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Jackie Gifford

Intern, Master of Social Work

Hi, I’m Jackie. I am currently working on my second internship as an MSW student with Clarity Counseling. I will graduate in December of 2025 with my master’s in social work and continue working for Clarity Counseling. My 2-year goal is to work towards having my LCSW. I will be taking EMDR training in November 2025 to further advance my knowledge on trauma therapy. I am very good with kids as that seems to be my main clientele right now. However, I love working with all ages! I have worked with clients that are grieving, sexual/physical abuse, addiction, depression, anxiety, and multiple variety traumas. I usually use psycho-education, structured- problem solving, supportive reflection, positive-reinforcement, cognitive reframing, mindfulness training, emotional regulation, resilience- building, family support, and exploration of coping patterns. I have worked with truancy, DCFS, and probation cases as well.   I have also been a massage therapist for over 20 years and work at a salon. As you can see, my goal in life is to help people heal. I have very strong empathy and desire to help those that are hurting physically and mentally. I am a giver, I work very hard, I am passionate, and I fully devote my time and energy to all my clients. I believe that everyone has a purpose in life, and I want to be able to help my clients know that they matter and that I will take the time to be equal and fair. I will be open-minded, non-judgmental, and I will be patient and understanding their needs and wants. In my free time, I love spending time with my family. I have two beautiful nieces, a beautiful nephew, my amazing twin-brother, my handsome son, my aunt who raised us, and my beautiful mother. Life is too short, spend as much time as you can with friends and family.  I have a dog and three cats that enjoy every second that they can get with me. I enjoy gardening, animals, traveling, basketball/football (Go Bears!), art, music, theatre, shopping, and studying psychology and human behavior.