Apricity Counseling Services

03/28/2026

Dear parents of teens,
I know this stage can feel overwhelming — full of change, uncertainty, and more than a little fear. As a therapist who has walked through it personally with my own kids and professionally with countless families, I want to say this: it is hard. Parenting was never meant to be easy. But just like every stage before it, one day you’ll look back and miss that gangly teenager — the late-night talks, the first formal dance, the first heartbreak, the earliest glimpses of the person they’re becoming.
If we stay locked in our frustrations and fears, we miss the magic happening right in front of us. And that magic is real.
So here’s what the research — and years of clinical experience — keeps pointing to:
When they have an attitude, stay patient. That emotional intensity is your teen’s nervous system doing the hard work of development. When they talk back, stay calm — you’re watching critical thinking emerge in real time. When they take risks, keep the connection open and keep expressing your love out loud. Point out their strengths and celebrate their wins more than you correct their mistakes. Hold boundaries with clear, consistent consequences — but deliver them with calm words, not reactive ones. And no matter what they say or how the day went, don’t stop hugging them goodnight.
The teens who feel genuinely seen, delighted in, and fiercely loved are the ones most likely to keep their parents in the room as they build their independence. Your relationship is your influence — protect it.
You’re doing something hard and important. Keep going. 💙​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Jess

03/27/2026

Last night I had the privilege of introducing the Western Nevada College psychology club to Accelerated Resolution Therapy — and what an incredible group to share it with! Their curiosity and thoughtful questions made for a truly memorable evening. A heartfelt thank you to Jolene Coverston for the honor of being your very first guest presenter!

03/19/2026

03/12/2026

My schedule is officially full, and I am so grateful. 🌿
If you’ve been thinking about reaching out, please don’t let this stop you. Openings can come up at unexpected times and I’m happy to connect you with a trusted colleague who can support you on your journey — because finding the right help matters more than finding my help.
Send me a message and I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction.
I’ll be sure to announce here when a spot opens up — so if you want to stay in the loop, follow along and you’ll be the first to know. 💙

03/09/2026

Last week I was reminded why I do this work. Sitting with clients as they move through something painful — and watching the moment it starts to lift — is something I will never take for granted. Honored doesn’t even cover it. 💚

03/01/2026

Trauma informed therapy is multi-layered and nuanced, especially for people who have experienced on-going traumas through childhood. While there are many practices that can be helpful, I always recommend seeking the support of a licensed therapist trained in integrative approaches that take into consideration the mind-body connection, relationships and attachment, and the political, economic, and societal systems that have the potential to impact healing.

02/28/2026

I had the honor of supporting the women who attended the Women Empowered Seminar this week, and I want to sincerely thank Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Fallon for including me in such a meaningful event. And I’m deeply proud of every woman who stepped onto that mat. What stood out most wasn’t just the physical training.

It was the courage in the room.

The willingness of women to show up.
To try something new.
To move their bodies with intention.
To practice strength — sometimes after life has required them to be strong in ways no one should have to be.

In my work as a trauma therapist, I often sit with women who carry a great deal — responsibilities, memories, hypervigilance, self-doubt — all while appearing “fine” on the outside.

Trauma doesn’t only live in our thoughts.
It can live in muscle tension. In posture. In guarded breathing. In the way we brace for impact without even realizing it.

Spaces like this matter.

From a trauma-informed perspective, I saw:
Safety.
Clear structure.
Choice.
Respect for individual pacing.
Encouragement without pressure.
Attuned leadership.

These principles aren’t accidental — they’re foundational to helping the nervous system feel safe enough to learn something new.

Empowerment isn’t about becoming aggressive.
It’s about restoring agency.
It’s about remembering that your body belongs to you.
It’s about learning that strength and regulation can exist at the same time.

The heart of the staff at Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was evident throughout the seminar. The care they take in how they teach and support women reflects genuine respect for the emotional and physical experiences people bring into the room.

I’m grateful to have been part of it.

🩷A big thank you to these strong amazing women that spent their Saturday morning with us for our 2 hour free Women Empowered Seminar!
Much thanks and appreciation to Jessica Homer of Apricity Counseling Services for her onsite support during our event.
☹️If you missed the event, no worries!
The Women Empowered program lives and is active year round Wednesdays at 6pm and Saturdays at 9am.
Join us, because self-defense begins with the belief that 🩷YOU🩷 are worth defending!

02/21/2026

Teens escalate when they feel unseen.
Partners withdraw when they feel dismissed.

Validation lowers defensiveness.
Resolution or correction can happen after regulation.

Save this for your next hard conversation.

02/19/2026

Whether I’m sitting with a teen who feels misunderstood or a woman carrying too much, the pattern is often the same:

Emotion spikes → body reacts → words escalate → regret follows.

Regulation isn’t about suppressing emotion.
It’s about creating enough space to choose.

Try this next time escalation starts.
Let me know what step feels hardest.

02/18/2026

A Personal Reflection on Why I Do This Work

There are easier niches in therapy.

I could have built a practice that felt lighter. More surface. Less complex.

But there is a reason I didn’t.

I enjoy work with at-risk youth — the ones who are often labeled “defiant,” “oppositional,” or “too much.”
And I enjoy work with high-functioning women — the ones who hold everything together on the outside while quietly carrying overwhelm, trauma, and impossible standards on the inside.

I’m drawn to both for the same reason.

I have always been deeply interested in what’s happening underneath behavior.

Underneath the anger.
Underneath the perfectionism.
Underneath the anxiety.
Underneath the shutdown.

So often, what looks like resistance is actually protection.
What looks like control is actually fear.
What looks like strength is actually exhaustion.

Youth in court-involved systems are rarely “bad kids.” They are often young people who adapted to instability the only way they knew how.

High-functioning women are rarely “fine.” They are often the dependable ones who learned early that love, safety, or belonging required achievement, composure, or self-sacrifice.

I don’t see pathology first.

I see nervous systems that learned to survive.

And I believe healing doesn’t come from shaming those strategies — it comes from honoring them, then gently helping people build new ones.

I also believe in accountability.
Growth requires honesty.
Change requires ownership.

But accountability without compassion creates shame.
And compassion without accountability keeps people stuck.

My work lives in that balance.

If you’re someone who functions well on the outside but feels tired on the inside…
Or you’re raising, mentoring, or working with a young person who seems hard to reach…

I want you to know: I see the deeper story.

And that’s where we begin.

— Jessica

02/13/2026

Thinking about my teens today…

As a trauma therapist who works closely with teens, here’s what I want parents to know:

Adolescence is the stage where young people begin forming their own beliefs. They test ideas. They care deeply about fairness. They want their voice to matter.

When student-led protests come up, it can trigger a lot in parents — fear about safety, fear about influence, fear about the world they’re stepping into.

Those fears make sense.

But shutting down the conversation entirely often shuts down communication, too.

The question isn’t simply “Should they go?”
The more important question is, “How do we guide them wisely?”

Teens need:
• Space to think critically
• Clear conversations about safety
• Boundaries that are thoughtful, not reactive
• Parents who stay regulated enough to lead

You don’t have to agree with your teen’s views to stay connected to them.

And connection is what keeps them coming back to you when things get complicated.

The science:
Research consistently shows that critical thinking in youth develops best in environments that balance warmth, structure, and guided independence. Adolescents strengthen their reasoning skills when adults invite open dialogue, ask thoughtful questions, and tolerate respectful disagreement. Rather than lecturing or shutting ideas down, parents who encourage teens to explain their thinking — and who model curiosity themselves — help build stronger analytical skills. Exposure to diverse perspectives, opportunities to weigh real-world consequences, and explicit reflection on “how do you know?” all sharpen cognitive flexibility.

Equally important, critical thinking depends on emotional regulation and secure relationships. When teens feel safe, connected, and not at risk of losing approval for expressing a view, they are more willing to explore complex ideas and revise their thinking. A calm nervous system supports a thinking brain. In short, critical thinking grows not from control or fear, but from steady guidance, emotional safety, and coached autonomy.

02/13/2026

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Kimberly at Gracie Jiu Jitsu, Fallon and I left feeling genuinely inspired by the work they are doing with women in our community!

I’m thrilled to be joining them on February 21st for their Women Empowered Seminar.

As a trauma therapist, I spend a lot of time helping women process past experiences and build emotional resilience.

And I also believe in embodied empowerment.

Large research trials on empowerment-based self-defense programs have shown:
• Significant increases in self-efficacy
• Stronger boundary setting
• Reduced fear responses
• And measurable reductions in sexual assault rates

But what makes the difference is how the training is delivered.
Trauma-informed spaces prioritize:
• Consent
• Choice
• Collaboration
• Regulation

When done in a consent-based, trauma-informed way, this kind of training isn’t about aggression.
It’s about agency.
It’s about embodied confidence.
It’s about your body learning, “I can move. I can respond.”

My role at the seminar will be to:
• Offer grounding tools in real time
• Normalize nervous system activation
• Support psychological safety alongside physical skill-building

I believe deeply in holistic healing that is not only cognitive.
Sometimes it’s experiential.

I’m honored to support this space and these women.