Jessica Freer, LCSW

Therapist / Senior Clinician | jessica@3rdwavetherapy.com | 919-886-4052

We often talk about therapy the way we talk about going to the doctor: bring a problem to an expert and hope they know how to fix it. But therapy is not something that is done to you. It is a collaborative process built on trust, honest conversation, and shared goals, with you remaining in control of where we go and how quickly we get there.

The relationship we build is one of the most important parts of that process. From our first conversation, my goal is to create a space where you feel safe, understood, and able to show up as yourself.

I work with adults and adolescents navigating eating disorders, anxiety, depression, self-esteem concerns, OCD, rigid thinking, relationship challenges, and complex or acute trauma. Whether you are facing a specific challenge or simply want to understand yourself more deeply, we will explore what is happening with curiosity and compassion while working toward a life that feels more flexible, meaningful, and fulfilling.

My approach is integrative and draws from Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), attachment theory, and trauma-informed care. EMDR can help us process distressing experiences and beliefs that continue to shape how you feel and respond in the present. Together, these approaches can help us understand how early experiences, relationships, thoughts, emotions, and attempts to maintain control may have created patterns that once protected you but no longer serve you.

You are the expert on your own experience. My role is to offer perspective, education, and practical tools that help you recognize those patterns, make space for difficult internal experiences, and respond to life with greater flexibility and intention. You do not have to feel completely ready for change before beginning. We can start with curiosity about who you are, what you need, and who you want to become.

• Treatment Specialties

  • Anxiety

  • Depression & Mood Disorders

  • Stress Management, Self-Growth, & Coping Tools

  • Eating Disorder Treatment

  • Social Anxiety

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

• Services Provided

  • Child & Adolescent Therapy

  • Individual Therapy

• Education

  Master of Social Work, University of North Carolina
  B.S. Psychology & Anthropology, University of North Carolina

• Experience

  Over the years I’ve worked across multiple levels of care in the mental health field, including inpatient treatment and school-based settings. My approach is evidence-based and informed by research on teenage populations as well as integrated healthcare program implementation at UNC Chapel Hill.

  I developed invaluable skills in de-escalation and anxiety management while working in an inpatient eating disorder program. I have also provided play and talk therapy for children navigating anxiety, grief, ADHD, and ASD, as well as parent therapy for adults supporting their children through these challenges.

  Through this work, I’ve grown passionate about holistic and systemic care, especially for families and individuals managing co-occurring mental health concerns. I continue to enjoy using both play therapy and talk therapy with clients of all ages, prioritizing humility, mindfulness, and curiosity in every session. My goal is to center each client’s story and create a space where healing and growth can take root.

• Insurances

  Blue Cross Blue Shield

  Aetna

  North Carolina State Health Plan