Adults

Hi! I am Teresa, a clinical social worker who is passionate about supporting adoptees, first/birth families and adoptive families. I am an adoptive parent with extensive experience supporting my child through relational trauma, transitions, neurodevelopment differences and sensory. I also have a long professional history of supporting family reunification, birth parent rights, open permanency set ups and culturally appropriate permanency outcomes.

HELP Program Specialist with over a decade of direct work experience in Child Welfare in five Midwestern states; specifically in foster care, adoption (foster care/ international/ domestic infant), foster care licensing, crisis intervention, and school social work. 

Address:
Foster Adopt Minnesota
2446 University Ave. W
Suite 140
Minneapolis, MN 55114

I am an outpatient therapist who is also a transracial adoptee. I work with populations ages 9-35 at this moment. I apply multi approaches and modalities such as ACT, DBT Skills, IFS, Interpersonal therapy, CBT/TF-CBT. I will be certified in PCIT fairly soon. I strive to be culturally competent and incorporate faiths of all backgrounds to support my clients. I also incorporate parents into my sessions with working with kids. I work with a lot of children and adults who have been been adopted or part of the child welfare system. I also will be trained in EMDR in the next few years.

Enhancing the well-being of families in our community by addressing the safety and well-being needs of the individuals, family, and community which includes but is not limited to: connecting individuals and families to resources, advocating for clients and my community, and practicing with cultural competence.

Address:
Cass County Health, Human and Veterans Services
400 Michigan Ave W.
Walker, MN 56484

My vocational calling is to support the psychological and spiritual well-being of children, adolescents, and adults within adoptive, foster, and kinship family systems. My specialties involve working with individuals navigating adoption- and foster-related transitions, grief and loss, identity development, early and complex trauma, and attachment disruptions, as well as developmental differences and relational challenges. I approach this work with an understanding of how these experiences unfold across the lifespan and within the context of family and relational systems.

I am a Korean American transracial, transcultural, and transnational adoptee, a licensed clinical social worker, and the co-owner of a group mental health practice in Minneapolis. I also serve as the co-interim Director of Training and Clinical Supervision, supporting clinical trainees and pre-licensed therapists through developmentally informed supervision, training, and mentorship. In these roles, I intentionally balance direct clinical work with leadership and systems-level work to support both ethical practice and sustainable care.

Jessica has worked in the mental health field providing services to children and families since 2002 and has been with North Homes Children and Family Services since 2016. She has worked in community and school-based services, with homeless families and single women, adults with severe and persistent mental illness, and in the day treatment setting. Jessica provides services in the office setting and school setting to children from early childhood through adolescence. She uses client-centered, solution-focused services, and cognitive behaviors therapy with her clients.

Areas of Interest/Specialty: Adoption/Foster Care, Trans-Racial Adoption, Trauma, FASD, Anxiety, Depression, Grief and Loss, ADHD, Autism, Developmental or Learning Disability

Licensure: Licensed Independent Social Worker in the State of Minnesota, Board Approved Supervisor with the Minnesota Board of Social Work

I have been a social worker for almost 20 years. I enjoy a varied caseload of young children (up to 10 years old), adults, and geriatric clients. Most of my adult clients meet the criteria of serious and persistent mentally ill. I am also a Certified Play Therapist and utilize a variety of approaches that are individualized to the child. I completed the Infant and Toddler Mental Health Certificate Program in 2009 and will complete the Adoption Competency Certificate Program in 2013.

Therapy is a powerful and individual process that can help reduce symptoms, build tools to deal with stressors and is a mutual relationship that encourages growth. I am here to help support, guide and problem solve through the use of assessment, treatment plans, and outpatient therapy.