WELCOME!
Our Approach
KC PCIT believes in offering evidence based treatments to improve daily functioning of children and their families. We are experts in working with children (ages 2-18) and their families with a wide array of diagnoses and challenges including attention/hyperactivity disorders, anxiety, adjustment disorders, post traumatic stress and family conflict.
Jennifer Jackson-Rice
MSW, LSCSW, LCSW
Jennifer Jackson-Rice graduated from the University of Kansas in 2001 with a Masters Degree in Social Work and is now a Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker in the states of Kansas and Missouri. She began her social work career at Children’s Mercy Hospital, where she spent seventeen years focusing on child/family relationship enhancement, emotional and behavioral struggles, school difficulties, grief and loss, crisis stabilization and childhood adversities. After Children’s Mercy, Jennifer built the PCIT program at a local private practice where she focused on establishing and marketing this evidence based treatment program. She most recently practiced at a specialty anxiety center enhancing her clinical skills in the treatment of children with anxiety.
Jennifer is certified in Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). Jennifer is trained in Parent Child Interaction Therapy for Children with Selective Mutism (PCIT-SM) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Her belief is in using evidence based treatments that improve daily functioning of children and their families. She has experience working with children (ages 2-18) and their families with a wide array of diagnoses: attention/hyperactivity disorders, anxiety, depression, adjustment disorders and post traumatic stress.
She specializes in coaching parents to increase family cohesion and decrease conflictual, disruptive and attention seeking behaviors in the family system. Along with coaching parents, she has worked in the area of trauma and traumatic grief. Her strength is in helping families and children understand the impact of trauma and to teach ways to manage emotions and intrusive thoughts. Throughout her career, she has provided support and guidance as children process their traumatic experiences.
Julie Gettings
MSW, LCSW, LSCSW
Julie Gettings graduated from the University of Kansas in 1997 with a Masters Degree in Social Work and is a Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker in the state of Kansas and Missouri. She began her social work career at Children’s Mercy Hospital, where she spent twenty-three years focusing on child/family relationship enhancement, emotional and behavioral struggles, and family therapy for children and teens struggling with eating disorders. After Children’s Mercy, she spent time in private-practice where she focused on working with children and families through cognitive-behavioral therapy, family therapy, trauma-focused therapy and Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). Most recently she has practiced at a specialty anxiety center enhancing her clinical skills in the treatment of children with anxiety.
Julie is certified in Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and trained in Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Parent Child Interaction Therapy for Children with Selective Mutism (PCIT-SM) and SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions).
Her belief is in using evidence-based treatments that improve daily functioning of children and their families. She has experience working with children (ages 2-18) and their families with a wide array of diagnoses including attention/hyperactivity disorders, anxiety, depression, adjustment disorders, eating disorders and post traumatic stress. Julie specializes in coaching parents to increase family cohesion and decrease conflictual, disruptive and attention seeking behaviors in the family system. Along with coaching parents, Julie has taught many Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement (CARE) Workshops for parents and professional groups in the community.
Lisa Polka
MSW, LCSW, LSCSW, IMH-III
Lisa Polka graduated from the University of Kansas in 1999 with her Masters in Social Work and is a Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker in the states of Kansas and Missouri. Lisa is also an endorsed Infant Mental Health provider. Lisa began her social work career at Children’s Mercy Hospital 21 years ago and remains employed as a Child and Family Therapist. Lisa specializes in child/family relationship enhancement, emotional and behavioral struggles, school difficulties, grief and loss, crisis stabilization and childhood adversities. Lisa’s interests are in working with young children (under 5 years old) and their caregivers to enhance the relationship.
Lisa is certified in Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) as a Level 1 trainer. Lisa has trained 6 providers in PCIT. Lisa is trained in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) as well as Alternatives for Families Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT). Lisa is currently under supervision for certification in Child Parent Psychotherapy, an evidence-based treatment for child/caregiver dyads birth to 5 years that have been exposed to traumatic experiences.
Her belief is in using evidence-based treatments to improve the daily functioning of children and their families. She has experience working with children (ages 2-18) and their families with a wide array of diagnoses: attention/hyperactivity disorders, anxiety, depression, adjustment disorders and post-traumatic stress. Lisa has been coaching parents in an effort to enhance their relationship with their child while decreasing the conflict.
Marjie Ruhl
MSW, LCSW, LSCSW
Marjie Ruhl graduated from the University of Central Missouri in 1998 with a Bachelors Degree in Social Work and continued her education at the University of Missouri- Columbia in 2004 with a Masters Degree in Social Work. She is now a Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker in the states of Kansas and Missouri. She began her social work career in 1999 at Bayfront Medical Center working with adults who had experienced trauma. She continued her social work career at Centerpoint Medical Center providing service to families across the lifespan. Marjie transitioned to pediatric work at Children’s Mercy Hospital in 2006, where she continues to focus on child/family relationship enhancement, emotional and behavioral struggles, school difficulties, grief and loss, crisis stabilization, trauma response and childhood adversities.
Marjie is certified in Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and is Level 2 trained in Eye Movement De-sensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). She is also in the process of being certified in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).
Marjie holds strongly to the principles of evidence-based treatment to most impact the parent-child relationship. Marjie specializes in coaching parents to increase family cohesion and decrease conflictual, disruptive and attention seeking behaviors in the family system. She has experience working with children and their families with a wide array of diagnoses: attention/hyperactivity disorders, anxiety, depression, adjustment disorders, and post traumatic stress.
Brooke Nelson
MSW, LCSW, LSCSW
Brooke Nelson graduated from the Fort Hays State University in 2002 with a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work and continued her education at the University of Kansas in 2004 with a Masters Degree in Social Work. She is now a Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker in the states of Kansas and Missouri. Brooke began her social work career in 2002 working as a case manager for adults with severe and persistent mental illness at Burrell Behavioral Health in Springfield, MO. She continued her social work career working with children in foster care as an Adoption Social Worker at Kansas Children’s Service League. Brooke transitioned to working in healthcare at Children’s Mercy Hospital in 2003. Brooke spent seventeen years providing social work interventions for children and families at Children’s Mercy. During that time her focus was on child/family relationship enhancement, emotional and behavioral struggles, school difficulties, grief and loss, crisis stabilization, trauma response, and childhood adversities. Brooke most recently worked as a therapist at local private practice where she helped support children, adolescents, and families who were struggling with anxiety, depression, behavioral difficulties, and life stressors.
Brooke is certified in Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and is Level 2 trained in Eye Movement De-sensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). Brooke also has training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).
Brooke holds strongly to the principles of evidence-based treatment to most impact the parent-child relationship. Brooke specializes in collaborating with families to increase family cohesion and decrease conflictual, disruptive and attention seeking behaviors in the family system. She has experience working with children and their families with a wide array of diagnoses: attention/hyperactivity disorders, anxiety, depression, adjustment disorders, and post-traumatic stress.
Karen Mulligan
MSW, LSCSW, LCSW
Karen Mulligan graduated from the University of Kansas in 1996 with a Masters Degree in Social Work and is a Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker in Kansas and Missouri. She began her social work career with a local non-profit agency where she spent twenty-one years providing therapy to children and families. Her focus was on child/family relationship enhancement, emotional and behavioral struggles, school difficulties, grief and loss, crisis stabilization, trauma response and childhood adversities. Throughout her career Karen has provided training to early childhood professionals and educators around effective work with mental health issues and challenging behaviors. In addition to her current work with KC PCIT Karen provides management support and training for the social work team at an area school district .
Her belief is in using evidence based treatments that improve daily functioning of children and their families. Karen is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Child-Parent Psychotherapy, and is working towards certification in Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). Karen is also trained in numerous parenting education and social emotional curriculums such as Conscious Discipline, Parenting with Love and Logic, The Whole Brain Child, and the Incredible Years.
Karen has experience working with children (ages 2-18) and their families with a wide array of diagnoses: attention/hyperactivity disorders, anxiety, depression, adjustment disorders, and post-traumatic stress. She specializes in coaching parents to increase family cohesion and decrease conflictual, disruptive and attention seeking behaviors in the family system. Throughout her career she has focused on teaching children emotional regulation, positive coping skills and supporting positive relationships between children and parents.
Sarah Henderson
MSW, LCSW, LSCSW
Sarah Henderson graduated from University of Missouri – Kansas City in 2011 with a Masters Degree in Social Work. She is a Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker in Kansas and Missouri. She began her career as a family advocate at the Child Protection Center and spent the next 12 years at Children’s Mercy Hospital serving children and adolescents who experienced mental health crisis and trauma. During her time at Children’s Mercy Hospital, Sarah focused on child/family relationship enhancement, grief and loss, crisis stabilization, and emotional and behavioral challenges. Sarah worked closely with and educated families in crisis about the right tools to stabilize and improve daily functioning.
Sarah is certified in Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). Sarah has completed training in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT).
Sarah believes using evidence-based treatments will improve daily functioning and family relationships. She understands children and adolescents can feel empowered when they are heard and given the right tools to manage their emotions and thoughts. Sarah has experience in working with children and their families in a wide range of diagnoses including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress.
Crystal Winter
MSW, LSCSW
Crystal Winter graduated from The University of Kansas in 2004 with a Masters Degree in Social Work. She is a Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker in Kansas and Missouri. She began her career in 2004 as a child and adolescent therapist at an acute inpatient psychiatric hospital. Her focus was on crisis stabilization through individual and family therapy. In 2006, Crystal transitioned to working in healthcare at Children’s Mercy Hospital and later at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas. She spent 7 years providing social work interventions for children and families. During that time her focus was on child/family relationship enhancement, emotional and behavioral struggles, school difficulties, grief and loss, crisis stabilization, trauma response, and childhood adversities. Crystal worked closely with and educated families in crisis about the right tools to stabilize and improve daily functioning. In 2013, Crystal’s family relocated to Fort Collins, CO and she spent the next 8 years at home raising her 2 active boys. Upon returning to her roots in the Kansas City area in 2021, she worked with Holt International Children’s Services providing supportive counseling and case management to families adopting internationally. Her focus was on child and family relationships and the adjustment process, as well as emotional and behavioral struggles, and grief and loss.
Crystal has training in TBRI Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).
She is passionate about supporting children and teens in realizing their potential and to thrive in the face of adversity by creating a safe space to process emotions and work through challenges. Crystal believes using evidence-based treatments will improve daily functioning and family relationships. Crystal strongly values collaborating with families to increase family cohesion and decrease conflictual, disruptive and attention seeking behaviors in the family system. Crystal has experience in working with children and their families in a wide range of diagnoses including anxiety, depression, attention/hyperactivity disorders, adjustment disorders and post-traumatic stress.
