MEET OUR STAFF
Staff Director
Justin Sims
Justin gives a warm welcome to our potential clients and funders while managing the day to day operations of the foundation. Justin has been in the service industry for more than a decade through various different titles such as mentoring through career firefighter, life coaching, sports coaching, barbering and executive assistant at the Empowerment Center. His goal is to help individuals make progress in their lives to attain greater fulfillment. At Intentional Healing, Justin strives to stay motivated by fulfilling his purpose, which is empowering others.
Therapist with Intentional Healing Empowerment Center
Jaclyn Beckler, LCSW, CCTP, CDBT
Jaclyn is passionate about advocacy and promoting self-efficacy. She strives to connect with clients in a safe therapeutic alliance to assist with psychosocial skills and practical tools for empowerment and growth. Jaclyn knows the importance of meeting clients at their level and helping them increase their tolerance thresholds through psycho-education, therapeutic interventions, skills practice, mind-body connection, and self-awareness.
Jaclyn’s professional experience includes serving children, adolescents, adults, and families in the settings of community outreach, outpatient services, foster care, adoption, and mental health/addiction treatment centers. Jaclyn specializes in trauma-related issues, nervous system regulation, attachment, family conflict resolution, depression, anxiety/panic, anger/stress management, interpersonal violence, addiction/substance abuse, crisis/emergency management, resolving maladaptive coping, behavior modification, and women’s issues.
Jaclyn is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional with additional certifications in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, and Safe and Sound Protocol. She also utilizes Motivational Interviewing, Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation, Trust-Based Relational Interventions, Play Therapies, Bi-Lateral Stimulation, Art Therapies, and Somatic Therapies with her services.
Therapist with Intentional Healing Empowerment Center
Kia Ruffin, MSSW, EdD
Kia Ruffin has her Master of science of social work degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and recently received her Doctoral degree in education from Trevecca Nazarene University. She has served within the mental health field for over eight years as a master’s level clinician working with adolescents and adults in outpatient and community settings. Kia is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and mindfulness techniques. She specializes in depression, anxiety, trauma- related issues, family conflict resolution, and life skills. Her experience includes In-home family counseling, school-based therapy, group therapy, anger management, behavior modification, and continues to serve as a mental health educator.
Kia is passionate about one’s ability to understand how mental health wellness is the key to living a life of fulfillment by learning how to work through current and past traumas in order to heal, grow, and thrive.
Therapist with Intentional Healing Empowerment Center
Sarah Thomas, MSW, LCSW
Sarah has been in the helping profession for over 20 years and has been a Mental Health Clinician since 2010. Sarah received her MSW from Southern Adventist University, in Collegedale, TN specializing in children, youth, and family systems. Sarah has experience working across the lifespan including children, adolescents, young, middle, and older adult populations.
Sarah believes that healing is a unique and individualized process that varies from person to person and includes finding and using tools to help reach specific goals in therapy.
Sarah uses an eclectic approach to treatment, utilizing elements from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma Focused- Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT) Dialectical Behavior Therapy(DBT), Solution-Focused, Family Systems Theory, and other Evidenced-Based Practices.
Therapist with Intentional Healing Empowerment Center
Shavon Silvers, LPC, MHSP, NCC, CCMHC
Shavon is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a designation as a Mental Health Service Provider. Shavon is also a Nationally Certified Counselor with a specialty as a Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor.
Shavon has been a counselor since 2018 with over 7 years of experience working with adolescents and parents in an inpatient setting after crisis situations. Her areas of clinical practice include depression, anxiety, mood disorders, schizophrenia, personality disorders, self-esteem, substance abuse, adjustment (life, career, illness) issues, relationship and familial problems, and day to day issues. Shavon works with individuals, families, and couples.
She uses an eclectic style of therapy with a main focus on Choice Theory/ Reality Therapy. Shavon likes to create a safe space in counseling for clients to be REAL and have REAL conversations. Whether you, your child, or partner/spouse/family need a place to come talk, cry, or just sit in the silence of the day with someone who will listen, this is the space for you.
