WBA was founded by mental health clinicians who have been working with young people for more than twenty years. Based in education and experience in mental health and wellness.
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As a licensed clinical social worker, Jen has developed, implemented, and coordinated school-based wellness services for students and their families. Her extensive experience includes the provision of : on campus individual, group, and family counseling; crisis intervention; clinical consultation for parents, school administration, faculty and counselors; development and delivery of comprehensive health and wellness curriculum; coordination of school-wide health awareness events; design and implementation of school health policies; and the promotion of a positive overall school climate. In addition to her school-based work, Jen owns and operates a private psychotherapy practice serving adolescents, adults, and families in the Bay Area, as well as a nationwide coaching practice where she supports individuals in achieving their goals. Jen believes that in order to truly raise a generation of successful, healthy individuals, we must first lay a strong foundation, educating the entire child for life outside the classroom.
Jenene has been providing school-based counseling services to youth for over 15 years. As a researcher, health educator, behavioral interventionist, and licensed psychotherapist, Jenene’s career spans a wide breadth of settings and populations. From the analysis of cognitive development in preschoolers to the investigation of how exercise and nutrition directly influence positive outcomes in overall physical health, Jenene is well versed in transforming research into practice. As a school-based mental health counselor, Jenene has offered individualized psychotherapy to students and their families, as well as clinical consultation for school faculty. In her most recent role as a high school health and wellness educator, Jenene has created and implemented a unique curriculum designed specifically for the population she now serves. Her work with adolescents has revealed the need for earlier intervention and implementation of school-based wellness programming, as the majority of teens have already faced a number of physical, social and emotional challenges prior to entering high school.
With 20 years of leadership in the school wellness movement, Jessica helps grow the San Francisco Wellness Initiative into a nationally recognized model, and pioneered the development of Wellness Centers join other districts. Her training as a social worker, public health practitioner, school counselor, and school administrator, affords her in dynamic and relatable lens for implementing school wellness. her work has been featured in The New York Times, SF Chronicle, Marin Magazine, ETR Publications, and the Marin Independent Journal.
Jessica believes that school is where kids learn life, that even teen needs and deserves an adult in their corner, and that young people have the resilience, bravery, and leadership promise to transform the way that teens and adults navigate adolescent health and wellness. She also know that schools are the very best place to support teens, and because those schools already carry a heavy load, they could use a solid partner in fostering the climate and conditions for teens to thrive.