Jessica Labman B.S.W., M.S.W. R.S.W. (SK)
Jessica has been a practicing therapist in Battleford and North Battleford for over 12 years. She received her Masters of Social Work degree with a concentration in narrative therapy from the University of Manitoba in 2010. She began her undergraduate Arts degree at the University of British Columbia and completed her Bachelor of Social work degree from the University of Calgary. She is continually advancing her education and counselling experience and has taken university courses at Thompson River University and Sonoma State University in addition to various counselling workshops and seminars.
Jessica draws from her experiences traveling abroad which have added to her focus of providing anti-oppressive culturally diverse counselling interventions. She has practiced across Canada, working in the Yukon Territories, Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. Jessica has been living and practicing in the Battlefords since 2007.
Jessica has individual counselling experience working with children, youth and adults. Jessica is a registered Social Worker with the Saskatchewan Association of Social Workers and has professional liability insurance.
Approach: Jessica's philosophy is to work with clients from a place of trust, collaboration, respect and honesty. She views all clients as the experts in their own lives and believes that she is there to help guide and support them along the way.
Jessica's practice is highly influenced by narrative therapy. It has been stated by researchers that the narrative approach represents “a fundamentally new direction in the therapeutic world” (Etchison & Kleist, 2000), and is an approach that is favoured within cross-cultural practice.
Her goal is to help clients realize their abilities and competencies to separate themselves from their problems and recognize the times when they overcame their problems and begin work to develop alternative, more positive stories/narratives of their lives.