Counselor, Jessica Shea Frey, LCSW
Have you ever experienced flow or that state of operation where you are totally immersed in a feeling of energy, focus, and enjoyment from an activity? We get there by following our values to guide our activities. Jessica approaches counseling and consulting from a values-based perspective, guiding her clients to investigate and solidify their core values and work toward rebuilding their lives, or their company, around these beliefs so they can experience flow.
Jessica is experienced in these areas:
Integrative Behavioral Health, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Holistic Wellness, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Mindfulness Based Therapies, Expressive Arts Based Therapies, Rapid Trauma Resolution, Christianity, Buddhism, Contemplative Practices, The Sinclair Method and Trauma Informed Substance Recovery, Consciousness Expansion Therapies, Psychedelic Assisted Therapies, Mental Health Care Technology & Innovation, Transformative Breath-work, Business Growth and Development, Non-profit leadership & Career Counseling
Jessica’s Schedule and Fees:
Jessica works M-F, 9-5, with limited after 5 pm availability
Jessica is in network with Optum, Humana, BC/BS, Tricare, Cigna, Meritain, Aetna, and accepts Ryan White Grants. Self pay rate is $125 per session and Tele-Therapy rate for clients outside of Tennessee is $125 per session
Jessica works out of the Princeton House location and there are 2 dogs at this location
Jessica is the the founder and CEO of Forward Counseling and has 20 years of experience as a business owner and entrepreneur. She is also the founder and Executive Director of You Can Sit With Us, which offers B2B coaching and consulting. She has served on numerous non-profit boards across town and is a passionate Memphian, trauma survivor and healer. She has helped people overcome severe childhood trauma, overcome depression and harness the energy of anxiety or anger. She has helped some of those same people go on to launch profitable and fulfilling startups.
Jessica offers individual and group supervision towards LCSW or LPC. Jessica also offers B2B Counseling
Group Supervision: $55 per hour, no cost to FC Staff or Interns
Friday Wine Down, 5-6PM, Fridays in Memphis at Princeton House Location, wine and snacks served
Tuesdays from 5-6PM
Wednesday 6PM-7PM
Individual Supervision: $125 per hour, no cost to full time FC Staff
Business Consulting through You Can Sit With Us $ 125 per hour, no charge to full time FC staff
Register or schedule supervision or business consulting by emailing the front desk at officemanager@forwardcounseling.com
Jessica’s Education and Experience:
In 2004, Jessica received a Bachelors in Liberal Arts, Concentration in Comparative Religion from University of Memphis. Jessica has extensive knowledge of Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam and how each impacts culture, values, and behavior. In 2004, She also earned the Distinguished Special Research Project award from University of Memphis for writing and illustrating 3 children’s books based on cross cultural research to normalize feelings and validate rites of passage for American children.
In 2009, Jessica earned her Masters in the Science of Social Work from University of Tennessee in Downtown Memphis focusing on Clinical Mental Health of individuals, groups and families.
In 2012, Jessica earned her LCSW after 3 years of supervision and training from Cathy Houpt, LCSW and Sarah Hamil, PhD.
Jessica has extensive training in Cognitive Behavior Therapy/Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy and has over 10 years of experience working with CBT techniques.
Jessica has over 13 years of experience helping people overcome PTSD. Jessica has confidence that you can overcome whatever trauma has happened to you. She is a trauma survivor and can facilitate your journey to recover those parts that were fragmented by trauma and help you rediscover joy, happiness, and pleasure Jessica was trained in several techniques to help clients quickly resolve the uncomfortable emotional charge on traumatic memories. Jessica is currently in training to become EMDRIA Certified and utilizes EMDR when it is appropriate. Jessica is a trained member of the Institute for Rapid Resolution Therapy and is trained in RRT and Clinincal Hypnotherapy.
Jessica has 15 hours of Psychodrama Training from John Rasberry, M.Ed., LMFT, CP, PAT, who is the Founder of The Midsouth Center for Psychodrama and Sociometry and integrates these techniques to make therapy interesting and emotionally healing.
Jessica has over 20 years of experience in Contemplative Practices beginning with with Yoga in 1993. She is familiar with Christian Contemplative Practices, Buddhist Contemplative Practices, and Secular Contemplative Practices. Since 2010, Jessica has been studying Zen Buddhism, mindfulness, meditation, compassion, and resilience under Thich Naht Hahn, Joan Halifax and Sister Dang Nghiem. Jessica has spent time with each of them at their monasteries over the past 10 years. Read about one experience here.
Jessica has 20 years of experience with Consciousness Expansion Practices and enjoys end of life, addiction, or life transition work. She can facilitate referrals to programs across the US, Costa Rica, Brazil and Mexico. Jessica works with clients to integrate psychedelic experiences, create lasting mood and habit changes, and restore ones connection to the self, nature and others.
Jessica has been making art her whole life and understands the creative brain. If you find yourself having difficulty connecting to “vanilla” people, then Jessica might be a good fit for you. She was trained in Expressive Arts Based Therapies from Sarah Hamil, PhD from 2010-2011 and has been utilizing them in practice since 2012. These therapies keep creative people interested and bypass the defense mechanisms for faster healing than talk therapy. In 2016, Jessica curated an art show that was a collaborative effort between artists and clients who are overcoming anxiety. The partnership was a mutual growth process and the result was an Interactive Experiential Art Show at Crosstown Arts called Perfect is Boring.
Jessica has personal and professional experience with Recovery from Problematic Substance Use. The Three C Foundation has certified Jessica as a Verified Provider of The Sinclair Method to help clients with Alcohol Use Disorder.
Jessica understands the Entrepreneur Mindset and has been a business owner, entrepreneur and nonprofit board member for 20 years. Jessica has owned various types of businesses and is invested in Memphis as a community partner. Starting in 1998, Jessica was a board member of the Cooper Young Neighborhood Development Corporation, whose efforts changed the Cooper-Young neighborhood into one of the most popular neighborhoods in the United States. In 2012, She started Forward Counseling which as grown 100% per year since opening. In 2017, she started You Can Sit With Us as a resource for business owners.
Jessica has been working with children, adolescents and families for 20 years now to improve their health, wealth, and communication and is happy to partner with you for results. Jessica has an adult daughter, who is at University of Tennessee Knoxville, studying to become a Master Level Social Worker. To read about her perspective on parenting a college age or adult child, check out her blog here.
Jessica supervises Graduate Students, MSW’s, and LMSW’s on their way to graduation or licensure and has 8 years of experience supervising Interns and 3 years supervising Pre-Licensed Therapist. Jessica has received additional training to teach students the Integrative Behavioral Health Model.
Jessica has over 12 years of experience in Crisis Intervention and Deescalation. She has experience from personal experiences, her training and work in the Downtown VA Emergency Department, working at Compass Intervention and training for two years at Lakeside Hospital. Jessica has over 40 hours of training in Handle With Care to deescalate and stabilize children and adolescents.
Jessica combines cross discipline techniques to get fast results. Jessica has paired up with our mindfulness guide, Dean Graves, to rapidly deescalate clients who are suffering from Suicidal Ideation and PTSD Triggers. Jessica and Dean work together to deescalate suicidal ideation and behavior with focused mindfulness and emotion and trigger mapping techniques. These techniques work in as little as one hour to ground and stabilize a person. Try us before you go inpatient if you are feeling out of control with your mood. For more information, schedule an intake with Jessica.
Interested in Group Therapy? Jessica leads these groups…
Client Video Resources:
Client Book Resources:
Creating Healthy Boundaries:
Parenting and Leadership:
Overcoming Trauma:
Mindfulness and Meditation:
