Meet Jessica Ricks

I am an associate Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor who sees children (age 6+), teens, and adults facing a variety of challenges like anxiety, ADHD, depression, relationship issues, life changes and interpersonal conflict.

My passion is working with teens and young adults, especially student athletes. As a high school and travel softball coach of several years, I am uniquely qualified in helping young individuals develop mental health skills they can carry with them throughout life, both on and off the field/court.

In addition to the student athletes themselves, I also work with parents. Supporting your child in athletics can feel like an additional job, with plenty of additional stress. Balancing multiple aspects of life - parenting, career, being a spouse/partner, hobbies, home maintenance, practice schedules, games, volunteering, college recruiting, away tournaments - it can all feel overwhelming.

I see the concerns and needs of teens to be unique and require a different approach than one I may take with adults. Overall, I find it important to see individuals for all that they are, helping them to create their identity and see the value within themselves as a person and not just in what they do or how they perform.

All people, but especially young people, want to feel heard and seen. I prioritize authenticity and relationship with clients - working to create a comfortable space of trust, understanding, and growth.

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Professional Background

I graduated from North Carolina Central University with a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Most recently,I worked in a university counseling setting where I aided with a wide range of concerns including but not limited to anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, trauma, and interpersonal distress.

I typically work from a Cognitive Behavior perspective. Helping people to better control and change their thoughts in order to regulate their emotions and find behaviors that best serve them. I find it important for the therapeutic experience to be unique and strive to find what works best for each individual.

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Specialty  Interests

  • Helping teens with anxiety to understand their fears. Planning for the experiences they want and learning to cope and manage the anxiety that come with chasing their goals.
  • Working with teens to be better communicators. Doing the work to understand the way they feel and why and finding ways to express their needs while still being considerate of others.
  • Identity development. Guiding young people to understand who they are as individuals and how that differs from their successes and failures
  • Student-Athletes: working with athletes and their specific needs not only surrounding performance but their life as a whole. By focusing on the self and their general life to gain skills that help on and off the field/court.

Let 's Connect

Ready to learn more about supporting you and your child/teen?  

I would love to connect with you. Please reach out and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT

Meet Jessica Ricks

I am an associate Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor who sees children (age 6+), teens, and adults facing a variety of challenges like anxiety, ADHD, depression, relationship issues, life changes and interpersonal conflict.

My passion is working with teens and young adults, especially student athletes. As a high school and travel softball coach of several years, I am uniquely qualified in helping young individuals develop mental health skills they can carry with them throughout life, both on and off the field/court.

In addition to the student athletes themselves, I also work with parents. Supporting your child in athletics can feel like an additional job, with plenty of additional stress. Balancing multiple aspects of life - parenting, career, being a spouse/partner, hobbies, home maintenance, practice schedules, games, volunteering, college recruiting, away tournaments - it can all feel overwhelming.

I see the concerns and needs of teens to be unique and require a different approach than one I may take with adults. Overall, I find it important to see individuals for all that they are, helping them to create their identity and see the value within themselves as a person and not just in what they do or how they perform.

All people, but especially young people, want to feel heard and seen. I prioritize authenticity and relationship with clients - working to create a comfortable space of trust, understanding, and growth.

Professional Background

I graduated from North Carolina Central University with a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Most recently,I worked in a university counseling setting where I aided with a wide range of concerns including but not limited to anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, trauma, and interpersonal distress.

I typically work from a Cognitive Behavior perspective. Helping people to better control and change their thoughts in order to regulate their emotions and find behaviors that best serve them. I find it important for the therapeutic experience to be unique and strive to find what works best for each individual.

SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT

Specialty  Interests

  • Helping teens with anxiety to understand their fears. Planning for the experiences they want and learning to cope and manage the anxiety that come with chasing their goals.
  • Working with teens to be better communicators. Doing the work to understand the way they feel and why and finding ways to express their needs while still being considerate of others.
  • Identity development. Guiding young people to understand who they are as individuals and how that differs from their successes and failures
  • Student-Athletes: working with athletes and their specific needs not only surrounding performance but their life as a whole. By focusing on the self and their general life to gain skills that help on and off the field/court.

Let 's Connect

Ready to learn more about supporting you and your child/teen?  

I would love to connect with you. Please reach out and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT