Apricity Counseling Services

03/09/2026

Last week I was reminded why I do this work. Sitting with clients as they move through something painful — and watching the moment it starts to lift — is something I will never take for granted. Honored doesn’t even cover it. 💚

03/01/2026

Trauma informed therapy is multi-layered and nuanced, especially for people who have experienced on-going traumas through childhood. While there are many practices that can be helpful, I always recommend seeking the support of a licensed therapist trained in integrative approaches that take into consideration the mind-body connection, relationships and attachment, and the political, economic, and societal systems that have the potential to impact healing.

02/28/2026

I had the honor of supporting the women who attended the Women Empowered Seminar this week, and I want to sincerely thank Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Fallon for including me in such a meaningful event. And I’m deeply proud of every woman who stepped onto that mat. What stood out most wasn’t just the physical training.

It was the courage in the room.

The willingness of women to show up.
To try something new.
To move their bodies with intention.
To practice strength — sometimes after life has required them to be strong in ways no one should have to be.

In my work as a trauma therapist, I often sit with women who carry a great deal — responsibilities, memories, hypervigilance, self-doubt — all while appearing “fine” on the outside.

Trauma doesn’t only live in our thoughts.
It can live in muscle tension. In posture. In guarded breathing. In the way we brace for impact without even realizing it.

Spaces like this matter.

From a trauma-informed perspective, I saw:
Safety.
Clear structure.
Choice.
Respect for individual pacing.
Encouragement without pressure.
Attuned leadership.

These principles aren’t accidental — they’re foundational to helping the nervous system feel safe enough to learn something new.

Empowerment isn’t about becoming aggressive.
It’s about restoring agency.
It’s about remembering that your body belongs to you.
It’s about learning that strength and regulation can exist at the same time.

The heart of the staff at Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was evident throughout the seminar. The care they take in how they teach and support women reflects genuine respect for the emotional and physical experiences people bring into the room.

I’m grateful to have been part of it.

🩷A big thank you to these strong amazing women that spent their Saturday morning with us for our 2 hour free Women Empowered Seminar!
Much thanks and appreciation to Jessica Homer of Apricity Counseling Services for her onsite support during our event.
☹️If you missed the event, no worries!
The Women Empowered program lives and is active year round Wednesdays at 6pm and Saturdays at 9am.
Join us, because self-defense begins with the belief that 🩷YOU🩷 are worth defending!

02/21/2026

Teens escalate when they feel unseen.
Partners withdraw when they feel dismissed.

Validation lowers defensiveness.
Resolution or correction can happen after regulation.

Save this for your next hard conversation.

02/19/2026

Whether I’m sitting with a teen who feels misunderstood or a woman carrying too much, the pattern is often the same:

Emotion spikes → body reacts → words escalate → regret follows.

Regulation isn’t about suppressing emotion.
It’s about creating enough space to choose.

Try this next time escalation starts.
Let me know what step feels hardest.

02/18/2026

A Personal Reflection on Why I Do This Work

There are easier niches in therapy.

I could have built a practice that felt lighter. More surface. Less complex.

But there is a reason I didn’t.

I enjoy work with at-risk youth — the ones who are often labeled “defiant,” “oppositional,” or “too much.”
And I enjoy work with high-functioning women — the ones who hold everything together on the outside while quietly carrying overwhelm, trauma, and impossible standards on the inside.

I’m drawn to both for the same reason.

I have always been deeply interested in what’s happening underneath behavior.

Underneath the anger.
Underneath the perfectionism.
Underneath the anxiety.
Underneath the shutdown.

So often, what looks like resistance is actually protection.
What looks like control is actually fear.
What looks like strength is actually exhaustion.

Youth in court-involved systems are rarely “bad kids.” They are often young people who adapted to instability the only way they knew how.

High-functioning women are rarely “fine.” They are often the dependable ones who learned early that love, safety, or belonging required achievement, composure, or self-sacrifice.

I don’t see pathology first.

I see nervous systems that learned to survive.

And I believe healing doesn’t come from shaming those strategies — it comes from honoring them, then gently helping people build new ones.

I also believe in accountability.
Growth requires honesty.
Change requires ownership.

But accountability without compassion creates shame.
And compassion without accountability keeps people stuck.

My work lives in that balance.

If you’re someone who functions well on the outside but feels tired on the inside…
Or you’re raising, mentoring, or working with a young person who seems hard to reach…

I want you to know: I see the deeper story.

And that’s where we begin.

— Jessica

02/13/2026

Thinking about my teens today…

As a trauma therapist who works closely with teens, here’s what I want parents to know:

Adolescence is the stage where young people begin forming their own beliefs. They test ideas. They care deeply about fairness. They want their voice to matter.

When student-led protests come up, it can trigger a lot in parents — fear about safety, fear about influence, fear about the world they’re stepping into.

Those fears make sense.

But shutting down the conversation entirely often shuts down communication, too.

The question isn’t simply “Should they go?”
The more important question is, “How do we guide them wisely?”

Teens need:
• Space to think critically
• Clear conversations about safety
• Boundaries that are thoughtful, not reactive
• Parents who stay regulated enough to lead

You don’t have to agree with your teen’s views to stay connected to them.

And connection is what keeps them coming back to you when things get complicated.

The science:
Research consistently shows that critical thinking in youth develops best in environments that balance warmth, structure, and guided independence. Adolescents strengthen their reasoning skills when adults invite open dialogue, ask thoughtful questions, and tolerate respectful disagreement. Rather than lecturing or shutting ideas down, parents who encourage teens to explain their thinking — and who model curiosity themselves — help build stronger analytical skills. Exposure to diverse perspectives, opportunities to weigh real-world consequences, and explicit reflection on “how do you know?” all sharpen cognitive flexibility.

Equally important, critical thinking depends on emotional regulation and secure relationships. When teens feel safe, connected, and not at risk of losing approval for expressing a view, they are more willing to explore complex ideas and revise their thinking. A calm nervous system supports a thinking brain. In short, critical thinking grows not from control or fear, but from steady guidance, emotional safety, and coached autonomy.

02/13/2026

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Kimberly at Gracie Jiu Jitsu, Fallon and I left feeling genuinely inspired by the work they are doing with women in our community!

I’m thrilled to be joining them on February 21st for their Women Empowered Seminar.

As a trauma therapist, I spend a lot of time helping women process past experiences and build emotional resilience.

And I also believe in embodied empowerment.

Large research trials on empowerment-based self-defense programs have shown:
• Significant increases in self-efficacy
• Stronger boundary setting
• Reduced fear responses
• And measurable reductions in sexual assault rates

But what makes the difference is how the training is delivered.
Trauma-informed spaces prioritize:
• Consent
• Choice
• Collaboration
• Regulation

When done in a consent-based, trauma-informed way, this kind of training isn’t about aggression.
It’s about agency.
It’s about embodied confidence.
It’s about your body learning, “I can move. I can respond.”

My role at the seminar will be to:
• Offer grounding tools in real time
• Normalize nervous system activation
• Support psychological safety alongside physical skill-building

I believe deeply in holistic healing that is not only cognitive.
Sometimes it’s experiential.

I’m honored to support this space and these women.

02/10/2026

02/09/2026

“I don’t know if it worked…”
followed by:
“…because I literally haven’t thought about it.”
That’s the thing about ART.
When the emotional charge around a memory changes, it often just stops taking up space.
You don’t have to keep revisiting it, managing it, or bracing for it.
When a client realizes they forgot the thing that used to overwhelm them?
That’s often the first sign their nervous system finally feels safe.
ART doesn’t erase the past — it helps clients to stop reliving the painful images over and over.
Find an ART therapist at ARTworksNow.com.

Follow https://www.facebook.com/polly.bauer.568722/

02/08/2026

A Note on My Values and How I Practice 📝

In times of national uncertainty and change, many people are carrying more stress, worry, or fear—sometimes quietly, sometimes all at once.

As a licensed clinical social worker, I want to be clear about the values that guide my work.

I am committed to providing therapy that is grounded in dignity, respect, and inclusion. I strive to create a space where people from many different backgrounds, identities, and life experiences feel safe, heard, and taken seriously.

You do not need to downplay what you’re feeling here.
You do not need to justify why something feels heavy or unsettling.

You do not need to edit yourself to receive care.

At the same time, I also believe deeply in the importance of fit. I may not be the right therapist for everyone—and that’s okay. What matters most to me is that people receive care that truly supports them. I am always open to honest conversations about whether my approach is the right match and whether my values align with your needs. I am committed to helping individuals find the right fit when it’s not me.

In a world that can feel increasingly divided or unsafe, my goal is to offer therapy that is thoughtful, ethical, and compassionate—care that honors your full humanity while respecting your autonomy.

— Jessica Homer, LCSW

02/07/2026

Featured Content: Dr Jessica Taylor. I am loving her take on the harm that is done to women and girls when trauma is treated as pathology. If her content resonates with you and you are looking for a therapist in Nevada or Idaho. I might be a good fit.