My name is Jennifer Mackey. After receiving my undergraduate and graduate coursework in criminal justice, I began a career in law enforcement. While serving as a police officer, I witnessed the correlation between criminal behavior and addiction.
With a desire to help others, as well as recognizing the need for change, I went back to college. There I obtained my license in addictions counseling and now hold a Licensure in Masters of Addiction Counseling (LMAC). I’m also a certified counselor for SB123, a drug treatment alternative to prison in Kansas. I have over ten years of experience in both inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment.
In 2014, I felt it was necessary to be able to address both the substance abuse and mental health disorders of my patients at the same time. I have since obtained my master’s in social work and am a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW). Today I help patients with all their mental health issues that often surround drug abuse.
My passion is the juvenile population. After working in the child welfare system, I often saw how youth fell through the cracks of our school, legal, and foster care systems.
I am a certified educational advocate in the state of Kansas. My experience includes working with the court and school systems in aiding youth that do not have a parent to help them in making their best educational decisions.
I hold a certification in mediation services and have experience working with juveniles in the legal system. I help youth offenders meet their victims face to face. By opening the dialogue between the offender and victim, I’m able to help the youth understand and feel the impact of their behaviors. The hopeful outcome is that it will deter their future interactions with the legal system.
My specialties include working with the adolescent population and their families, particularly those from more socioeconomically challenging environments. I also specialize in patients with an extensive legal or violent criminal background.
In addition to working at The Caring Center, I also work as a medical social worker where I help patients in a hospital setting. There I help patients and their families ranging from hospice, traumatic injuries, illness, addiction, and mental health crisis.
The road to recovery can lead you to a more meaningful, and confident life. Call us at 316-295-4800 to schedule your next appointment.
~ Jennifer
