Hey There

My name is Jessica Robinson, but you can call me Jessi. I am a Kansas City girl, born and raised. I grew up in the Johnson County area and graduated from University of Kansas (Rock Chalk!). I have a Master's degree in clinical social welfare, but my undergraduate degrees are in journalism and religious studies. I know, not exactly a common path to social work and therapy, but it was mine. I've always had a passion for writing and print journalism. I worked on the University Daily Kansan, and spent most of my college days either in the library or the newsroom. During undergrad, I decided to take an introduction class to social work, and the rest was history. It was my big "Aha!" moment. Everything just clicked after that.

Some more personal aspects of who I am:
I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister and a friend. I spend every free moment I have with my husband and our beautiful children. I am also a bit of a plant hobbyist, as I am sure you will immediately notice when entering the office. Believe it or not, I have close to 100 houseplants in my collection and dream of building my own greenhouse one day. Outside of spending time with my family and friends, I enjoy traveling, baking and watching scary movies. I am forever on the hunt for the next best scary movie. Recommendations are welcomed and encouraged.

All About Me

As a social worker and therapist, I strive to honor the significance and complexity of the human experience through an integrative, modern and holistic approach to psychotherapy. I think I've always held the values of a social worker but just never knew what to call them or that I could actually make a career out of them, and for that I feel grateful. The few that speak most closely to my heart are: social justice, service, dignity and worth of a person and importance of human relationships. I am an introvert and spend most of my time in my head---observing and analyzing. For those of you who are familiar with or care about personality types, I am an INFJ. Take from that what you will, even if it's nothing. I encourage you to be thoughtful and to take your time when trying to find the right therapist. There is nothing wrong with shopping around a little bit. When I hear people say, "therapy doesn't work for me," my first thought is usually that they just haven't found the right one. Clinical approaches aside, you are not always going to jive with every therapist on a personal level, so finding the right fit is usually more than half the battle. It truly does make all the difference.

I have worked in various therapeutic roles within the child welfare and foster care system since 2016. I am currently still a therapist in the foster care system and split my time working with adolescents and with adults/parents who are struggling with substance use. The majority of my work has been in complex trauma, substance use disorders, life transitions, relationship and communication issues, loss and grief, anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation. Please let me know if you ever want to hear more about my career in foster care! I'd be more than happy to share!

So, the big question: why did I become a therapist? I know it's kind of corny, but have you heard the saying, "be who you needed when you were younger"? That is why. I was pretty rowdy in my younger years (to put it mildly). I have a complex trauma history, and often struggled in school and with authority. Most of my life prior to adulthood was spent feeling lost and misunderstood. It took me a long time to learn that I wasn't just inherently "bad" or different, and equally as much time to learn that I was worthy of feeling happiness, fulfillment and peace. So yes, it may be corny, but my primary goal as a therapist is to connect, to build a relationship that is free of judgment or ridicule and to be the person I needed when I was at my lowest.