Testimonials

From Trainees:

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"I had the pleasure of meeting Jessie in January 2022 when we hired her to help build out the first of its kind in Texas: a child welfare restorative practice curriculum called 'Paradigm Shift.' Her contributions were instrumental in the development of this curriculum, and the experience of working with her was exceptionally positive. Due to her outstanding performance, I decided to bring Jessie on as a trainer for our curriculum as we rolled it out in Texas in 2022. Her ability to engage and educate was immediately evident, and she quickly became a key figure in our training efforts. Jessie's expertise and dedication were critical to the successful implementation of 'Paradigm Shift.' Recognizing her continued impact, in 2024, I re-engaged Jessie to see if she would consider taking on the role of Restorative Coordinator. This role involved working directly with families affected by the child welfare system, an area where Jessie has truly excelled. Her empathetic approach, combined with her professional skills, has made a significant difference in the lives of the families she works with. Jessie has been a great asset from the beginning stages of developing our concept, through facilitating training, and now in her direct work with families. She is an invaluable member of our team, and I have no doubt that anyone considering working with her will find her to be an exceptional colleague and professional."               ~ Cortney Jones, Founder/President of Change 1, Austin TX

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"Through Jessie, the crew at UVE learned essential concepts and practical tools for creating a culture of “positive peace” which allows for creativity, efficiency, and overall well-being in each crew member. Now that I understand what is possible, I realize how many organizations, community groups and even families, are struggling with exactly what we struggled with because we did not know how to work together in a better way. After our time working with Jessie, I have seen a marked improvement in the communication, morale, and overall ‘vibe’ within our organization. We still need a lot of practice with the tools we learned from Jessie, but we are energized to do the work, because now we know that a completely new way of engaging with each other is possible."    ~ Abbey Kingdon, director and owner of UVE. 

                                       (The mission of UVE is to guide land and livestock stewards to repair and regenerate through holistic                                                  decision making informed by sound ecological, financial, and well-being planning, implementation, and                                            monitoring. UVE serves land and livestock stewards in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho,
                                       Montana and South Dakota.) 

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“Jessie was an amazing trainer! The most important and useful aspect of the training was how tailored it was to our organization's needs. Jessie took the time to speak with the Youth Program Director and me before the training to understand our experiences and where we needed support. During the training, we learned practical and applicable skills that we got to practice, like working through conflict, listening, and talking about the idea of moving away from “negative peace.” We reflected a lot on our organization and how we could use the different skills we learned from Jessie. Experiencing the community-building Circles was very powerful, and by the end of the training, I felt fully prepared to lead one myself as well as implement a conflict management tool called ‘HOEP.’ We also plan to use the Circle process during our staff meetings. It has not even been one month since our training, and we have already applied many of the skills that we learned.”

                                    ~Laura Gundlach-Heiman, Executive Director, Neighborhood House Community Center, Madison WI.

 

"Collective Voices’ 2-day training on Restorative Practices and Peacebuilding fundamentals was by far the best training I’ve attended this year. For several years I’ve been seeking a training that teaches me how to improve my communication with others and active listening . This training taught me exactly that.  I’m excited to implement the training material when offering my clients a safe space for communication."      ~ Probation Officer for the Muckleshoot Tribal Probation department.

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"Collective Voices’ training for Forest County Potawatomi’s Summer Youth Employment students was outstanding. Restorative Practices are navigating their way into schools across the country. In rural Wisconsin, I can’t think of a better tool to have in the pocket of educators and students - those specifically at the frontlines of behavior with their cohort and peers.  Jessie’s calm disposition made students and staff feel safe and affirmed. There is value in this Indigenous practice, and the benefits of working through to the core of the situation and/or problem using various types of Peacemaking Circles (Conflict, Grief, Celebration, and Talking), are lifechanging. This training gave me hope that in the right time and place, mixed with people in the right capacity to acknowledge personal and professional growth, a new lens in how we view discipline can be adopted.

                                                       ~ Forest County Potawatomi Education Division staff.

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“Collective Voices facilitated a retreat for the Change Team Committee I was a part of within a non-profit agency. Her portion of the retreat was meant to be a half-day long, but so much was being accomplished in our time with Jessie that we continued with her and threw the agenda out of the window. Jessie's way of facilitating created a feeling of peace. There was a new possibility to heal and move forward within our team.”  
                                                       ~ A. Barlow, MSW. Change Team Member (Conflict & Repair/Healing Circle.)

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"It's been a pleasure working with Collective Voices to explore Circle work at Chrysalis. Jessie is authentic, informative, and a great facilitator! It was so helpful to learn the context for Circle work and then be able to actually be part of Circles at our agency. Collective Voices was committed to helping us figure out how Circle work fit into our agency and with our company culture. Jessie is flexible and fun to work with. This was a great starting point for us as we take a deeper dive into this important process." ~ Dani Rischall, Executive Director, Chrysalis Inc. (Peacemaking Circles and Conflict & Repair Facilitation trainings.)

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"The training I received from Collective Voices has completely reshaped the communication in my program for the better. I primarily work with at-risk Native American youth, some with severe behavioral issues. Implementing Circles (and allowing our teens to call for them) has empowered our kids to slow down in time of conflict, listen, gain empathy, restore relationships and diffuse emotionally "high stakes" situations. The training I received has facilitated healing and helped this community begin the process of repairing intergenerational harm.  Jessie as a trainer is fantastic!  She has strong intercultural awareness and creates an environment that is safe, accepting, and encouraging for all. I am grateful for the training I received from Collective Voices and to have a resource like."      (Peacemaking and Conflict & Repair Facilitation trainings.)
              ~ K. Rosenthal P.G.D, MM, BM. Equine Specialist,  Muckleshoot Behavioral Health and Family & Youth Services Program.

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"I appreciated getting to know all of my co-workers and that in a Restorative Framework, explanations are not seen as excuses. I learned the value of the Restorative Framework - stop, listen, reflect, then speak. I am now aware what a framework is - the attitude and value system with which one approaches conflict and people. A dominant framework of interaction only allows for one voice and one opinion. This means only one person: "gets" to be right, to talk about the harmed they have experience, or be heard. A restorative way of relating allows for actual healing and getting unstuck."   
                                       ~ Child care center (Restorative Practices curriculum training.)

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"Collective Voices has been invited to do numerous trainings and Conflict/Repair Circles with our staff over the past years. She has facilitated Peacemaking Circles and helped our staff process conflict through listening sessions, reflection, and restorative practices. Jessie's ability to remain supportive and encourage safe space during extremely challenging times among staff has been transformational. Our culture at Connections Counseling is the pulse of how we provide services for our community, therefore we each must do our own work both individually and collectively. Jessie is able to maintain neutrality while allowing each staff to find compassion and vulnerability so we can move through turbulent times and find our heartfelt mission of authenticity and truth. In my 25 years as a leader, I am especially grateful to Collective Voices for providing the skills, resources, and support for our staff to grow and thrive. Our tagline is 'Together We Recover' and reaching out to professionals such as Jessie creates the fabric for restoration. Thank you."

                                        ~ Shelly Dutch, CSAC, ICS. Founder & Director of Connections Counseling for over 20 years,                                                                     Co-Founder of Horizon High School, and Founder of the Recovery Foundation.

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"Our Family and Youth Department wanted to bring in Restorative Circle practices to our family counseling and youth interactions. We had worked with Collective Voices in the past on other projects, and since her work ethic and quality is second to none, we were ecstatic to get her back out here to Washington. The first part of the process was working towards integrating cultural components and ensuring the training was complementing the tribe's cultural beliefs and traditions. For Jessie to focus on this first was the right approach, and it doesn't happen often when outsiders come to the community. The Collective Voices training was designed to meet our specific needs and discipline. She worked extensively on the front end to ensure what she was training us on was what we were looking for. After the success we have with our families and our youth with these practices, we are looking to bring her back for more training and implementation. I would highly recommend what she does and her process of training."   (Peacemaking and Conflict & Repair Facilitation trainings)

                                        ~ D, Whiteaker, SUDP. Muckleshoot Behavioral Health and Family & Youth Services Program.

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"Conflict is necessary and not something to be afraid of and that it is necessary for positive peace. I learned specific tools for how to approach and transform conflicts and differences of opinions with my co-workers."   
                                        ~ Child care center (Restorative Practices curriculum training.)

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"Until this training, I had never heard about the differences between a restorative and dominant framework in one's approach to people, conflict, and healing. I learned that even in heated arguments and differences of opinion, if a restorative framework is used, mutual respect and understanding can be upheld."        ~ Child care center (Restorative Practices curriculum training.)

 

"Collective Voices did a wonderful job facilitating our group's Healing Circle. She was able to establish, in such a beautiful way, a solid foundation for our staff to be vulnerable with one another. Jessie intentionally incorporated some skill development so that we all walked away with a couple of tools to utilize within our future work. She was humble, patient and passionate with her approach and we were so very pleased with the successful outcome."  
                                                                    ~ Change Team Staff member; community-based nonprofit.

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From Direct Care Participants:

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"In my grief work with Heidi, I find her to be a very wise being.  During and after talking with her, I feel relieved and reassured. An ongoing, key personal learning journey for me is trusting myself to be open to exploring new experiences, instead of being self-critical, rule-heavy, and judging myself. Heidi helps me in positioning a gentle presence with myself, and building
self-kindness, again and again."          ~ Grief Support participant.

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"I’m really grateful that I met Jessie. You are not only a great resource for clients, but you’ve also had an impact on me as a professional.  Every now and then, I believe it’s important that I evaluate how I’m doing with self-care, areas for improvement in my practice, and needing to gain more knowledge. Most of the time, it’s particular clients that remind me it’s time to do that.  In this case, it was another provider. I definitely hope we continue to have chances to work together."

                                                                 ~ Case Worker & Substance Abuse Counselor.

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"Heidi is a wonderful person. She has been warm and understanding since we first met which has helped me trust working together. She has taken the time to build our relationship, and to really get to know who my son was. Grief support with Heidi has taught me that it is okay that I want my son and my memories of him to remain an important part of my life."

                                                                 ~ Grief Support participant.

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"Jessie was a wonderful facilitator for our Conflict & Repair Facilitation. She helped us to communicate effectively with one another so that we could work through the issues at hand. Jessie provided a comfortable safe space for us to express the things we needed to express. She also helped to offer tools and frameworks to help with future communication issues that might arise as well as a communication maintenance plan for our family. We are so thankful to have had an opportunity to work with her and are grateful for the immense help she provided our family."  
                                                                ~ Parent of 4 sons (Family Circles and Conflict & Repair Dialogue.)

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"Jessie has worked with my family on and off for over 10 years in the capacity of facilitating Family Circles. She has the unique ability to see beyond the noise to the heart of an issue, and to guide with compassion and honesty through truly difficult struggles. I can recommend her services without reservation!"  ~ Mother (Family Circles.)

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