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ˈmäksē

Force of character; determination; nerve; vigor; verve; pep; courage; resolve; spunk; tenacity; skill; know-how. The ability to face difficulty with spirit and courage.

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"If we understand story then we can help with symptoms because story is embedded in those symptoms." -Diane Lynn Barnes, PsyD

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My formal education focused on psychology and clinical social work. My professional experiences have been in public schools, hospitals and outpatient clinics, U.S. Military, international nonprofits, universities and various community settings. I currently have a private practice office in Napa, and I provide "teletherapy" via Zoom and by phone to clients in California and Texas.

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My therapy training began in public schools with special education, K-12. I counseled children with mental health concerns and led life skills' groups. I worked intensively in an alternative school setting with students burdened by emotional concerns and unable to attend classes at the main campus.

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I spent most of the next decade working in hospitals, both pediatric and adult units, assessing and responding to a variety of issues including devastating diagnoses, chronic health conditions, end of life issues, infertility and pregnancy loss, postpartum depression, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, trauma, sexual assault and mental health crises.  During this time, I taught and supervised University of Texas at Austin Graduate School of Social Work students. After ten years, I shifted out of the hospital setting to a project as a therapist lead of an integrated behavioral healthcare network where I helped build a program for providing mental health and case management to a pediatric and family medical practice serving 30,000 low income families. 

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Through being steeped in the medical model, I noticed the disconnect between people's experiences of trauma and the prescribed traditional mental health modalities of the time. It wasn't that they weren't helpful, but that often, people needed more, as if the conventional psychological language didn't "have the right words" for their experiences because it missed understanding sensations as the "mother tongue". 

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"Being able to feel safe with other people is probably the single most important aspect of mental health; safe connections are fundamental to meaningful and satisfying lives." - Bessel A. van der Kolk

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An opportunity led me to England for two years as a contract social worker for the U.S. Air Force, where I managed a prevention and education campaign related to new parent support and family violence prevention. I educated Airmen and families on topics such as stress and anger management, PTSD, resilience, healthy dating, couple's communication and parenting, while co-facilitating support groups on chronic medical conditions. During this time, I also worked with Airmen and families on managing stress before and after deployments and transitioning to civilian life after a military career.

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After a brief return to the U.S. to study Spanish at the Defense Language Institute of Monterey, I moved to South America and worked in a non-therapy role for the U.S. Embassy while volunteering with a Chilean nonprofit. During this time, I researched advances in counseling and coaching methodology. Although I have a working knowledge of Spanish, I do not provide services in Spanish at this time.

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"The fundamental challenges we face today have come about relatively quickly, but our nervous systems have been much slower to change.... If you were to be asked how you feel when you are stressed or in pain, a common answer might be, “I feel anxious” or “I feel upset.” It’s important to go further by becoming curious about how you know that you’re feeling anxious or upset. Is there a tightness or burning that is happening right now inside of you that you are labeling “anxiety” or “upset”?”."  - Peter A. Levine

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In 2014, my family relocated to Napa and welcomed a child. After treating parents for postpartum depression and anxiety, I experienced childbirth as a trauma and became aware of a need for expanded maternal mental health support in my community. I added somatic interventions to my private practice as well as modalities that centered around healing trauma. This grew into a greater awareness of the lack of support around women's transformative life stages and Moxie Women's Health was born.

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For almost two decades, I have honed my clinical expertise from problem-focused to possibility-focused. While suffering is inherent to being human, efforts aimed at prevention as well as treatment move healing toward hope and resilience for future generations. Read more here.

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I welcome the opportunity to support you.

-Jen