Jean has many titles and responsibilities. Her favorite ones are a mother, grandmother, and therapist. She has three sons who are grown and four grandchildren. She has worked in the field of mental health for the greater part of four decades.

She finished her Master of Science in Social Work in 1979 from the University of Texas at Austin with a specialization in counseling. Her first paid counseling position was with Abilene Regional MHMR. Through a grant with the United States Government which was administered by the State of Texas, she established one of the first Sexual Abuse Treatment Projects for children which coordinated with law enforcement and child protective services for the stated goals of educating the public about child sexual abuse, identifying and treating those who had or were being abused and preventing future abuse. During most of her employment there, she served as the Chief of Youth and Family Services. In 1982 she established a counseling agency and continued with private practice until 2001. During those years she served children, adults, and families, specializing in working with those who had been traumatized by various life experiences. In 2001 she moved to Austin and became a program director for Any Baby Can. She directed five programs and began a counseling program for parents who were unable to go to traditional counseling offices. In 2006 she moved to Waterloo Counseling Center as the Executive Director. Waterloo provides counseling to any who are unable to afford to counsel or who seek an agency that not only does not discriminate but also specializes in serving people who may not identify with traditional sexual or gender stereotypes. While working full-time in these nonprofit agencies, she maintained a night and weekend private practice.  

She worked for a major insurance company from 2012 until 2017 as a Behavioral Health Expert who educated the staff on how to best assist members who had behavioral health needs as well as working with the state of Texas and mental health providers as a liaison.

She practices daily meditation and is a seeker of ways to increase love, joy, and peace in life and all relationships.  Each person seen for counseling is viewed as unique.   

For more about her life views visit her blog site at http://mamajean48.blogspot.com