16, 2009
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Quit smoking blog
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Sept. 4, 2009
Blog: Don't think failure when quitting smoking
By Jennifer A. Kern, M.S., C.T.T.S.
Many times we hold ourselves back from what we really want in life because we're afraid we won't be able to attain it. Fear of failure often causes us to shy away from setting goals that we deeply desire to reach and that would improve our quality of life.
Failure, however, is fiction. There's no such thing as failure, only judgment passed on an undesirable result.
When a child is learning to walk, we don't call their falling down a "failure." We recognize that it's part of the learning process for them to reach the point where they gain their balance and become oriented and capable of maintaining themselves in an upright position while moving around through life.
Quitting smoking is like this in the sense that it can take a number of attempts to discover both what is effective for you and what can get in your way and lead you to stumble. Through the process of moving toward your goal of being smoke-free, you learn to look ahead at the things that could cause you to lose your footing. You discover what you need to lean on until you gain your balance so eventually you can "walk" on your own.
If you have a slip or even a full relapse while navigating the process of becoming smoke-free, recognize it simply as an undesirable outcome. Attaching the label "failure" to it is a judgment, a negative opinion that leaves you feeling discouraged. Instead, find a way to learn from your "stumble" so you can get back up and try again. Eventually, you'll find your balance and be able to walk through life capably reoriented as a non-smoker.
How can you shift your focus from judging your efforts around quitting smoking to enjoying the learning process as you work toward becoming smoke-free? Please share.
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