Welcome. I recognize that by searching for a therapist, you might be at a hard stage in your life. I’m glad you’re seeking support. As daunting as it can be to embark on a journey of change, the rewards are endless. I believe everyone has the ability to live a joyful life, have fulfilling relationships and experience wellness. I know personally that counseling can be highly effective, not only because I have seen profound changes in my own clients, but because I have experienced them myself.
Through most of my twenties, I felt lost and at times, hopeless. From past trauma and childhood experiences I was struggling with low-self worth, anxiety, depression, and disordered eating. Therapy helped me live the life of my dreams. Now as a wife and mother of two young children, I’m grateful to be able to pass on all I have learned. I consider it an honor to accompany you or your family on this journey.
I offer adult individual and couples therapy. I work best with individuals who are ready to do deep, internal work. I have a passion for working with trauma and trauma resolution and use a few of the current leading modalities in trauma resolution including: Brainspotting, Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) and Internal Family Systems IFS). See below for more info on these modalities. Common challenges I work with: Depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship difficulties, disordered eating, and low self esteem.
I use a wide range of modalities in my work which address different aspects of mind, body and spirit. Talk is helpful for processing and integration, but does not always lead to lasting change. Addressing issues on a deeper level helps clients shed light on blocks, facilitating long term change. The interventions I use are based on current science in neurobiology, attachment theory as well as Polyvagal Theory (nervous system regulation). Sessions might include: Brainspotting (see description below), role-play, drawing or painting, learning new coping techniques, Sandtray configurations, parts work or IFS (Internal Family Systems), movement, going into nature, and ceremony work. Mindfulness and body centered somatic awareness practices are incorporate throughout the work I do with clients. My work with you is active and challenging, and at the same time supportive and lighthearted.
With kindness and non-judgment we create a safe environment where all of your experiences and emotions are welcomed.
We look at problems within the context of the whole system/s in which they occur. Systems Approach aims to promote change by intervening in the broader system rather than in only one part alone. At each level of our lives everything is interconnected. We are a part of many systems including our physical body, internal world, physical environment, family, community, culture and more.
I believe and help to instill in my clients that there is a goodness or noble intent behind most behaviors. Many times, on the surface a hurtful or harmful behavior may look negative and defective. However, when we take a closer look, actions are usually a result of an intelligent innate strategy moving us away from harm and towards safety.
Feelings are both in the body and the mind. I help clients to create a deeper connection with the body's wisdom, using it as a resource for self-discovery and healing. We will explore at the level of sensation, movement, and non-verbal communication.
Call it what you will, Love, higher self, god, goddess, nature, the universe or life force. Calling on this spirit provides support, guidance, and love in a world of uncertainty.
Jessica worked as a massage therapist in Boulder for many years with a belief that the body and mind each hold the secret key to the healing of each other. She then began a Master’s degree in Contemplative Psychotherapy and Buddhist Psychology in 2014 at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She developed expertise in working with individuals undergoing transition and experiencing loss from her work as a grief counselor in a local hospice and home visits with elders. She is certified through the Maiberger Institute to provide Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) for clients seeking therapy for trauma and PTSD. Her therapeutic work is influenced through a client-centered approach, Internal Family Systems (or “parts work,”) movement and attachment theory, rites of passage/ritual, Polyvagal/nervous system, and depth psychology. She provides individual therapy for young adults and adults who are struggling with trauma, anxiety, depression, life transitions, grief, relationship issues & other mental health issues.
With her clients, Jessica establishes an environment of warmth and safety that can support vulnerability, exploration and authentic self-care. She feels passionate about guiding individuals into the awareness of reconnecting with themselves so they can discover their own uniqueness, strength and self-esteem, while also learning the essential practice of resourcing healthy coping skills. Jessica discovered through her own therapy that when faced with painfully difficult circumstances how emotional and mental support and guidance can become powerful initiators for growth as well as develop the necessary capacity to thrive, with more ease. Having lived in Boulder for the past 15 years Jessica has a love for the wildness of nature, embodied dance, and body-centered meditation. Jessica offers both in person and virtual sessions.
Brainspotting is a powerful, focused treatment method that works by identifying, processing and releasing core neurophysiological sources of emotional/body pain, trauma, dissociation and a variety of other challenging symptoms. Brainspotting is a simultaneous form of diagnosis and treatment, enhanced with Biolateral sound, which is deep, direct, and powerful yet focused and containing.
Brainspotting functions as a neurobiological tool to support the clinical healing relationship. There is no replacement for a mature, nurturing therapeutic presence and the ability to engage another suffering human in a safe and trusting relationship where they feel heard, accepted, and understood.
Brainspotting gives us a tool, within this clinical relationship, to neurobiologically locate, focus, process, and release experiences and symptoms that are typically out of reach of the conscious mind and its cognitive and language capacity.
Brainspotting works with the deep brain and the body through its direct access to the autonomic and limbic systems within the body’s central nervous system. Brainspotting is accordingly a physiological tool/treatment which has profound psychological, emotional, and physical consequences. (Taken from www.brainspotting.com)
If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, stressed and unsure about how to "reset,” this protocol can help! Developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is an auditory intervention designed to reduce stress and auditory sensitivity while enhancing social engagement and resilience. SSP is based on Dr. Porges’ Polyvagal Theory of nervous system and its regulation.
The process consists of listening to altered music over the course of 5-15 short sessions with the guide of a trained facilitator either in-office or remotely in your own home. This altered music will challenge your vagus nerve to “reset,” helping your nervous system function better, have more flexibility and thereby improving social engagement, emotional reactivity and behavioral regulation. You will complete an intake and then move into the listening portion based on the therapist's recommendation.
The cost is $500 for the full listening program over a 6 week period, paid in full at the beginning of listening. While the minimum time to complete the program is 5 weeks, it is more common to take 6-7 weeks. No refunds will be provided as you are not billed until the process has begun. We offer consultations for you to ascertain if this is the right choice for you. We will treat each case individually and assign the treatment as we believe it is appropriate for you and your nervous system.
The SSP uses the auditory system as a portal to the vagus nerve complex, which controls our physiological state. Once the physiological state is regulated, we can accelerate and enhance subsequent therapy.
The SSP is a research-based therapy showing significant results in just 10 to 20 days in the following areas:
From the comfort of your own home you will listen daily or if needed at a different pace for a suggested listening time each day until the listening is complete. The SSP is not as effective when done one time per week. The frequency is very important.
The program is a minimum of 10 sessions lasting up to 45 minutes. As we administer the protocol in a way that is gentle and kind to your nervous system, you may have more sessions. We cannot tell you how many sessions you will need, as we are responsive to your nervous system and utilize the listening as it is right for you. Slower is better, less is more when using the SSP and helping the nervous system to become more adaptable.
The information provided here is based on the Safe and Sound Protocol page on Integrated Listening System’s website.
Wellness for MIND, BODY and SOUL
