Jessica Parks (she/her)

I have extensive experience working with teens and young adults during the "coming out" process with their families, specifically within the context of the particular cultural difficulties in conservative Christian families. Personally, I identify as queer, and am actively engaged in advocacy and organizing work in my community.

I work with adolescent and preadolescents (11+) on the particular struggles related to social, hormonal, and environmental changes during that challenging period of life. I have particular experience and expertise working with adolescents with self-injurous behaviors.

Life is full of transitions, and I work with adjustment issues from an Acceptance and Commitment framework, assisting clients to move through challenging adjustments while consistently seeking after what matters most to them. I was a 2019-2020 Contextual Behavior Fellow, where I received specific intensive training on treating adjustment disorders in this manner.

I recently completed a Contexual Behavior Fellowship with the University of Chicago, during which both DBT and ACT were a focus of intensive training and practice. While DBT is traditionally practice with a group therapy componant, it can still be incredibly impactful with individual therapy sessions alone.

I have completed several continuing education hours on CBT, including some specifically related to grief. I utilize CBT skills with most of my clients, and enjoy the impact that these strategies can have immediately in client quality of life.

ACT was an area of focus in my recent fellowship with Univeristy of Chicago. In addition to practicing ACT with clients, I also live ACT in my personal life. Comitted action in the direction of your values is a life-changing strategy for growth and change.

I treat anxiety disorders, from generalized anxiety disorder to social phobia to obsessive compulsive disorder. I specialize treating anxiety from an ACT perspective, where anxiety is acknowledged and accepted, rather than constantly battled. Exposure and response preventions strategies, as well as comitted action and behavior changes, can make significant improvements in quality of life over time.

I work with individuals, as well as partners and families, as they navigate the complexities of ethical non-monogamy. The focus of this work often centers around building collaborative relationship agreements, improving communication skills, and building healthy attachment.