Jessica Mars, LCSW

Essence Jackson-Jones is a Professional Counselor and Art Therapist with extensive experience supporting teens, college students, and young adults navigating life transitions, anxiety, and mood-related concerns. She earned her Art Therapy and Mental Health Counseling degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has practiced in outpatient, intensive outpatient, and community-based settings. Essence integrates creative and evidence-based approaches to promote emotional well-being, self-awareness, and personal growth, combining her background in counseling and the arts to help individuals connect with their inner strengths and cultivate balance through insight, creativity, and intentional growth.

Essence believes that meaningful healing begins when clients feel heard, respected, and empowered. She creates a warm, collaborative, and authentic environment where clients can explore their experiences safely. Guided by compassion, curiosity, and cultural sensitivity, she tailors each session to meet clients where they are while encouraging resilience, self-expression, and the development of coping skills that foster long-term emotional well-being. Art making in session is encouraged as an invitation rather than an expectation.

Essence begins by learning each client’s unique story, background, and goals during the initial sessions. She collaborates with clients to develop individualized treatment plans that reflect their needs and strengths. Her therapeutic process integrates dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive-behavioral strategies (CBT), and creative expression to deepen insight and emotional regulation. Essence’s person-centered, strengths-based approach helps clients move toward greater clarity, connection, and fulfillment.

Rebecca Jarrell is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas and a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in California and New Mexico. She has been in the mental health field for over 24 years in a variety of clinical settings. Early in her career, she worked in an inpatient psychiatric hospital on the child and adolescent unit. Most recently, Rebecca has spent over a decade in the private practice setting working with adults and specializing in anxiety, depression, trauma, and grief and loss issues. While she provides a holistic, individualized treatment approach, she has a strong background in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. She is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) and a Certified Grief Educator. She feels strongly about treating each client as a unique individual and meeting them wherever they are on their mental health journey. Rebecca is committed to creating a supportive and nonjudgmental environment where clients feel seen, heard, and empowered to make meaningful changes in their lives. Clients looking for a therapist will find Rebecca to be compassionate and direct, encouraging clients to challenge and reframe distorted thoughts while reinforcing positive adaptive behaviors.

Meet Alex Starmer, LMHC, your friendly mental health counselor here at Talkiatry. She's not just a counselor; she's your partner on your mental health journey. Alex earned her Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from Syracuse University in 2020 and has been in the field since January 2021, working closely with clients facing mental health and substance use challenges. Alex believes in the power of the mind-body connection, and she loves to share polyvagal exercises and mindfulness techniques to help you better understand yourself. She's always learning and growing, with ongoing training in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Her go-to tools for therapy are Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). With her, you can expect a compassionate and comprehensive approach to your mental well-being. You're in good hands with Alex.‍

Hunada Zein-Eddin is a bilingual (English/Arabic) Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Texas and Virginia. She earned her degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lancaster Bible College in 2022 and completed her residency at Northern Virginia Family Service and Youth For Tomorrow. She specializes in supporting adolescents, young adults, and adults with challenges related to anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, adjustment issues, and mood disorders. Hunada also helps clients navigate stress, grief, workplace relationships, anger, and life transitions. She has experience working with individuals, families, and couples and is certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) as well as ADHD Clinical Services. Her trauma-informed, culturally sensitive approach draws on Attachment Theory, TF-CBT, DBT, Narrative Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Polyvagal Theory.

Hunada understands that life often brings challenges that can feel overwhelming. She partners with clients on their journey toward healing, peace, and resilience by creating a safe, supportive, and non-judgmental space. Clients can expect empathy, compassion, and professionalism throughout their care. Her therapeutic style emphasizes collaboration, open communication, and a strong belief that everyone deserves access to high-quality mental health services that foster healing and growth.

Hunada begins therapy by building trust and gaining a thorough understanding of each client’s unique history, concerns, and goals. Initial sessions focus on creating a comprehensive biopsychosocial picture that informs the development of individualized treatment plans aligned with the client’s desired outcomes. Throughout treatment, Hunada ensures clients feel heard, valued, and supported as they work toward achieving their therapeutic goals and long-term emotional well-being.

Cody Chua is a licensed clinical social worker with extensive experience working in the mental health field. He has a passion for helping individuals, children, couples, and families by assisting them in finding their inner strengths and natural capabilities that aid in creating positive change and fostering healthy relationships. Cody completed school at the University of Houston's Graduate College of Social Work, in Houston, TX, while completing his practicum at Texas Children's Hospital Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic. Cody has 3 years of experience as a therapist in inpatient, outpatient, and virtual settings, offering individual, group, and family counseling to teens and adults. He specializes in working with clients with mood disorders, behavioral issues, grief and trauma, substance abuse, and co-occurring disorders. Cody tailors his treatment approach to each individual client, and has experience with various modalities, including mentalization based therapy, logotherapy, and cognitive based therapy. Outside the therapy room, Cody is passionate about cooking, travel, hiking, drawing, music, and theater. He enjoys spending time with his dog, and his family.

Cherie McCarthy is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with experience working across a wide range of populations. Early in her career, she served as an addictions specialist in high schools, prisons, and intensive outpatient and residential settings. Cherie earned her master’s degree in counseling psychology from National University and completed her intern hours working with adolescents in foster care and adults with severe mental illness in community-based programs. Over the past four years, she has focused on mental and behavioral health in a telehealth setting, treating lower-acuity concerns such as anxiety, depression, panic, and adjustment disorders, along with trauma work using EMDR.

Cherie believes it is both a privilege and a responsibility to create a safe, supportive space where patients can clarify goals and develop aspirations. Her work emphasizes identifying barriers to success and examining unhelpful core beliefs, allowing patients to move toward meaningful and sustainable change.

Cherie spends the first one to two sessions gaining a clear understanding of where patients are coming from and where they would like to go. From there, she collaborates with patients to develop individualized goals, revisiting and refining them over time to support clarity, growth, and progress throughout therapy.