MEET JACKIE
Why I Built
Narrative Healing
I built Narrative Healing because I wanted therapy to feel human again.
I wanted to create a space where people are not reduced to a diagnosis, a symptom, or the hardest thing they have survived. I wanted therapy to feel warm, honest, creative, and deeply relational. A place where clients could bring the full complexity of their stories and be met with compassion, curiosity, and care.
The name Narrative Healing comes from my grounding in narrative therapy and the belief that our identities and realities are shaped by the stories we tell ourselves and the stories others tell about us. So much of healing, to me, is about slowing down enough to notice those stories. Which ones were handed to us? Which ones were shaped by survival? Which ones still fit? Which ones are we ready to reclaim, question, or rewrite?
Narrative Healing began as my private practice, but I always knew I wanted it to become something bigger. I wanted to build a practice rooted in story, identity, relationships, creativity, and community. A place where clients feel seen and supported, and where the work honors not only what people have been through, but who they are becoming.
The Bigger
Vision
Narrative Healing began as my private practice, but my hope has always been for it to become something more.
I want to build a practice where clients feel deeply seen, clinicians feel supported in growing their voice, and the community has access to honest, meaningful conversations about mental health, relationships, identity, and healthy sexuality.
To me, community integration matters. I do not want Narrative Healing to only exist inside the therapy room. Over time, I hope we continue expanding into groups, workshops, community partnerships, and creative spaces for education and connection.
I also dream about creating a podcast or storytelling space where we can talk openly about the things people often carry quietly. Shame grows in silence, and I believe there is power in naming what so many people experience but rarely say out loud.
As we grow, I also hope Narrative Healing becomes a trusted training site for interns and emerging clinicians. I want this to be a place where clinicians can develop confidence, deepen their clinical identity, and feel supported as they grow into meaningful work.
Narrative Healing is still becoming, but the vision is clear: a practice rooted in story, community, clinical growth, and meaningful impact.
My work extends beyond the therapy room into professional leadership, community-based care, supervision, advocacy, research, creative expression, and service. These roles reflect my commitment to ethical mental health care, counselor development, community connection, and supporting people through complex and meaningful parts of their stories.
American Counseling Association of Iowa
President, 2025–Current
President-Elect, 2024–2025
President-Elect-Elect, 2023–2024
Iowa Professional Health Programs
Committee Member for Pharmacy Professionals, 2024–Current
Iowa Department of Corrections
Group Co-Facilitator, Sex Offender Treatment Programming, 2025–Current
Amanda the Panda with EveryStep
Volunteer Group Co-Facilitator, Traumatic Loss, 2023–Current
Doctoral Research & Dissertation
My PhD research focuses on the lived experiences of adolescents from historically excluded communities who engage in spoken word poetry, with attention to self-expression, emotional processing, identity development, personal growth, and the healing power of voice.
Spoken Word Poetry & Community Writing
Writer and spoken word poet involved in community-based poetry, performance, storytelling, and creative expression.
Through these experiences, I continue to be shaped by the power of community, advocacy, creativity, research, professional service, and healing-centered care. My writing, spoken word poetry, and doctoral research are deeply connected to the foundation of Narrative Healing: the belief that our stories matter, that voice can be healing, and that expression can help us make meaning from what we have lived.