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Jordan Newberry - Alternative Therapies Counseling Expert

Jordan first joined Next Step as a consultant 18 years ago. She provided workshops and trainings for agencies and staffs all over the U.S. She spent concentrated time working on rural Indian Reservations, and developed a deep respect for Native culture and spirituality.

Jordan also served as the Program Director of Next Step's Chronic Pain and Chronic Illness Program in Florida, where she directed a large staff of therapists on alternative therapies while providing individual, group and family counseling for patients who had experienced the devastating effects of disability due to chronic illness.

She is also a co-author, with Cathleen Brooks Weiss, of a trilogy of memoirs, written in two voices, which explore the evolution of the human spirit through the struggle to survive, to the determination to love, and then to the blossoming of true spirituality.
Cathleen and Jordan's deep friendship, more akin to a healthy, strong bond between sisters, was born when Jordan organized a mental health conference in her hometown, and invited Cathleen to be the keynote speaker. The two women immediately started telling each other the stories of their lives -- the sad ones, the embarrassing ones, the ones so awful that all you can do is laugh -- and soon these stories organized themselves into a trilogy of books, the first of which will be published soon.

Jordan is an accomplished poet, and a noted, award-winning artist. Yet, her greatest talent may be her ability to listen, with patience and compassion, to other people's complex life stories and their whispered, tentative dreams.

 Born and raised in a small Southern town, Jordan grew up surrounded by family and friends who loved to talk. Family stories and other tall tales were woven into the daily tapestry of fragrant magnolia trees, porch sitting and colorful aunts and uncles. She developed her listening skill at any early age.

These skills have served her well in her many positions within the mental health and wellness fields, where she has worked in substance abuse treatment centers, inpatient hospitals, and community clinics. She received a grant to create an innovative prevention program for children at high risk for drug and alcohol problems. She founded "The Children's Theater Workshop," where children could create the visions of the selves they hoped to become, as well as express their feelings in ways that did not betray their vulnerabilities. This project became a model prevention project, and convinced Jordan that her work as a therapist can be effectively integrated with her talents and love for the arts.

Jordan feels strongly that all patients seeking wellness need creative expression, but those who say "I'm no good at that" need it more than anyone who feels confident in the arts.
 
 Jordan's undergraduate degree is in English and Studio Art, and she received a Master's degree in Counseling.   She also studied and taught classical dance for many years.
 
 A deep empathy for others' struggles grew out of Jordan's own "mistakes" and from painful losses in her personal life, all of which contribute to her growth and compassion. She is as passionate about her work with patients as she is about the arts.
   
 An avid animal and nature lover, Jordan has too many cats and one rowdy dog. She and her husband, Dr. Michael Newberry, have recently launched the youngest of their five daughters in adulthood.

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