Psychotherapist

Family Life Coach

Reiki Master Teacher

Founder of the Whole Self-Healing and Whole Self Care Systems

A woman with two children standing in a sunflower field on a sunny day, all smiling. The woman wears a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses, the older boy wears a red cap, and the younger girl has a purple hat.

Hi. I’m Jess.

I am a mom to neurodivergent boys and a passionate advocate for neurodivergent individuals. I have a deep need to commune with nature and have always had a connection to trees, especially oaks, and flowers, especially sunflowers. Being outdoors and in nature has been a key piece of my wellness journey.

Our family’s path to peace has involved my own physical, emotional, and spiritual healing, my children’s physical and emotional healing, their dad’s emotional and spiritual healing, and inter-generational healing.

Our path also involved finding a way to meet everyone’s needs, making sure no one’s individual needs were sacrificed in the process.

When traditional methods weren’t enough, I created the tools we needed to heal.

The Whole Self-Healing and Whole Self Care Systems are the culmination of these creations.

This is my journey:

I developed failure to thrive as an infant and grew up with trauma. Now I help you heal trauma and break cycles.

I struggled to stay in school and was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 19. I learned to manage my symptoms with nutrition and exercise. Now I teach you how to do the same.

 I struggled with chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction for over a decade. I was told I wouldn’t be able to have children. I healed myself back to health with energy medicine and nutrition. Now I teach you how to heal yourself.

I struggled as a new mom to a child with autism, ADHD, and giftedness. Now I help these beautiful beings, and you, their caretaker, find holistic solutions.

I lost my father when I was 17 and lost all four of my siblings by the time I was 45. After a lifetime of suppressing my grief, I learned how to heal through it and release the pain while still maintaining my connection to my loved ones. Now I’m here to help you heal through your grief.

I survived cancer by integrating holistic solutions into my treatment and leaning on my community, who nurtured and healed me. Now I’m passionate about helping you navigate your healing journey and finding your own path to peace.

Professional Credentials and Experience

Insured by Health Providers Service Organization and the Healing Touch Professional Association

Licensed Psychotherapist (Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate)

Master of Social Work (Clinical Concentration)

Family Life Coach and Educator

Reiki Master Teacher

Career:

I served with as a victim witness specialist with the United States Attorney’s Office (US Department of Justice). My role included assisting federal prosecutors in preparing victims of violent crime to testify in federal court.

I was a high school English teacher to at-risk students for five years and coordinator of the AVID program, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination.

I began studying Reiki in 2012. I went on to become a Reiki Master and studied six energy healing systems, becoming a master of four. I also trained in past life regression with Dr. Brian Weisz, a psychiatrist and author of the New York Times bestseller “Many Lives, Many Masters” at the prestigious Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY.

I taught meditation, Reiki, and served as an energy medicine therapist through my first business practice, Real World Reiki, which I founded in 2016 before rebranding in 2020 when I designed the Whole Self-Healing System (formerly Evolution Energetics).

I have worked as a wellness and parenting writer for wellness and parenting sites and magazines.

I began my career in mental health in Community Based Family Services, working with adolescents and their families through the Family Centered Treatment program. I am certified in the Family Centered Treatment model.

I am currently working in Community Based Family Services, providing mental health services in the home for children five and under and their caregivers through the Child First program. I am currently working towards my certification in Parent-Child Psychotherapy.

I plan to stay in Community Based Family Services while I work towards my full clinical license over the next 18 months. I then plan to either join or open my own integrative private practice.

Academics and Research:

I graduated from Stony Brook University with a BA in English.

I then attended East Carolina University to obtain my teaching certification.

After leaving teaching to stay home with my first biological child and open my holistic practice, I earned my graduate certificate in Family Life Coaching and Education from NC State University in May of 2020.

I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a Master of Social Work (clinical concentration) in May of 2024.

While at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, I assembled an integrative panel for social work field supervisors, students, and faculty. The panel was entitled “Shifting the Paradigm: Integrating Holistic Modalities and Mental Health.”

I then created a self-care model and implemented the WHOLE Self Care Pilot Program for undergraduate and graduate social work and exercise science students. I collaborated with over 25 practitioners in the fields of medicine, psychotherapy, coaching, holistic health and wellness, addiction recovery, authors, and podcast hosts.

I then assembled an interdisciplinary research team and served as the principal investigator on the evaluative research study. The study measured participants anxiety and perceived stress before and after completing the Whole Self Care pilot program. Participants showed statistically significant decreases in anxiety and perceived stress after the program.

Let’s connect!

Interested in working together? Fill out some info and Jess will be in touch shortly. Can’t wait to connect!