Originally from the state of Illinois, Stacia graduated with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology while attending Southern Illinois University, Carbondale in 2011. By this time, Stacia had already identified her passion for service and mental health with five years of experience working as a Certified Nurses’ Assistant and Program Specialist for two rehabilitation facilities.

 
Following undergraduate school, Stacia along with her now husband, Joel, moved to Pennsylvania where she continued her work as a Family Based Mental Health Worker. Through this role she began her experience working with children, adolescents, and family systems. Knowing that she wanted to continue her education, Stacia began her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Shippensburg University in 2012. However, due to life circumstances, the need to focus on her own mental health, and to be closer to family, she made the decision to step away from her continued education and move back to the Midwest along with her husband in 2014.

 
While living in the state of Indiana, Stacia continued her work with adolescents and families with a new understanding of Self and the importance of maintaining balance between mind, body, and soul. This concept of life balance allowed for continued success as Stacia obtained her first role within the Supervisory position at Healthy Families, returned to school to complete her Master’s in Social Work, and maintained active membership within the local AA community. 

While working towards her Master’s, Stacia was able to obtain experience working within the field of addictions services as case manager and clinical mental health intern. She also took the opportunity to train as a Peer Coach which would allow an additional avenue for serving her community. 

Because of the importance of living an active lifestyle and additional love for nature, Stacia and Joel made the difficult decision to move to Maryville, TN in 2018 to begin the journey of raising a family together. Little did they know at the time, but both Stacia and Joel’s parents would follow their move shortly after. 

Before moving into private practice, Stacia was employed with Helen Ross McNabb Services, first as a School Based Therapist, and then as a Supervisor within the School Based Program. Stacia’s approach to therapy is eclectic in nature with preferences for trauma work, cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral therapy, mindful practice, and existential therapy. Stacia has found that the existential approach within therapy is one of the most critical for emotional healing yet is often overlooked or missed within most clinical practice. Therefore, this approach is encouraged within most of her therapeutic relationships. 

Today, Stacia views all of her experiences, both personal and professional, as a testimony to the value of a healthy mind, body, and spirit. These challenging experiences have  allowed for ongoing practice of the skills taught in mental health services as well as continued development of personal faith. Stacia believes that her purpose in life is to love and to serve humanity through the role of mental health provider in a manner that is non-judgmental, ever committed, and humble to the power that lies within each individual.