Jessica Epperson Counseling

Jessica Epperson Counseling Licensed Professional Counselor in Birmingham, Alabama specializing in kids, teens, & adults!

My office location is moving!📍⭐️ Starting March 1st, I will be moving to 2522 Valleydale Rd, Suite 300, Hoover, AL 35244...
02/25/2025

My office location is moving!📍⭐️ Starting March 1st, I will be moving to 2522 Valleydale Rd, Suite 300, Hoover, AL 35244.

With this move, I will also be transitioning to a solo practice under my business name, Jessica Epperson Counseling! 🤗 For the past four years, I have been a counselor . I am so grateful for my time at Cardinal and for my amazing peers. Thank you for your generosity, wisdom, and leadership!

For more information, check out my new website through the link in my bio!!

Interested in counseling services for you or your child? Email me!

Let’s talk about… MY NEW ETSY SHOP! 🧠💗 I have officially launched my counseling Etsy Shop! This shop will focus on digit...
11/07/2022

Let’s talk about… MY NEW ETSY SHOP! 🧠💗

I have officially launched my counseling Etsy Shop! This shop will focus on digital resources for kids, teens, parents, and adults.🎉

Many of the materials in my shop are resources I utilize while working with my counseling clients! ✨

If you are a therapist, parent, or just interested in improving your mental health, these resources are for you! 🤗

Check out my shop at https://jecounseling.etsy.com or through the link in my bio! 👈🏼

Let’s talk about… S U I C I D E P R E V E N T I O N. 💚 September is Su***de Prevention Awareness Month! Each year I set...
09/19/2022

Let’s talk about… S U I C I D E P R E V E N T I O N. 💚

September is Su***de Prevention Awareness Month! Each year I set aside time on my social media to talk about this important topic. 📌

Many people believe that talking about su***de can increase the risk of another person experiencing suicidal ideation (thinking about or planning su***de). 🤔

This is a myth! Talking about su***de is the first step in opening a door of communication and support for others who may be struggling. 🙏🏼

Statistics show us that this stigmatized topic is frequently thought about. In fact, 1 in 10 (10%) of adult Americans have thought about su***de. ‼️

The National Alliance on Mental Illness states that for people ages 10 to 34 years old, su***de is the 2nd leading cause of death. Su***de is also the 10th leading cause of death overall in the United States.👈🏼

The impact of su***de is exacerbated for minority groups and for those experiencing mental illness. 90% of people who die by su***de have an underlying mental-health condition. 🧠

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal ideation, know that you are not alone. 💚

You may be experiencing shame or fear, but there are ways to get help and live a full, happy life! Remember – su***de is never the answer. ⭐️

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, reach out to a counselor or try a crisis hotline as soon as possible. You can call or text “988” to reach the 24/7 Su***de & Crisis Lifeline. For emergencies, call 911 or go to your local emergency room.📍

For more information, check out https://www.nami.org/get-involved/awareness-events/su***de-prevention-awareness-month & https://afsp.org/su***de-statistics/

Celebrating 2 years of Jessica Epperson Counseling with a new logo! 🤩Many more things in store for year 3! 🥳
08/26/2022

Celebrating 2 years of Jessica Epperson Counseling with a new logo! 🤩

Many more things in store for year 3! 🥳

Let’s talk about… B A C K – T O – S C H O O L! ✏️ August means back-to-school time for most kids! 📚 School often brings ...
08/08/2022

Let’s talk about… B A C K – T O – S C H O O L! ✏️

August means back-to-school time for most kids! 📚

School often brings lots of mixed emotions – excitement, fear, anxiety, dread. So many emotions can be really overwhelming! 😫

As parents rush to buy school supplies, I wanted to offer a different list of “supplies” to help kids navigate these feelings and support their mental health throughout the school year! 💙

📌Develop Clear, Consistent Routines
a. Kids thrive on routines! Consider developing a calming nighttime and morning routine. You can even practice this the few nights before school to ease the transition!

📌Offer Opportunities for Breaks
a. School typically means a busy schedule for all ages! Consistent times for rest and self-care support emotional and behavioral regulation in all ages.

📌Identify Coping Skills + Resources
a. There are several coping skills that can support kids during the school year! Consider providing your child fidgets, art materials, or opportunities to exercise or get outside.
b. Resources like the school counselor, tutors, safe teachers, or clubs can also offer significant support for kids struggling to adjust to school!

📌Create Social Opportunities
a. Social connection is an excellent way to reduce feelings of sadness or dread! Find ways for your child to plug in and make positive connections.

📌Set Aside Time to Communicate
a. Communication between parents and kids is so vital, especially during transition periods! Consider identifying a time to do brief check-ins with your child daily.

If your child is significantly struggling to adjust to school, it may be time to get outside support from a counselor! 💛

If you are interested in counseling or have questions, feel free to reach out to me! 👋🏼

Let’s talk about S U M M E R S L U M P! The beginning of summer is usually filled with so much joy and excitement! Kid...
07/11/2022

Let’s talk about S U M M E R S L U M P!

The beginning of summer is usually filled with so much joy and excitement! Kids are out of school, jobs seem to slow down, and everyone has vacation on the brain. 🏖

However, as summer wanes on I often experience and notice in others a typical “summer slump”. 😕

This slump can feel like a lack of motivation, low productivity, negative emotions, and even increased anxiety or depressive symptoms. There seems to be a part of us that desires the consistency and busyness of the school year, despite the challenges that also brings. 👈🏼
�So, what can we do to navigate this slump? How can we increase our mental health while soaking in the last weeks of summer? 🤔

📌Change your routine
a. What changes to your routine or schedule can you add to increase your sense of motivation and accomplishment? Sometimes a little structure can help to alleviate anxiety.
📌Plan things to look forward to
a. These things can be big like a trip or they can be small like a morning walk in nature or a visit to the movies. Identifying a few things to do each week is a great way to add structure and excitement!
📌Engage in mindfulness
a. Try engaging in mindful activities that help you to enjoy your present moment! Spend time outside, journal, or talk about your feelings with a friend.
📌Take care of the basics
a. Focus on getting quality sleep, supportive nutrition, movement, technology breaks, and positive social interactions!

Remember – summertime is a great season for rest and fun! It’s normal to slow down and be less productive. ☀️

If you find yourself experiencing more negative emotions, it may be time to explore some of these ideas or check-in with a counselor! 💙
�Interested in therapy? Send me a message! 👋🏼

Let’s talk about… J U N E T E E N T H! ❤️💚🖤 Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States! 🥳 More spec...
06/19/2022

Let’s talk about… J U N E T E E N T H! ❤️💚🖤

Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States! 🥳

More specifically, Juneteenth honors the historic day of June 19th, 1865 when the Union soldiers finally enforced President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation by freeing the last remaining slaves in Texas. 👈🏾

This day happened over two years after the proclamation went into effect!‼️

Juneteenth is a sober reminder of the horrors of slavery and our nation’s past faults. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the resilience and independence of Black people while acknowledging how much more we have to grow as a nation. 🌈

So how can you and your family celebrate Juneteenth? There are several ways to do this!
📌Educate
o Take time as a family to learn more about the history surrounding Juneteenth. If you are local, you could even check out the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute!
📌Attend a Local Event
o There are several great options! If you are local to Birmingham, check out https://bhamnow.com/2022/06/04/celebrate-juneteenth-in-birmingham/ .
📌Support a Black-Owned Business
o Birmingham has so many incredible Black-Owned Businesses to support. Tag your favorite local business below to give others’ ideas!
📌Advocate
o Consider ways you can make a difference in your community! Honoring Juneteenth by celebrating the holiday and exploring the experiences of Black people is a great way to begin this conversation.

For more ideas and information, check out https://www.verywellfamily.com/juneteenth-celebration-ideas-for-the-entire-family-5184090! 👈🏼

Let’s talk about… Mental Health Awareness Month! 🧠💙 May is Mental Health Awareness Month! As a counselor, thi...
05/16/2022

Let’s talk about… Mental Health Awareness Month! 🧠💙

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! As a counselor, this month means so much to me. 🤗

Mental health is still a stigmatized topic in our country, despite the incredible prevalence of mental health concerns. 👈🏼

In 2022, nearly 50 million Americans are experiencing mental illness. In Alabama, almost 800,000 people reported experiencing mental illness.‼️

Alabama is also one of the very lowest ranked states for access to mental health care. In fact, Alabama is ranked 50 out of 51 (with the District of Columbia included as a state) for access to care. 😰

This ranking reflects individuals with mental illness who did not receive treatment, are uninsured, are unable to receive treatment due to financial concerns, and mental health workforce availability.📌

The mental health field needs advocates! We need support, resources, and passionate workers who are willing to step in and provide adequate and affordable care to the numerous individuals in need. 🙏🏼

So, what can you do? Share this post, talk about these statistics at the dinner table, make mental health a priority for your home and family! 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Together, let’s end the stigma and increase access to care for those in need. 💙

Interested in learning more or seeking mental health support? Send me a message! 👋🏼

For the facts, check out https://mhanational.org/issues/2022/mental-health-america-access-care-data

Let’s talk about… Mental Health Awareness Month! 💙 To kick off this exciting month, I am taking over one of my favorite ...
05/02/2022

Let’s talk about… Mental Health Awareness Month! 💙

To kick off this exciting month, I am taking over one of my favorite instagram accounts - !🧑🏼‍🍳

This local business offers baking camps and classes to kids ages 3-12! They even offer themed camps and classes like a Disney Princess, Star Wars, and Outer Space baking camp! ✨

I love that Itty Bitty Bakers combines the FUN of baking with education and real-life skills! 🤗

I also love how baking can be used to support mental health! Head over to on instagram today to hear my take on how baking can support these key skills:

📌1. Creativity, Mindfulness, & Reduced Negative Emotions
📌2. Social Skills & Connection
📌3. Confidence, Self-Worth, & Positive Body Image

Interested in checking out an Itty Bitty Baker’s class for your child? Click the link in the instagram bio or head to https://www.ittybittybakers.com/classes! 👈🏼

Let’s talk about… A C T I V I T Y T H E R A P Y! 🧩 This month, I am talking all about Activity Therapy! This type of th...
04/25/2022

Let’s talk about… A C T I V I T Y T H E R A P Y! 🧩

This month, I am talking all about Activity Therapy! This type of therapy uses games or activities to facilitate the therapeutic process. 🌈

There are several activities I utilize in my work, but today I wanted to highlight a few of my favorites! ⭐️

📌1. Emotional Jenga
a. This activity is just like typical Jenga, except each piece has an emotion word written on it. After my client or I pull a piece, we take turns talking about a time we experienced that emotion.
b. This activity is great for self-awareness, rapport, and education on emotions!
📌2.Coping Skills Matching Activity
a. This simple activity involves matching coping skills with negative emotions.
b. This activity provides education on emotions and coping skills while allowing the client to explore the ways they manage negative feelings.
📌3.Anxiety Roadmap
a. This activity involves a client creating a “roadmap” of their typical day on a piece of paper. From here, the client highlights moments on the map where they typically experience anxiety symptoms.
b. This activity provides education on anxiety while helping a client to identify their triggers and explore ways to avoid or manage them!
📌4.Uno Emoji
a. This fun activity is just like regular Uno, except each card has an Emoji on it!
b. This is great for self-awareness, rapport, and education on emotions!
📌5.Calm Down Kits
a. Calm Down Kits are filled with materials to aide in a child’s ability to self-regulate or “calm down”.
b. This activity provides education on coping skills, self-regulation, and offers a tangible tool for clients to utilize at home.

Check out the video I posted last week to see some of these activities in action! 👈🏼

Got questions about Activity Therapy? Send me a message! 👋🏼

04/18/2022

Interested in learning more about the types of activities I use in therapy? Check out this video! 🌈

Got questions on this topic? Send me a message! 👋🏼

Let’s talk about… A C T I V I T Y T H E R A P Y. 🧩 Activity Therapy is type of therapy that incorporates different acti...
04/11/2022

Let’s talk about… A C T I V I T Y T H E R A P Y. 🧩

Activity Therapy is type of therapy that incorporates different activities like games, crafts, exercise, music, and drama. 🤗

Activity Therapy is an appropriate approach for all ages, but I find it to be particularly effect with ages 9-16 years old! 👧🏾

This type of therapy an excellent way to build relationship between the counselor and client, especially when the client has a difficult time verbally expressing their thoughts and feelings for the entire length of the session. ‼️

Activity therapy is also a great tool to facilitate self-awareness and teach about emotions, coping skills, self-worth, mental health diagnoses, and more! 🌈

I have several activities that I utilize in my practice. Join me this month to learn more about these activities and the way they can help therapy clients to grow and make progress! ⭐️

Interested in learning more about Activity Therapy? Check out https://www.cornerstoneofrecovery.com/activity-therapy-a-beneficial-recovery-tool-in-both-physical-and-mental-health/ .

Got questions? Send me a message! 👋🏼

Address

Hoover, AL
35244

Telephone

+12568875368

Website

https://jecounseling.etsy.com/

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