Our Story
Our Story
In 1985, I enrolled at Alma College, a small liberal arts college in Alma, MI and declared my major in psychology and exercise health science. During my junior year at Alma, I became a Resident Assistant and was assigned to a floor of freshmen girls. Late in the fall semester, one of the girls came to see me. Her roommate was having a particularly difficult time and the girl on my floor didn’t know how to handle it. I went to see the roommate. She was struggling with anxiety, homesickness and having a challenging week. She had not done well on a test, her boyfriend had broken up with her, and she didn’t feel connected to her new life at Alma. Over the next few weeks, we spent time building connections with other people, getting her out of her comfort zone, and working through the anxiety that was holding her back from making the most of her new life at Alma. It was then I knew I had to be in a helping profession.
After Alma, I went to graduate school at Western Michigan University in 1990 to become an occupational therapist, thinking occupational therapy was the route I wanted to go. The program focused more on physical ailments rather than what people were thinking and feeling. After taking some time off to begin raising my two children, I looked at going back to school. I loved parenting my children and working through the challenges life brought them. My son has a lot of energy, and I found myself advocating for him regularly at school. I enjoyed working with his teachers to try to come up with solutions that would help him sit still! This was the moment I knew I wanted to be a social worker, so I could assist others through the challenges life brings.
In 2001, I again enrolled at Western in graduate school but this time in social work. I couldn’t have been happier. I worked as a school social worker for five years before starting in private practice in 2009.I have been there ever since.
I offer a holistic approach to counseling and coaching. That means I don’t just focus on mental health. Human beings are complex, and in order to be truly healthy we need to address health from a physical, emotional, spiritual and mental place. My goal is to educate and empower you with the tools to work through your challenges and to provide support to you every step of the way. I can help you facilitate lifestyle changes, identify underlying causes of symptoms and learn strategies for changing unwanted thoughts, feelings and behaviors. I am here to walk this journey with you!
Jomie's Practice
In addition to traditional psychotherapy, she employs an understanding of Gestalt and Person-centered therapy using creative and experiential techniques, including equine assisted therapy and play therapy, to enhance freedom, awareness, and self- direction.
Jomie holds a certificate in Animal Assisted therapy from Oakland University and is certified in the EAGALA model of equine assisted therapy. This model focuses on empowering clients to analyze situations, make connections and find their own solutions. In addition to practicing equine therapy, Jomie is a registered play therapist with the Association for Play Therapy and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Michigan.
When working with clients, Jomie often uses the power of nature to help heal, believing a connection with nature is a critical component in physical and mental health. Therapy sessions may take place in the woods or walking around the pastures to benefit from the therapeutic benefits of nature.
At the heart of Jomie’s practice is a passion created at the intersection of natural healing and mental health. Jomie has trained in trauma-assisted equine therapy through the Natural Lifemanship Model of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, studied interpersonal neurobiology, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine at the New Eden School of Natural Health which she expects to complete in 2019.
Empathy, understanding, unconditional acceptance, and assisting people to connect with their own capacity and desire for personal growth are core values that drive Jomie’s practice.
