Know where you’re getting your information from.

Jessica Good, MA, LPC

Let’s get real about where we’re getting our info online.

Anyone can call themself a “coach” (it’s an unregulated industry) or position themself as an “expert”, but do they have the knowledge, skills, and experience to back it up?

Because I do…

*scroll to the end of this page for important information about what all these “titles” and “credentials” you see on social media mean.

I’m Jessica Good, MA, LPC. A Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) from St. Louis, MO who practices an attachment-focused form of EMDR therapy integrating both parts work and somatic interweaves in my process. I’m the proud owner of my private practice Good EMDR Therapy, LLC which focuses on EMDR intensive therapy and a psychoeducational wellness company Reclaim Wellness, LLC helping clients on their self-healing journey outside the therapy room. I went to school for over 7 years and have worked with hundreds of clients in a clinical capacity since 2017. Below is my clinical resume.

EDUCATION

  • Bachelor of Arts - Psychology - Saint Louis University

  • Masters of Arts - Clinical Mental Health Counseling - Webster University (a CACREP accredited program)

CLINICAL WORK EXPERIENCE

  • 2017-2018: Group and individual therapy at the residential, partial hospitilization, and IOP programs at one of the top eating disorder facilities in the US.

    • Areas of clinical focus: “Big T” and “little t” (attachment/developmental) trauma reprocessing, coping skill building, relapse prevention strategies, body image work

  • 2019-2021: Case management in the inpatient behavioral health unit at one of the largest hospital systems in the Midwest.

    • Areas of clinical focus: Suicidal ideation and attempts, psychosis (both naturally occurring and drug-induced), and manic episodes in geriatric, adult, and adolescent populations.

  • 2020 - present: Private practice EMDR therapy and EMDR Intensive Programs focused on helping individuals who feel “stuck” in their life—those who aren’t sure what is wrong, but know they don’t feel okay, those who are stuck playing out the same unhealthy dating patterns, those who are afraid to take the next step in their life/career/etc, those who are hyper self-aware and know what the issue is though is unable to “fix” it, those with chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia and migraines, and many more. Basically if you need to find the root of the issue and take care of it, I’m the person you call.

  • 2023 - present: Founder of Reclaim Wellness, LLC. Providing psychoeducational courses to increase self awareness and build skills so that you can focus on the deep work in actual therapy.

ADVANCED TRAININGS & CERTIFICATIONS

  • EMDR Basic Training (2018): Provided by an EMDRIA.org recognized training center this program included 20 hours of instructional material (them teaching us how to do EMDR), 20 hours of supervised practicum (them watching us practice using EMDR), and 10 hours of consultation (a thorough review and consultation on our real-world work).

  • Flash Technique

  • Meeting Space & Ego State Interventions

  • EMDR Intensive Program training

  • EMDR Certified™ Therapist: Provided by an EMDRIA.org recognized trainer and consultant. This year long certification program includes 20 hours of EMDR consultation including review of 2 full length recorded EMDR reprocessing sessions I have conducted, 12 hours of continuing education credits in EMDR trainings, 3 letters of recommendation (1 from your trainer and 2 from peers familiar with your work attesting to your competency, ethics, and professional character).

  • Trauma of Money Certification Program: Trauma of Money™ certification is a 17 week long certification program that includes over 42 hours of live classes, deep dives into systemic and personal issues that affect our beliefs and financial behaviors, as well as a look at financial therapy through the lens of parts work, somatic, attachment, and behavioral interventions.

JESSICA GOOD IN THE MEDIA

Some Things You May Want to Know About Titles & Credentials

Is a coach the same thing as a therapist?

No. Coaching is an unregulated industry. Therapy is a highly regulated field in which practitioners MUST have at least a masters level degree and thousands of hours of supervised clinical experience before becoming fully licensed. We also are upheld to a code of ethics, continuing education requirements, and all other requirements under our particular licensing board. Anyone can call themself a coach—it requires no formal education, no supervision, and no ethical code obligations. If you wake up one day and decide to call yourself a “coach”, voila you’re magically a coach.

Are coaches bad? Should I not listen to them?

No. Not all coaches are bad and they can be helpful in certain areas. There are even some therapists that decide to become coaches because they feel it aligns more with the way they wish to practice. For me, my wellness support company Reclaim Wellness, LLC may be considered a form of coaching due to my psychoeducational courses.

However, in some cases, a person may be well-meaning, but they may not fully grasp the nuance of the psychological topic they are discussing due to a lack of in-depth understanding of the topic and thousands of hours of clinical practice needed to get you there. The important thing is that if you do decide to buy into a coaching program or take in information from any source, make sure to check that person’s background and experience so that you aren’t buying into clickbait pseudo-science that doesn’t provide benefit. You are deserving of the utmost care and I hope you receive it from whatever source you choose.

What if someone (coach, therapist, whoever) is “certified” in something? Does that mean they are an expert?

Not always. Certification programs span a spectrum from rigorous training programs to not more than a few hours. Some certification programs are basically online courses that offer no practicum (i.e. practicing the skills you’re learning in a controlled environment) or consultation (i.e. getting feedback on the real-world work you’re doing with clients). This is true for both coaches and therapists. I see people pick up “trauma certified therapist” titles from doing maybe 12 hours of online training. That is not enough time to understand the intricacies of working with trauma. That’s more like an intro course. For coaches, they can become “certified” in as little as 3 days. That is a blip of time. This is all to say that you will want to look into the “certifications” and real world experience that an individual has before giving them all your trust as some certification programs are glorified certificates that they paid for.

Who can legally be considered a therapist?

In order to be a “therapist” you need to hold a masters degree (MA, MS, MSW, MFT) or doctorate degree (PhD or PsyD) and be licensed to practice (LPC, LCSW, LMFT, PsyD, PhD are the most common). The term “therapist” is actually a pretty broad term applied to a number of licensed professionals that provide psychotherapy including: licensed counselors, social workers, psychologists, and licensed marriage and family therapists. All of these professions not only had to earn their degree, but they also had varying amounts of clinical supervision with providing therapy prior to becoming licensed (typically over 1,000 clinical hours).

What’s the difference between a provisionally licensed and fully-licensed therapist?

Most people are unaware about provisional licensing. Provisionally licensed therapists are therapists that have graduated from a graduate program, but are unable to practice independently (without supervision). Common credentials may be PLPC (some states like Illinois it is LPC) and LMSW. Always look up a credential abbreviation if you don’t understand it. Provisionally licensed therapists have not been in the field as long, but that doesn’t mean you can’t receive good care from them. I’ve seen some provisionally licensed folks run laps around others who have been in the field much longer if they haven’t invested in learning the same way the provisionally licensed folks had. Depth of knowledge combined with experience is important.

What’s the difference between a psychiatrist and a therapist?

A psychiatrist (MD) is a medical doctor who went to med school and does medication management. Psychiatrists typically do not provide therapy and receive very little training on how to actually do therapy. The same is true for psychiatric nurse practitioners (PNP) in that they are trained in medication management and typically do not provide therapy.