Jennifer Francis-Gehring, LCSW was born in raised in Owensboro, KY. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology from Bellarmine University in 1998, her Master of Social Work from Spalding University in 2003, and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Spalding University in 2010. Jennifer has worked for The Center for Women and Families as a counselor for survivors of domestic violence and sexual harm, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services as a Social Services Clinician for youth in foster care, and Day Spring as residential support professional for individuals with different abilities, the University of Louisville Hospital as their weekend social worker and Owensboro Health Regional Hospital as their weekend Emergency Department social worker and then as the ICU RN Case Manager, before coming home to New Beginnings in 2016. She also teaches part-time for Western Kentucky University Department of Social Work. Jennifer is the co-creator of the New Beginnings podcast – Start By Listening.
Jennifer became an LCSW in 2019 and currently works with children, adolescents, and adults in Daviess, McLean, and Hancock counties providing therapy for survivors of sexual harm. Jennifer is trained in EMDR, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Child-Centered Play Therapy, Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), and uses Polyvagal Theory as a lens to provide therapy to survivors of sexual harm, that helps survivors begin to embody safety and connection within the nervous system. Jennifer is passionate about educating the community about Trauma Stewardship and Polyvagal Theory and has created training for community agencies that help our community learn about trauma and the ability to build resilience. Jennifer loves spending time learning about cutting-edge treatments for trauma, being in nature, puttering in her backyard, and resting.
What can you expect when you come to New Beginnings:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yzNXI-CMoQ2mFUtriX-qpjZre6dVwyh7/view?usp=sharing
What is EMDR?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IPsBPH2M1U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGYxH8_SISE
What is SSP?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IPsBPH2M1U
What is Polyvagal Theory?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdIQRxwT1I0&t=1s
What happens to my brain after experiencing abuse or neglect in childhood?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYBUY1kZpf8
How does trauma, abuse, and neglect experienced as a child, affect my health across my lifetime?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95ovIJ3dsNk