About Jen
I was young when I realized I wanted to become a counselor. A victim of bullying and suffering from low self-esteem, I asked to see someone. What I learned from that search is that sometimes a good therapist is hard to come by, and I ended up more depressed.
Removed from the bullies, and finding solid friendships and a passion for music my life slowly began to get better, but I still remembered that sad little girl that felt unlovable. In 2001 I graduated with a BA in English and Psychology, and in 2003 I finished my MS in Community Counseling. A week before graduation I got my first job doing crisis response for children and teens in SE Tennessee. I knew then that I was in the right career for me.
A couple years later I returned back to the DC metro (where I grew up) and worked in an emergency room just outside of SE DC doing crisis assessments and overnight monitoring.
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In 2007, I moved west to Oklahoma. Love can make us do big things. I married my grad-school boyfriend and worked as a group therapist in a geriatric mental health clinic-- a BIG change from that DC ER. A few years later I completed my LPC Supervisor qualifications, which allowed me to supervisor and help train new counseling graduates... and then I had kids. .... and more kids.... and my occupational work took a back seat.
My youngest turned 4 in 2020 and became a part-time PreK student at the same school as her older brother and sisters attended, and mommy went back to school too.
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By that time everything had gone a bit haywire in the world. I remember watching the news and seeing the terrible toll COVID-19 was taking on some communities in NYC and realizing the kids in those communities had nowhere safe to play outside of their small apartment, while my own kids had massive fields to run around in, lakes to swim in, and trees to climb. It didn't seem fair. Our family was growing closer and having extra time to explore the local natural areas, and kids in the cities were losing friends and family at alarming rates.
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At the same time, I came across an article- in the early 1900s, as a result of a TB outbreak, many schools went outside to fight the illness and keep their kids safe... and it worked! What if that could work for us, now? My Ph.D. research took on a life of its own, exploring how and why nature makes us better, reading the positive results of studies on Wilderness and Adventure Therapies, and looking at success rates, health rates, happiness rates of students and individuals with access to green spaces (especially when compared to those with less access). The unofficial title of my Doctoral Thesis is "The Increased Development of Outdoor Education in Urban Areas as a Result of COVID-19. Is it Sustainable, and Do We Want it to Be?" (Yeah, it's a mouthful, I know). But really-- what kind of world could we live in, what kind of people would we be, if refocused on the life and growth outside our doors, away from our TVs and Computers? (Not saying that those are flat out bad, I mean, I'm typing on a computer right now-- but did you know that kids get something like 60% more steps in for PE when it is held outside instead of a gym!!??!!)
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I know the love of the outdoors started early in me, and not everyone has that. Not everyone will geek out the way I do. And that's OK. But-- maybe this new approach might just be what we all need to find better health and increased happiness. I'm excited to find it for myself, and I'm excited to help you find it as well.
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My Training and Certifications
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Licensed Professional Counselor
Oklahoma
Since 2007
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Credentialed Supervisor Status
Oklahoma
Since 2009
Through NBCC
Since 2023
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Nationally Certified Counselor
Since 2003
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Education
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Doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision 2021-2024
National Louis University, Tampa, FL
Including Research in Nature-Based Counseling Practices and Wellness
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Researcher Associated with Swansea University 2020-2021
Swansea University, Wales, UK
Outdoor Education: Urban Outdoor Ed in response to COVID-19
With Special Considerations on Wellness and Equity
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Masters of Science Outdoor Education 2021-Currrent Student
Southern Adventist University, Collegedale, TN
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Masters of Science Community Counseling- 2003
Southern Adventist University, Collegedale, TN
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Bachelors of Arts
Psychology- 2001
English- 2002
Southern Adventist University, Collegedale, TN