Hey there, I’m Jessica! I grew up in a small town, with first generation Canadian parents, and a desire for the love of winter and the smell of a fresh sheet of ice that I grew up skating on in my backyard that my dad built every year. Throughout my whole life, I identified as an athlete first. I moved away from home in high school. During this time, I felt alone, had difficulty making friends, and found it difficult to adjust. What helped me through this experience was the support and validation from my school counselor. I felt safe, comforted, and grateful for her presence throughout this difficult time in my life. 

Fast forward to attending Robert Morris University as a psychology major. As mentioned, being an athlete was my main identity, even during my undergrad, but eventually I felt reality set in and was forced to consider my options beyond being an athlete. Additionally, I felt the pressure as a first-generation college student to further my education. After much reflection on myself and my identity, and who I wanted to be, I recognized how much my school counselor had impacted me, and I wanted to be that same person for other people. I chose to pursue my master’s in clinical mental health counseling from Duquesne University. 

In my master’s program at Duquesne, I have gained experience working with those living with HIV/AIDS and victims of domestic and sexual violence. I began seeking further training in EMDR (eye-movement desensitization reprocessing), a trauma-informed approach to help clients reprocess past traumatic memories, to help them gain a deeper understanding into how their trauma has affected them. Trauma looks different for everyone. Trauma can be little or big. However, most times, trauma involves a distressful or emotional situation that has impacted someone in some sort of way. By using my training in EMDR, combined with a mindfulness approach, I effectively help clients work through traumatic experiences during the counseling process. 

In addition to these personal and professional experiences, and my love for learning, I am currently pursuing my doctorate degree in Counselor Education and Supervision at Duquesne University. Early in my life and at such a difficult time, I received great support from my school counselor and now reflecting back, I hope to do the same. With my further education, I hope to mentor and become a leader for those in the field, as well as a clinical supervisor and educator to teach and nurture new counseling students. 

Aside from my passion of being a counselor, in my free time, I enjoy traveling, hot yoga, cooking, golfing, and being outdoors.