Professional Development for the Behavioral Health Field of Minnesota
Professional Development for the Behavioral Health Field of Minnesota
About Rooted
Behavioral health asks a lot of people. Maybe you're a new clinician realizing how much there is to learn beyond the classroom. Maybe you excel as a clinician, but no one taught you how to lead a team. Maybe your team is navigating a difficult season, recovering from a traumatic experience, or could benefit from an outside facilitator to help debrief a critical incident. Or maybe you're looking for training that feels like a real conversation instead of another box to check.
If any of that resonates, you're exactly why Rooted Collaborative exists.
Rooted Collaborative was created to strengthen the people behind behavioral health. Because no one should have to carry the weight of this profession or figure it all out alone.
Meet the Founder
Hi, I'm Jess.
I'm a licensed clinical social worker and licensed alcohol and drug counselor. Since entering the behavioral health field in 2007, I've worked at nearly every level of care. From frontline care to leadership, supervision, and education. Those experiences have shaped not only how I practice, but why I created Rooted Collaborative.
Throughout my career, I've watched incredibly talented clinicians and leaders question themselves, carry impossible expectations, and leave the field not because they lacked ability, but because they lacked the support they deserved. I've also seen what becomes possible when people have space to process the complexity of the work, challenge their thinking, and grow alongside someone who understands it.
The name Rooted Collaborative carries several meanings for me. It reflects my belief that meaningful change rarely comes from quick fixes or surface-level solutions. Over the years, I've been drawn to understanding not just what is happening, but why: the relationships, systems, histories, and contexts that shape how people show up. Whether I'm sitting with a client, consulting with a leader, or mentoring a clinician, I pay attention to what is happening both in the room and within the relationship. I believe attunement isn't simply about helping people feel understood. It's about noticing what others might miss, asking thoughtful questions, and creating the kind of relationship where honest reflection, meaningful growth, and lasting change become possible.
The name is personal in another way, too. Although I was born and raised in Texas, Minnesota became the place where I built my career, found community, met my husband, and put down roots of my own over 15 years ago. As an adoptee, the idea of identity, belonging, and what it means to be rooted has always held special meaning for me.
My hope is that people leave our work together better equipped to care for others, support one another, and steward this profession with integrity.
I'm so glad you're here.
My Clinical Approach
My work is grounded in Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT) and informed by psychodynamic and attachment-based perspectives. I believe people are best understood in the context of their relationships, experiences, and environments, and I strive to create spaces where clinicians can slow down, tolerate uncertainty, and explore the many factors that shape a person's experience. I bring extensive experience in substance use and co-occurring disorders, approaching recovery through a broad lens that ranges from harm reduction to abstinence while helping people define the relationship they want to have with substances and other behaviors. I am also trained in Brainspotting Phases 1, 2, and 3 and integrate trauma-informed, neuroscience-informed approaches when appropriate. Above all, I don't believe there is one "right" way to practice. My goal is to help clinicians become thoughtful, intentional practitioners who are able to think critically, navigate ambiguity, and ground their work in both evidence and authentic human connection.