Jennifer has been part of the Tri-cities community for almost 15 years, living most of her life in the Midwest before relocating to Tennessee.  She graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, and continued with her education at East Tennessee State University, earning her Master’s Degree in Social Work..

Jennifer’s philosophy is “one day, and one step at a time.”  She works to create a welcoming and supportive therapeutic atmosphere, working in partnership with clients to help them define their challenges and create simple objectives on their path towards achieving their mental health goals.  Jennifer takes a holistic overview with clients, helping them explore all facets of their life and environment as a means to understand and address areas of struggle.  Her therapeutic approach with clients offers an inclusive, comfortable setting, taking each client’s personal background and culture into consideration.  Jennifer believes therapy is about listening with compassion and joining with her clients to develop a relationship based on trust and achievable goal setting.

Jennifer has extensive experience utilizing evidence-based practice with children of all ages, adults, and families.  She has worked in both community mental health and school-based settings, with a variety of treatment modalities including Solution Focused Therapy, Strengths Based Approach, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), as well as Trauma Informed Care.  Jennifer believes in working with her clients to find the best therapeutic approach, by meeting them where they are, which will inspire meaningful changes, and lead towards personal empowerment.

In her free time, Jennifer enjoys creating art, being outdoors, hiking, camping, biking, and spending time with her family and friends. Jennifer’s favorite quote summarizes how she lives, and she hopes to inspire others to, “Choose everyday to forgive yourself. You are human, flawed, and most of all worthy of love.”   – Alison Malee