Hi, I’m Jess

I am so glad you are here

I am a licensed psychotherapist, certified clinical trauma professional, artist, author and founder of Healing Art Retreats.

I graduated in 2011 from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a Bachelor’s in Clinical Psychology and in 2013 from Springfield College with a Master’s of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

During my undergraduate education I worked and trained as an Autism Specialist providing play therapy and assessments to children under 3. During my undergraduate career I also spent significant time as doctoral research fellow conducting behavioral coding and data analysis.

As a graduate student, I completed my internship hours as a psychiatric intern on the Adult Psychiatric Treatment Unit at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts where I completed clinical hours necessary to begin working as a pre-licensed mental health counselor.

Following completion of my graduate degree, I worked in various settings gathering clinical hours in order to ascertain independent licensure as a psychotherapist. I began my first years as a post graduate clinician providing in-home therapy and completing mental health crisis evaluations for the Hampshire County crisis team. Evaluations where done on call in the community, emergency rooms, jails and beyond. From that work, I transitioned into counseling a group of young men on a maximum security youth detention/stabilization unit.

Easing out of the intensity of crisis, acute mental health and corrections, I transitioned into outpatient psychotherapy and held a 100+ client caseload working in a high volume community mental health center in Springfield, MA. It is in this role thatI started to forge a path to building a private practice that would allow me to build the niche and specialized practice that I run today.

In my time working as an outpatient therapist, I was fortunate enough to be awarded a full scholarship to complete a month long, intensive Hatha Yoga and meditation teacher training in the jungles of Costa Rica. It is here where I started furthering my exploration of Zen Buddhism and Eastern approaches to the mind, body and spirit. Following completion of my Yoga and meditation teacher certifications, I received receiving level 1 and level 2 Reiki attunements. I also began to train in expressive art therapy and somatic therapy. This combination of clinical training and holistic, somatic and meditation training informed the foundation of my current approach to healing and it quite frankly, saved my life.

In 2017 I became independently licensed in the state of Massachusetts and began my private practice, working primarily with college aged women/non-binary individuals and fellow therapists. Since opening my practice, my focus has primarily become helping acults identify, overcome, process and heal from complex trauma — specifically emotional abuse, complex familial trauma and domestic abuse/neglect. I also have a passion and expertise for working with individuals looking to further understand their unique neurotype and how our nervous system is hard-wired for stress, anxiety and burnout.

My clinical work runs deep and asks the questions others may be afraid to ask. Our work will provide understanding, grace, balance and calm amidst chaos. Together we will utilize multiple tools for expression beyond traditional talk therapy including expressive arts, somatic experiencing, mindfulness based stress reduction, parts work and more. I am also an experienced and confident diagnostician and I find a great deal of passion helping clients deconstruct potential misdiagnosis or gain diagnostic clarity.

As of 2025 my private practice has been in operation since 2017 and is consistently full and/or on a waitlist. It is my passion to work with other therapists both in psychotherapy and in consultation format via one on one consultation and group consultation to help prevent and remedy burnout. Feel free to send me an email if you’d like to discuss clinical supervision or consultation.

Services I Offer
Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.
— Pema Chodron

My Approach

Laid Back & relaxing

I do my best to create a relaxed and comforting space for you to express yourself and work through the obstacles in your life, both past and present. There is never a rush to process any of the heavier weight you might be carrying, we will work at whatever pace feels safest for your needs and nervous system.

Trauma Informed

All of the work we do is with the understanding that your nervous system has likely been through quite a bit in your lifetime. My hope is that we can develop a plan to address how your past is impacting your present and how we can rewire your brain and body for healing.

Shame free

All of the work we do is done without the presence of shame, and when it shows up we face it head on and with compassion. I assist individuals in an unconditionally supportive and empathic manner, working to meet you where you are and help you get to where you want to be without the added weight of shame keeping you from meeting your goals.

Mindfulness Based

I offer multiple therapeutic techniques and modalities such as Somatic Experiencing, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Narrative Therapy, Mindfulness Meditation & guided-imagery, journal therapy, deconstruction therapy and expressive therapy techniques including art and yoga therapy.

Together we will navigate the path back home to yourself.