Wholeness Healing Center

Hello, I'm
Jessica Kingsley

Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner

Jessica Kingsley,  LICSW LIMHP (she, her, hers), graduated from the University of Omaha in 2010 with a Master’s in Social Work. She earned a Bachelor’s in Social Work and Political Science from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 2003.  She has been practicing in the field of Social Work for 18 years, and in the clinical setting for twelve years in a variety of states.  She is currently licensed in the state of Colorado and Nebraska and holds past licenses in the state of New Mexico.

As a therapist, Jess believes in relationship. She believes that connection heals. She believes that a therapeutic bond serves this purpose and strongly encourages her clients to be sure that the therapeutic alliance is ‘a fit.’  “Shop around for your therapist! Finding a therapist that you like and can trust is the most important part of therapy because you will be vulnerable with this person. You have to be able to trust this person with moving you into the pain and through it so you can heal.” She commonly uses a strengths-based style coupled with humor especially when working with children (and grumpy adults).

Experience

Jess began her clinical experience as a Child and Family Therapist at a Residential Treatment Facility in Albuquerque where she had the opportunity to train with Dr. Bruce Perry through a statewide trauma-informed pilot initiative. While providing services at the subacute level, she quickly became the lead therapist on the Children’s Unit. While there, she further developed skills in assessment and intake with the role of diagnosing and referring children and families to an appropriate level of care. After her son was born, she went to work as a Multisystemic Therapist (MST) for the Child and Family Therapy Center of Santa Fe where she was hired as part of the Juvenile Court system to counsel troubled youth and their families. She hustled it in Albuquerque’s south valley providing these intensive in-home services and helping kids get their lives back on track. During her time in New Mexico, she worked in several different school settings as a school-based therapist and briefly as a school social worker. She also served as the Director of Clinical Services for an agency that specialized in treating children and families touched by Autism. After her family relocated to Denver, she served as the Mental Health and Disabilities Coordinator for a Head Start school in Denver. She enjoys a breadth of experience in diagnosing and treating neurodevelopmental delays. She has remained in private practice over the years as a side hustle, providing treatment for children, tweens, teens and families. For the past four years, she has worked as a school-based mental health therapist at Denver Health’s School Based Health Clinics.

Trainings

Jess is trained in Sand Tray Therapy, Play Therapy, Theraplay, EMDR, Neurofeedback, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Nurtured Heart, Psychodrama (a form of narrative therapy), Multi Systemic Therapy and highly skilled in providing advanced trauma-informed interventions. She has advanced EMDR training with Anna Gomez, and skillfully utilizes parents and the attachment to renegotiate and process trauma.  She has received advanced trainings in Occupational Therapy to integrate therapeutic interventions that include the treatment of Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD and integration of the nervous system. She considers herself a strong ally to the LGBTQ + community. During COVID, she quickly adapted her practice to deliver each of these treatment modalities virtually. ‘While telehealth was tough to get used to, in the long run people now love it. They don’t have to drive to an appointment in the middle of a busy day.’ She is currently training her Portuguese Water Dog, Rocky, to take the ‘Therapy Dog Good Canine Citizen Test’ in early 2021. Rocky is often present, even in virtual sessions, to assist clients with understanding their nervous system and how to regulate it.

Personal

Jessica has been married to her handsome partner, Scott for over ten years. Their hilarious son, Aiden- known for his fine comedic timing- joined them nine years ago. Rocky joined the Kingsley family just in time for the Pandemic to begin.