Jennifer Chicoine believes mental health care is about more than what happens during a therapy appointment. It is also about giving people a place to feel understood, supported and equipped with tools they can use in their everyday lives.
That belief is at the heart of Chicoine’s work as a mental health therapist and the owner and CEO of Peaceful Healing Counseling Services in Orland Park.
“I wanted to create a space where police wives don’t have to explain their experience or carry everything alone,” Chicoine said. “They can come as they are, connect with women who understand, and develop practical tools to care for themselves while supporting the people they love.”
Chicoine, M.A., LCPC, C-DBT, earned her bachelor’s degree in clinical/counseling psychology from Saint Xavier University and her master’s degree in counseling psychology from Trinity Christian College.
Peaceful Healing Counseling Services is an outpatient mental health practice serving children ages 4 to 12, teens, adults ages 18 to 99, couples and families.
The practice specializes in ADHD, behavioral issues, depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, trauma and narcissistic abuse recovery.
Chicoine said the practice’s clinicians are experienced in the mental health field and have formal training across multiple levels of care.
“All of our clinicians are seasoned in the field and have formal training across multiple levels of mental healthcare,” she said.
That experience also allows Peaceful Healing Counseling Services to provide stepdown care to clients who have completed partial hospitalization programs or intensive outpatient programs.
“Since all of our clinicians have experience across other levels of mental healthcare, we feel especially confident helping clients and families navigate the world after PHP/IOP treatment,” Chicoine said.
Clients who need additional support can receive therapy twice a week as they continue working toward their treatment goals.
Chicoine recently expanded her work with children and families by publishing “The Peace Plan,” a children’s book that teaches children how to repair relationships after conflict.
“I hope this book sells worldwide and that schools implement it in their current SEL curricula,” she said.
The book is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play and Apple Books. School districts interested in incorporating it into their existing social-emotional learning curriculum can contact Chicoine at jenthecounselor16@gmail.com.
Chicoine also is developing WayPoint, a mental health app designed to extend treatment beyond the traditional therapy appointment.
“I am extremely excited to say that I am currently creating a mental health app called WayPoint,” Chicoine said.
The dual-facing application is designed to help clinicians see the broader clinical picture of their clients while giving clients access to aspects of their mental health treatment between appointments.
“WayPoint extends the clinical care plan beyond the appointment by connecting goals, therapeutic activities, skill practice, assessments, progress tracking, and between-session support in one platform,” she said.
Chicoine hopes WayPoint eventually will be implemented in hospital systems, corporations and employee programs, PHP and IOP programs and outpatient clinical offices. She is currently scheduling demonstrations for organizations interested in learning more.
Another part of Chicoine’s work focuses on a group created specifically for women married to law enforcement officers.
The police wife support group is a skills-driven group designed to help participants develop coping plans, find meaning in their role and connect with other women who understand the experience of being a law enforcement spouse.
“Our police wife support group is a skills-driven group that empowers police wives by helping them develop their own coping plans, find meaning in their role, and providing a safe space to connect with others who share the police wife experience,” Chicoine said.
Chicoine said she created the group to provide a supportive environment for women navigating the realities of being married to someone in law enforcement.
“This group provides a confidential, supportive environment where women can connect with others who understand the stress, uncertainty, sacrifices, and resilience that come with loving someone in law enforcement,” she said.
“Police families need support, too,” Chicoine said.
The group also has personal significance for Chicoine.
“This support group means a lot to me,” she said. “By providing a space for police wives to connect and truly be themselves, it allows us to take a deep breath and feel like we can truly celebrate our officers in a place that respects police.”
The group is limited to 10 members per cohort and meets Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Peaceful Healing Counseling Services, 10710 W. 143rd St., Suite 15, Orland Park. Insurance is accepted.
Women interested in joining can reserve a spot through Eventbrite or submit a “Contact Us” inquiry through the Peaceful Healing Counseling Services website.
Chicoine’s work continues to grow in several directions, but the common thread remains the same: creating meaningful ways for people to receive support, build skills and feel less alone.
Whether she is working with a child learning to repair after conflict, helping a client transition from a higher level of mental health care, developing technology to support treatment between appointments or creating a community for police wives, Chicoine is focused on making mental health care part of the bigger picture of everyday life.
Peaceful Healing Counseling Services is located at 10710 W. 143rd St., Suite 15, in Orland Park. Chicoine can be reached at jenthecounselor16@gmail.com for information about the practice, WayPoint or the police wife support group.