My goal is to co-create a space where

safety makes room for the

brave shifts you’re ready to spark.

Work With Me

About Me

A woman smiling outdoors with pink and orange flowering bushes in the background.

Hi, I’m Jessica (she/her).

I am a Licensed Social Worker Associate (LSWAIC), but my path to therapy didn't start in a clinic—it started in the classroom.

From the classroom to the therapy office.

Before opening Wild Ember Counseling, I spent over a decade as a teacher. In those years, I learned that "behavior" is just a language. Whether it was a child acting out or an adult trying to hold it all together, I saw firsthand how deeply our early experiences and family systems shape who we become. I realized:

You cannot heal a struggle by only treating the symptom.

You have to understand the whole human. Today, I use that background to help you connect the dots between your past experiences and your present-day patterns.

  • My approach is often described as "tender and fierce." I offer the warmth you need to feel safe, combined with the gentle challenge you need to create change. I work integratively, drawing from:

    • Internal Family Systems (IFS): To help you befriend the parts of yourself you’ve been fighting.

    • Trauma-Informed Care: To prioritize choice, self-compassion, and nervous-system regulation.

    • Relational Psychodynamic Theory: To understand how your history impacts your mental health today.

  • While every human is unique, my clinical expertise is deepest in these areas:

    • Complex Trauma, Dissociation & PTSD: Healing past wounds with compassion and empowerment.

    • Neurodivergence (ADHD, Autism, Highly Sensitive People): Affirming support for diverse brains.

    • Anxiety & Burnout: For the "over-functioning" adult or teen.

    • Family Systems: Supporting parents and children through conflict and transitions.

    • Master of Social Work (MSW) | University of Houston

    • Master of Education (MEd) | University of Sioux Falls

    • Licensed Social Worker Associate, Independent Clinical | LSWAIC SC61688569

    • Supervision | Sarah Welch LW60960218

    • Licensed Educator | South Dakota K-8 Teacher

    • Training & Supervision:

      • Trauma-Informed Care

      • Internal Family Systems (IFS)

      • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

      • Mindful Self-Compassion

      • Zones of Regulation.

View All Specialties & Services

Belonging Statement

I welcome clients of all identities, bodies, and life stories—

all intersections of sexual orientation, size, nationality, spirituality, gender identity, race, neurodiversity, financial resources, family structure, & ability;

I hold every part of us with both tenderness and fierce care.

A scrapbook page with a photo of a woman and her dog, titled "Meet Jessica." The photo is a close-up of a woman smiling with a brown, curly-haired dog. Handwritten notes around the photo label her as a trauma-informed therapist, a traveler, a dog mom, and note that the dog is bald in color. The background is peach-colored with a grid pattern, and there are doodles of a camera, a sailboat, and handwritten labels.

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