Roberta Jackson (she/her)

I obtained my CASAC-T certification June 2019 after working with individuals experiencing poly substance use for four years. I am trained in harm reduction where were work to reduce the severity and the risks associated with substance use. Within this technique I use motivational interviewing which is a person centered approach used to elicit motivation to change.

It has recently been discovered that traumatic events create a protein that wraps around your DNA which we inadvertently pass to our offspring. Have you ever wondered why you are having a reaction to certain things and can't pinpoint why? You be be having a reaction from something your ancestor experienced and they passed that reaction down to you. Also as POC we often feel we're in survival mode all the time because society make it a point to make us not feel equal and human.

From my clinical experience anger often stems from wanting to protect self from being hurt. Anger is a normal emotion we all experience, it becomes a problem when you cannot manage your emotions when a trigger occurs. I work with individuals to create and utilize strategies to manage anger where it no longer impacts your life.

I describe my counseling style as meeting you where you're at. This means you are welcoming me into your space which is an honor and I need to learn to respect and see the world through your eyes. As a WOC I know what it feels like to not be understood or feel as if my race and culture is being dismissed. Being a culturally sensitive clinician means I am looking at the whole you. How you perceive the world and how the world perceives you are taken into consideration during therapy.

Most of my experience treating substance use and addiction is through harm reduction where we work to reduce the severity and risks associated with addictive behavior. I am non judgmental as I understand addiction is just an outward symptom of an underlining problem that I am helping you address. I create a safe environment to address your addiction but I will be firm with you to initiate change.

During sessions I explore how past experiences currently impact life. Often times we don't realize we're operating from a place of trauma and some of our problematic behaviors stem from those experiences. When you begin to understand the origin of certain behaviors you empower yourself to change them.