My name is Jess McLaughlin, Licensed Professional Counselor with 13 years of experience in the mental health field. I grew up in a variety of towns in South Dakota and my family has a history of work in both education and farming. I served in the South Dakota Army National Guard as a medic for 9 years, with one deployment during Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom. I am married with 2 young children, 2 dogs, and a cat. I enjoy hunting, fishing, camping, cooking, travel, and board games. My experiences in my younger years have sculpted a love for hearing a person’s story, finding the resiliency, and the healing that can happen in a healthy environment. I knew at a young age I desired a career helping others and being a counselor has continued to be my passion.

My experience during my deployment at 19 years old gave me a strong desire to find a way to help those with wounds that you cannot see. My first hours of work experience after graduating from The University of South Dakota’s Master’s program in community mental health was conducting neuropsychological testing under the supervision of the psychologist. I then found a full-time job working primarily in addiction treatments running intensive outpatient treatment and aftercare programming for both adults and adolescents. I then work in a community mental health clinic with a range of clientele to include those with severe and persistent mental illness and I also started work in supervising young professionals. When we moved to be closer to family I worked for the college campus student health clinic as a counselor, supervisor and then as the Assistant Director of Counseling Services. Mixed into the past few years I worked with the graduate program on campus as an instructor for their counseling program. At this time in my career, I am excited and proud of being part of a team of people dedicated to providing quality services to our community.

As a counselor I am passionate about identifying what you need from our work together. I understand how hard and uncomfortable reaching out for mental health services is. I provide room to develop an understanding of how the work in counseling is both biologically and emotionally influenced. I have experience in working with trauma, addiction, disordered eating, anxiety, depression, Bipolar Disorder, PTSD, grief/loss, relational concerns, athletes, head trauma, seizures, and health concerns. The techniques and theory I am prone to using elements of person centered, CBT, Solution Focused, Motivational Interviewing, trauma informed therapy and other evidence based practices.

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My name is Ashley Rausch, I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with 9 years of experience in the mental health field. I have worked in the community of Brookings and at SDSU in my time as a counselor. In working with the community I was able to work with a variety of individuals from adolescents, individuals, couples, parent child conflict, individuals on the spectrum and some drug and alcohol counseling. My time at the college has let me work with individuals adjusting from living at home to becoming more independent, work with trauma, the LGBTQ+ community, individuals and couples. I have loved my journey in this field and have a passion for working with people.

My journey into counseling began after I left home and took a few psychology classes in college. I wanted to understand more about me, my situations, and how to grow as a person. What I found was a passion and hunger for more knowledge in this field. It shifted from focusing on me to helping others in similar situations feel understood, heard, safe and like they can take on the world to the best of their ability. With a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Motivational Interviewing approaches, trauma informed interventions and other evidenced-based approaches, I have worked with individuals who have experienced a wide range of traumatic events, including physical and sexual assault, childhood abuse and neglect, domestic violence, and combat trauma. I have worked with individuals with anxiety, depression, bipolar, autism, substances use disorders, behavioral addictions, loss, separations/divorces, some health concerns, individuals transitioning, and other human experiences.

I believe the counseling process should be a collaborative effort to help you reach your goals. Counseling should be a process where I will work closely with you to create an individualized treatment plan that meets your specific needs and goals. My counseling style is warm, compassionate, humorous and non-judgmental. My goal is to build a strong therapeutic relationship based on trust, safety and mutual respect.

My name is Megan Florestano and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with 4 years of experience in the mental health field. I have also worked in Christian ministry and with college students since entering the workforce. I enjoy working with people with anxiety, panic attacks, OCD, grief, anger, poor boundaries, sexual assault and domestic violence recovery, abuse, PTSD, and issues of faith, religion, and identity.

I grew up moving all over the country and have lived in South Dakota for about 8 years. I am married and have two young children. I enjoy dancing, arts and crafts, camping, going for walks, and classical high fantasy fiction.

I always knew I wanted to go into a helping profession. I realized I wanted to be a counselor while working with college students and I would escort them to the counseling center on campus for various mental health concerns. I decided I wanted to be the person on the other end of that walk instead of the one pointing them in that direction. I worked with survivors of sexual and domestic violence at the Compass Center in Sioux Falls, SD during my counseling internship and I worked with college students again at the SDSU Student Health Clinic and Counseling Center.

My approach to counseling involves building a warm, supportive, non-judgmental and collaborative relationship where you feel heard and understood. I want to help you feel empowered to manage and reduce your distress through an individualized treatment plan focusing on your whole self, not just behaviors. I often incorporate humor and metaphor into my sessions. I focus on self-regulation, mind-body connection, coping skills, and trauma informed care along with other appropriate evidence based interventions to work with you to achieve your goals. When appropriate, I also utilize solution-focused therapy, brief therapy, Gestalt interventions, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). I believe you are the expert in your life experiences and as your counselor I get to come alongside you for a time to assist you on your mental health journey.

In my journey from the military to becoming a counselor, I have come to embrace the profound wisdom encapsulated in the phrase, "slow is smooth, smooth is fast." This mantra was often said when learning new skills as a reminder to take my time and trust the process. This mantra also serves as a framework for my counseling approach where I value the deliberate and unhurried progress leading toward self-discovery and healing.

My journey into counseling began after I returned from serving in the Marine Corps Infantry with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. I struggled with the transition to civilian life and found solace in talking with a therapist. This experience inspired me to pursue a career in counseling, with the goal of helping others who may be struggling with similar issues. With a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) approach and evidenced-based interventions I have worked with individuals who have experienced a wide range of mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, grief/loss, disordered eating, and trauma.

I believe that you are the expert in your own life and the counseling process should be collaborative where I will work closely with you to create an individualized treatment plan that meets your specific needs and goals. My counseling style is warm, compassionate, and non-judgmental to build a strong therapeutic relationship based on trust and mutual respect. Healing from trauma is a unique and individual process where I emphasize the importance of creating a safe and non-judgmental space for clients to share vulnerable emotional experiences and identify obstacles to success.

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