I am Jessica Qualls, Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I have expertise in mindfulness-based practices, EMDR, Internal Family Systems, and Somatic Care. I have been in practice for eight years, providing evidence-based care to individuals and couples. I am also a university professor who loves to learn and share knowledge along the way! I am passionate about books, knitting, family, and gentle movement.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
The first session creates a safe space for you to share your struggles and circumstances at your own pace. This time allows us to get acquainted and explore how therapy might best support your specific needs. You'll have the opportunity to ask questions about the therapeutic process and what to expect going forward. The session will include gathering background information through thoughtful questions designed to understand your unique situation. During the final ten minutes—the transition period—we'll check in about how you're feeling, discuss potential next steps, and provide recommendations for the time between sessions before scheduling your follow-up appointment. Throughout this process, the focus remains on creating a comfortable environment where your concerns and goals take center stage.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I provide research oriented, heart lead therapy. In my years of practice I've come to believe that what we all need is to be safe, loved, and understood. My goal is to provide this typeof safe space for you.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
I work best with individuals and couples who are ready for healing/change.
About Jessica Qualls
Serves ages
Accepts cash
Appointments
VirtualMy treatment methods
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a therapeutic approach that views the mind as naturally containing many sub-personalities or "parts," each with unique perspectives, interests, and qualities. In IFS therapy, you'll work with a therapist to identify and understand these different parts—particularly those that may be causing distress or conflict within yourself. The model recognizes three main types of parts: "exiles" (wounded, young parts carrying pain), "managers" (parts that try to control and protect), and "firefighters" (parts that react impulsively when exiles are triggered). Central to IFS is accessing your "Self"—your core identity characterized by compassion, curiosity, and calmness—which can help heal wounded parts and restore internal harmony. Rather than trying to eliminate or suppress difficult parts, IFS encourages developing relationships with them, understanding their protective roles, and ultimately helping them transform through acceptance and integration. Many clients find this non-pathologizing approach empowering, as it acknowledges that even challenging behaviors originated as attempts to protect you.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Mindfulness-Based Therapy is a therapeutic approach that integrates traditional psychological techniques with mindfulness practices derived from Buddhist meditation traditions. This approach teaches patients to develop present-moment awareness by intentionally focusing attention on their thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment without judgment. Through regular practice of mindfulness exercises—such as mindful breathing, body scans, and guided meditations—patients learn to observe their experiences with curiosity and acceptance rather than automatically reacting to them. This cultivated awareness creates space between stimulus and response, allowing patients to recognize unhelpful patterns, reduce rumination, and make more conscious choices. Particularly effective for anxiety, depression, stress, and chronic pain, mindfulness-based interventions like Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) help patients develop a different relationship with difficult experiences, not by trying to change or eliminate them, but by changing how they relate to them, fostering greater psychological flexibility and emotional regulation.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
Person-centered therapy, also known as client-centered therapy, is a humanistic approach to psychotherapy developed by Carl Rogers in the 1940s. It emphasizes the importance of the therapeutic relationship and the belief that individuals have the capacity for self-growth and self-actualization. In person-centered therapy, the therapist provides a supportive and non-judgmental environment where clients can explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. The therapist adopts an empathetic and genuine stance, actively listening and reflecting the client's emotions and experiences. The goal of person-centered therapy is to help clients develop a greater sense of self-acceptance, self-understanding, and personal growth, ultimately empowering them to make positive changes in their lives.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based psychotherapy approach that helps patients process distressing memories and reduce their emotional impact. During EMDR sessions, you'll focus on troubling memories while simultaneously engaging in bilateral stimulation—typically following your therapist's finger movements with your eyes, listening to alternating tones, or feeling gentle taps on your hands. This dual attention allows your brain to process traumatic memories similarly to how it processes information during REM sleep, helping to integrate these experiences in a healthier way. EMDR typically involves an eight-phase protocol that includes history-taking, preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation of positive beliefs, body scanning for residual tension, closure, and reevaluation. Many patients report significant relief from symptoms of trauma, anxiety, and other emotional difficulties, often in fewer sessions than traditional talk therapy approaches.