Meet Jen

Jen is the Owner, CEO, and Clinical Director of Peaceful Healing Counseling Services. She earned her Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling from Trinity Christian College and has been passionately serving individuals and families since 2019. Jen is licensed to practice in both Illinois and Indiana.

At the heart of Jen’s work is a deep commitment to advocating for children and adolescents. Inspired by her own personal experiences growing up and feeling misunderstood during difficult seasons of life, Jen made it her mission to become a strong, compassionate voice for children who may feel unheard, overlooked, or unsupported. She believes every child deserves to feel safe, respected, emotionally understood, and empowered to thrive. Her behavior modification approach is rooted in advocacy, collaboration, and helping families better understand the unique emotional and behavioral needs of their children. 

Jen specializes in working with children, teens, adults, couples, and families facing a wide range of mental health and behavioral challenges. She has extensive formal training in pediatric behavioral concerns, ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, parenting struggles, and sensory-related challenges. She is especially passionate about helping parents navigate difficult behaviors with compassion, understanding, and practical support while ensuring children feel validated rather than judged.

In addition to her work with children and families, Jen has a deep-rooted passion for supporting individuals struggling with trauma, PTSD, complex PTSD, anxiety, depression, OCD, and other mental health concerns. Her therapeutic approach is compassionate, empowering, and tailored to each client’s unique needs and strengths. Jen is certified in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (C-DBT) and is formally trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP), and Trauma-Informed Therapy (TF-CBT). She is also currently pursuing certification in Narcissistic Abuse Recovery.

Throughout her career, Jen has worked across multiple levels of care, including inpatient hospitalization, Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP), Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP), and outpatient therapy settings. This diverse clinical experience has allowed her to support individuals and families through acute crises, complex trauma, emotional dysregulation, and long-term healing journeys with both clinical expertise and compassion.

Jen’s favorite quote is: “Keep your face always toward the sunshine — and shadows will fall behind you.” – Walt Whitman. She carries this belief into both her life and her practice, leading with hope, empathy, and an unwavering dedication to helping children and families heal, grow, and feel truly seen.

Outside of clinical work, Jen is a published author of two mental health books, with a children’s book currently in production under her brand, JenTheCounselor. She enjoys gardening, writing, reading, and taking long walks with her husband and their dog, Izzy—simple moments that help her stay grounded and connected to the peace she encourages in others.