Welcome! to the website of Thérèse Jacobs-Stewart, a psychotherapist, meditation teacher, and author. We hope you find this site a valuable, practical tool—whether you’re seeking psychotherapy services, in a 12-Step recovery program, or looking to deepen your spiritual path through mindfulness practices. M.A. Licensed Psychologist I started out in the 1970s, training in family systems therapy with pioneers Virginia Satir and Carl Whitaker. I can’t believe how time has flown–by now, I’ve been a psychotherapist, retreat leader, and meditation teacher for more than 35 years. Those years have given me a wealth of experience (and hopefully wisdom) about working with people. My clients are primarily adult children from alcoholic families and people in recovery from addictions, typically suffering from anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, or relationship issues. During the past decade, I’ve integrated this first love of mine—seeing how we learned to be who we are in the context of our growing up—with a second love: mindfulness practice. Both approaches give us deeper understanding and compassion for ourselves, always a prelude to lasting change. The practice of mindfulness meditation has made a huge difference in my own life and offers great benefit to my clients. I worked on corporate projects with the esteemed Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, and learned from him the effects of meditation on the workings of the brain. Fascinating stuff! And, convincing in its efficacy to help our health and emotional wellbeing. I now incorporate mindfulness into my approach to psychotherapy. Mindfulness and the 12-Steps The Mindfulness and 12-Steps movement began in California at the turn of the millennium as people gathered to meditate and deepen their spiritual recovery from a broad span of addictions. Described by the St. Paul Pioneer Press as an “anchor†of the recovery community in the Midwestern United States, Thérèse is the author of Mindfulness and the 12-Steps: Living Recovery in the Present Moment (Hazelden Publishing, 2010).