About Jackie

Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor 
Author | Speaker | Clinician | Professor

Experienced. Certified. Supportive.

Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Jackie has a multicultural background and is trilingual, providing services in English, Portuguese and Spanish to clients with a wide variety of mental health diagnoses and substance use disorders. She has over 15 years of proven experience in the field of counseling.
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Jackie is passionate about helping others succeed in improving their mental health and overall wellbeing so they can live an optimal and healthy life. She utilizes Positive Psychology concepts and Motivational Interviewing which are both a form of strength-based approaches. Motivational Interviewing has been defined as “a collaborative, person-centered form of guiding to elicit and strengthen motivation to change.” Jackie also uses an informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

Jackie's educational journey is impressive! She completed her Bachelor's degree in Social Work at Universidade Federal Fluminense. She obtained specialized training in Addiction Counseling and became a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor soon after finishing her studies. She went on to obtain a Master's degree in Counseling and Psychological Service at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota and became a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor. As a life long learner, Jackie did not stop there! She started her Doctor of Psychology program in 2019 and is currently continuing her doctoral studies.