About
Jessica Healy, LMHC, LCPC
Therapy in NY, MA, ME, FL

Hello! I’m Jessica Healy, LMHC, a psychotherapist practicing in New York City, as well as Massachusetts, Maine, and Florida. I am an IFS therapist practicing somatic experiential therapy for people who have usually done talk therapy before and want something that works differently. Many of my clients find that sessions with me move beyond “just talking” or doing worksheets, getting more to the root of things, and clearing the way to lasting change. Growth is as much about how we do things as it is about why or what we do; therapy with me reflects this, and focuses as much on getting to know your system’s conditioned processes as the content of your experiences. My approach is supportive, collaborative, and grounded in presence. I will guide your attention towards recognizing the paradoxes that exist within you without pushing you beyond what your system is ready for. I also make it a point, when possible, to give attention towards your somatic experience, a rich and often neglected source of data.

Psychology Today … LinkedIn … IFS Institute

Therapy for Creatives, Athletes, High Performers, & People Living With Chronic Illness

Creatives are passionate about their work; however, it can come with a very specific set of challenges, both internal and external. These include inconsistent work opportunities, nontraditional lifestyles, imposter syndrome, and perfectionism.

Athletes love what they do, though their athletic careers will be impacted by the limitations of their bodies, including injury. Performance anxiety, the stress of competitive training environments, and the mental health impact of rehabilitation are among the difficulties they face.

High performers‘ reputation for greatness may feel as if it’s working against them, pressuring them to always be perfect. They can have an overly developed sense of responsibility which can lead to overwhelm in their attempts to hold it all together. They may feel very alone when everything looks great on the outside but things are falling apart on the inside.

Folks with chronic illness or chronic pain can feel frustration and a sense of not being listened to by doctors and caregivers, as well as a sense of responsibility or guilt for their pain or illness, even when they are doing everything they can to take care of themselves. This often includes folks with CPTSD.

“Just talking” about things to learn about your patterns and study your narrative intellectually is an important part of growth and healing. Concrete cognitive and behavioral tools are useful, though progress can stall out at a certain point. I fold in techniques that utilize important information provided by the felt sense of your body (interoception) and include parts of your “internal system” that may elude regular talk therapy, giving us a fuller picture and more to work with.

A Somatically-Oriented IFS Approach

My foundational training includes:

IFS Institute: Level 2, certification in process
IFSCA: Stepping Stones

Brooklyn Somatic Therapy

Esalen Institute

Many of my clients identify as “intellectualizers” who feel most comfortable in their heads, analyzing things, working “top-down.” Together, we can also learn to work “bottom-up,” using mindfulness, experiential, and somatic techniques to give voice to the parts of your system that may be working behind the scenes, buried by your intellectual strengths.

Training and Credentials

DEGREES

M.A., Mental Health Counseling, City University of New York, Brooklyn College
- Mark Joseph Rosenblatt Award
- Graduate Student Professional Development Award
B.F.A. with Honors, Drama, New York University, Tisch School of the Arts

PUBLICATIONS

Ali, A., Wolfert, S., Lam, I., Fahmy, P., Chaudhry, A., & Healy, J. (2023). Treating the effects of military sexual trauma through a theater-based program for U.S. veterans. In K. Richmond & N. L. Johnson (Eds.), Resistance & Recovery in the #MeToo Era, Volume II (pp. 29–44). Routledge. doi.org

Ali, A., Wolfert, S., Lam, I., Fahmy, P., Chaudhry, A., & Healy, J. (2022). Treating the effects of military sexual trauma through a theater-based program for U.S. veterans. Women & Therapy, 45(1), 25–40. doi.org

Ali, A., Wolfert, S., Smith, R., & Healy, J. (2020). Soldiers’ stories: Themes of collective healing and recovery in a group treatment for trauma in military veterans [Abstract]. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19, 48–49. doi.org

Healy, J., & Kozbelt, A. (2020, February). Psychopathology and Creative Style: A Historiometric Analysis. Manuscript submitted for publication.

Healy, J., & Drake, J. E. (2019, May 23–26). Emotion regulation via drawing and writing: The positive effects of distraction [Poster abstract]. 31st Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, Washington, DC, United States. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/conventions/archive/2019annual/paper/22614/

CERTIFICATES

Certificate in Integral Leadership, Esalen Institute
Selected Coursework:
- Gestalt Relational Coaching (Gordon Wheeler)
- Gestalt Process Training: Individual and Group Process Skills (Perry Holloman)
- Gestalt Awareness Practice (Dorothy Charles)
- Embodied Relational Gestalt (Michael Clemmons)
- Nonviolent Communication (Jean Morrison)
- Grounding and Healthy Boundaries (Suzanne Scurlock-Durana)
- The Healing Power of Story (Ann Randolph)
250 Hour Massage Program, Cypress Health Institute
100 Hour Esalen Massage Program, Esalen Institute
Certified Massage Practitioner, California Massage Therapy Council (Expired)

POST-GRADUATE CONTINUING EDUCATION (selected)

Mindful Communication; Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication – Oren J. Sofer, Bay Nonviolent Communication
RO-DBT (Radically Open Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) – Lindsay Johnson
Hakomi Mindfulness-Based Somatic Therapy – Rebecca Stone & Benjamin Kagedan
Stepping Stones – Derek Scott, IFSCA
IFS Level 1 – Mariel Pastor & Madeleine Warren, IFS Institute
IFS Level 2 – Cece Sykes & Ana Morante, IFS Institute
IFS Level 1 – Program Assistant (ongoing)
Trauma and Dissociation Informed IFS – Joanne Twombly, IFSCA
Applying IFS with Autistic and ADHD Adults through Neurodiversity Affirming Lens – Irina Diyankova
IFS Treatment for Chronic Pain – Nancy Sowell, IFS Institute
IFS & OCD – Melissa Mose, Cambridge Health Alliance
Somatic IFS, Step One – Susan McConnell

Before Therapy: Ten Years as an Actor and Vocalist in New York

In a previous life, I was a professional actor and musician living in Brooklyn, NY. I attended the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts, and I know the rush of thriving in a competitive environment, as well as the crash of burnout. I have firsthand experience living the “working artist life,” full of auditions, the chaotic rise and fall of hope and disappointment, surrounded by a seeming myriad of opportunities.

This background has been appealing to other creatives as there is less explaining to do in giving context to their lives. My clients have included Broadway performers, filmmakers whose work has been showcased at Sundance, designers employed by the best agencies and publications in the country, and visual artists exhibiting in international-level solo shows.

Licensed in New York, Massachusetts, Florida, & Maine

I offer online psychotherapy to clients in:

New York (LMHC #013077)
Massachusetts (LMHC #10002213)
Maine ( LCPC #CC8778)
Florida (TLHT LMHC #2883)

I am available to work with coaching clients anywhere in the world.

In-person sessions are available in Portland, ME, as well as twice per year in Brooklyn, NY twice per year.

Work With Jess Healy

I would love the opportunity to meet and see if we’re a good fit. It would be an honor and a privilege to get to know your system and affect change together.

Click to book a free consultation, or reach out to me directly at with any questions.

About Jessica Healy, LMHC, LCPC Therapy in NY, MA, ME, FL