other services

Counseling Supervision

Do you have a masters degree in counseling and currently hold a limited license (LLPC) issued by the state of Michigan? If the answer is “yes”, please keep reading. If the answer is “no”, you may be seeking counseling services.

I use a Psychodynamic approach to supervision, specifically, a supervisory-matrix-centered approach. Because I believe in parallel process, the idea that the “supervisee’s interaction with the supervisor parallel’s the client’s behavior with the supervisee as the therapist” (Haynes, Corey, & Moulton, 2003), I believe the supervisory relationship must attend not only to (1) the material of the client and the supervisee, but also to (2) the examination of the relationship between the supervisor and supervisee.

Groups

There are so many benefits of groups. Well-run groups provide energy, community, and good ideas. Every person has something to offer. Depending on the subject, groups will meet weekly and run from 60-120 minutes. Most groups will run 6-10 weeks. Past subjects include parenting teenagers, childhood trauma, dealing with anxiety, and pornography addiction. I love leading groups and welcome creative ideas if there is a subject that would be of interest to you, let me know. 

Group #2: How to be a good friend

Goal: To learn how to identify and express emotions in an appropriate manner. This group is designed for boys who could grow in social skills: both in how they relate to peers, but also how they relate to parents and other adults. 

 

This group is designed to be consistent with traditional group therapy. There is a robust body of literature on the benefits of group therapy. 

 

Age: 11-15 year old boys

Date: 6 Tuesdays, starting June 21 and ending on July 26

Time: 2:00-3:30 p.m. 

Location: 348 Waverly: Suite #231 Holland, MI

Cost: $50 per session: $300 total

Minimum attendance: 4 boys

Group #3: The Authoritative Parent

Goal: Psychoeducation and support for parents.

Most parents have a desire to love their children, and also have a desire for those children grow up to be adults who have their own family and serve as a functioning member of society. Sometimes we forget the big picture when parenting gets difficult. 

 

This group is designed for two purposes: First, to introduce parents to a body of literature on attachment theory, parenting styles, and family systems; Second, to process through the complexities of parenting in 2022. 

 

Age: Parents of school age children

Date: 4 Thursdays in July 

Time: 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Location: 348 Waverly: Suite #231 Holland, MI

Cost: $50 per session: $200 total

Minimum attendance: 5 parents (single or couple)

Wilderness Therapy

Wilderness therapy is a mental health treatment strategy for adolescents with maladaptive behaviors. Wilderness programs combine therapy with challenge experiences in an outdoor wilderness environment to kinesthetically engage clients in cognitive, affective, and behavioral ways. Wilderness Therapy is most respected and used in places like Utah and Oregon, with a smaller number of programs in North Carolina and Wisconsin. There are few places in Michigan that provide Wilderness Therapy, and none that emphasize it to the degree of States out West.

Eagle Village is one of the few places in Michigan that incorporates Wilderness Therapy as an approach to trauma, and Eagle Village is the place where Jeff learned how to best incorporate experiential learning into therapy.

In the future we hope to provide mini ½ day Wilderness Therapy experiences at Saugatuck Dunes State Park and longer experiences at State and National Parks in Michigan. There are no trips scheduled at this time, but more information will be available prior to Summer 2022.

Group #1

An abbreviated form of Wilderness Therapy

Goal: To build awareness and develop skills for adolescents in an outdoor environment. This group is designed for boys who struggle with anxiety, depression, or perfectionism, but others are also welcome to join. 

There is a robust body of literature promoting the benefits of what is often called Wilderness Therapy or Forest Bathing. Wilderness programs combine therapy with experiences in an outdoor wilderness environment to kinesthetically engage clients in cognitive, affective, and behavioral ways.

 

Age: 11-15 year old boys

Date: 4 Thursdays in July

Time: 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.

Location: Saugatuck State Park:

Cost: $50 per session: $200 total

Minimum Fitness level required: walk 100 yards without stopping

Minimum attendance: 5 boys

Trauma Trainings

Between 2018-2021, Jeff led the Mid-Michigan trauma assessment team, a team that included a psychologist, a social worker, an occupational therapist, and a nurse. Jeff was one of six people in the State of Michigan to lead such a team. Children eligible for trauma assessments have experienced high levels of physical and sexual abuse. Throughout this process, running assessments week after week for multiple years, Jeff learned a lot about trauma.

Jeff has presented at churches and nonprofit organizations in both half day and full day formats. He has been described as an engaging speaker who brings the content to life, and as someone who takes complex concepts and makes them understandable.

If you would like Jeff to speak at your school, church, or business, please fill out the request here. 

More information on assemblies, ½ day trainings, and full trainings will be available prior to Summer 2022.

Assessments

Between 2018-2021, Jeff led the Mid-Michigan trauma assessment team, a team that included a psychologist, a social worker, an occupational therapist, and a nurse. Jeff was one of six people in the State of Michigan to lead such a team. Every week Jeff met with children who have experienced high levels of physical and sexual abuse

The elaborate process included reviewing background information from CPS reports, IEP plans, and counseling notes; interviewing two folks who could speak to the development of the child; interviewing the child about his or her experience; cognitive and language testing to gauge the child’s academic ability; structured caregiver observations, leisure assessments; and psychological questionnaires that provided information on the child’s executive functioning, sensory needs, trauma symptoms, and social, emotional, and behavioral functioning. The trauma team would consolidate all of the aforementioned information, and write a two page summary as part of a 25 page report about why the child was functioning as he or she was. 25 recommendations were offered in the following categories: (a) physical/medical; (b) emotional; (c) family; (d) educational; and (e) social/leisure. The whole process took approximately 50-60 hours to complete.

It is likely I will continue to partner with organizations like DHHS, schools, doctor’s offices, and mental health agencies to provide assessments going forward. Please reach out here if you have a specific assessment need or interest, and to receive a quote. 

More information regarding assessments will be available prior to Summer 2022.