Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Jennifer Smith.
Hi Dr. Jennifer, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
J&S Counseling was born not only from my professional experiences but from deeply personal ones as well. I grew up in the projects, raised by a mother who struggled with her own substance use challenges. From a young age, I witnessed firsthand the ripple effects of addiction, how it fractures families, isolates individuals, and often leads to involvement with the criminal justice system. I also saw how resilient people can be when given the right support and a real chance to heal.
That upbringing shaped my entire worldview. It gave me an intimate understanding of the barriers that marginalized communities face when trying to access care. It also gave me a sense of responsibility. I knew early on that if I ever had the opportunity to help others navigate those same struggles, I would.
Although I had several avenues I could have pursued, especially with the academic degrees and professional experience I’ve accumulated I chose this path because it felt like coming full circle. Mental health, substance use, codependency, and the criminal justice system aren’t separate issues to me; they’re deeply interconnected. The very same struggles that touched my childhood home are the ones I now help others confront in their own lives.
J&S Counseling exists because I believe in second chances, in culturally competent care, and in the power of breaking cycles whether those cycles are rooted in trauma, addiction, or incarceration. This work is not just my career; it’s my calling. And every day, I’m committed to creating a space where people feel seen, supported, and empowered to rebuild.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it has not been a smooth road. Building J&S Counseling has come with both personal and professional challenges. One of the biggest struggles has been navigating systems that were never designed with marginalized communities or providers from those communities in mind. Accessing funding, gaining credibility, and earning trust within institutions often required me to work twice as hard to be taken seriously.
On a personal level, doing this work has meant revisiting parts of my own story. Supporting individuals dealing with substance use, trauma, and justice involvement can be emotionally demanding, especially when those struggles mirror experiences from my childhood. There were moments of self-doubt, burnout, and the weight of carrying both my lived experience and professional responsibility into every space.
Additionally, balancing the administrative and business demands of running a counseling practice with the heart of the work being present for people in their most vulnerable moments has been challenging. However, each obstacle reinforced why this work matters. The struggles didn’t deter me; they clarified my purpose. They pushed me to build something intentional, culturally responsive, and rooted in empathy, resilience, and accountability.
Every challenge along the way has strengthened my commitment to breaking cycles and expanding access to meaningful, healing-centered care.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My work centers on providing culturally responsive mental health and substance use services for individuals and families who are often overlooked or underserved. Through J&S Counseling, I support people navigating substance use disorders, co-occurring mental health challenges, codependency, trauma, and involvement with the criminal justice system. I work extensively with justice-involved individuals, court-mandated clients, and those re-entering the community, helping them build stability, accountability, and healthier coping strategies.
I specialize in substance use treatment, anger and stress management, relapse prevention, and trauma-informed care, all through a culturally competent and strengths-based lens. I’m particularly known for my ability to bridge lived experience with clinical expertise. I don’t approach clients as cases or diagnoses; I meet them as whole people whose behaviors make sense within the context of their lives. That perspective allows me to build trust quickly, especially with clients who have been failed by systems in the past.
What I’m most proud of is creating a space where people feel seen rather than judged. J&S Counseling has become a place where clients who were once labeled as “noncompliant” or “high-risk” begin to see themselves as capable of change. I’m proud of the programs I’ve developed that break cycles of addiction, violence, and incarceration by addressing the root causes rather than just the symptoms.
What sets my work apart is that it’s not abstract or theoretical. It’s informed by lived experience, academic rigor, and years of direct practice. I understand the systems my clients are navigating because I’ve seen their impact up close. That allows me to provide care that is honest, accountable, and deeply compassionate. This work isn’t just something I do it’s who I am and why J&S Counseling exists.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success by impact, not optics. Success isn’t measured by titles, numbers, or appearances it’s measured by whether people are genuinely better off because they had access to care that respected their humanity.
Success looks like someone who once felt invisible learning how to advocate for themselves. It looks like a client breaking a generational cycle of substance use, choosing healthier relationships, or staying out of the criminal justice system because they finally had support that made sense for their life. It also looks like accountability people taking responsibility for their choices while being given the tools and compassion needed to change.
On a broader level, success means building something sustainable that serves communities often pushed to the margins. If J&S Counseling continues to be a space where people feel seen, supported, and empowered to rebuild while also challenging systems to do better then I consider that success. For me, success is transformation, consistency, and the courage to keep showing up, even when the work is hard.
Pricing:
- $ 75 individual
- $275 DWI intervention
- $150 DWI Education
- $450 DOT Return to Duty (SAP)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jandscounseling.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jandscounseling/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61568494092429
- LinkedIn: Dr. Jennifer Smith
