A faith that makes room for truth.
I’m drawn to biblical context, the character of God, and the ways our interpretations affect real lives. I want to ask difficult questions without losing tenderness or intellectual honesty.
A life devoted
to healing.
A voice for hope.
I’m Jessica—a therapist and writer exploring healing, faith, and the stories we carry. My advocacy centers on victims, and my writing explores how faith can support their safety, dignity, and voice.
Faith. Courage. Room to become.
Heal trauma.Break cycles.Strengthen families.Restore hope.
The person behind the work
Many interests.
One steady purpose.
Therapist & Writer
Care, conviction, and a voice for change.
I’m Jessica Gaffney, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and writer. My work brings together a commitment to healing and a belief that every person deserves safety, dignity, and a voice.
As a therapist, I help people understand their experiences, recognize relationship patterns, and find a way forward that honors their needs and values.
My advocacy centers on victims—their safety, dignity, and right to be heard. Through my writing, I bring attention to experiences of abuse, trauma, and injustice, and the ways people and institutions respond to those who have been harmed. Theology informs this work as I examine how faith and biblical interpretation can support protection, accountability, and healing.
Through fiction, personal reflection, and thoughtful questions about faith, I write toward greater understanding, accountability, and hope.
What keeps me curious
Where my heart and mind meet.
Words that help us feel seen.
Memoir, fiction, and conversations about trauma offer different ways to name what has been hard to explain—and imagine a life beyond survival.
Safer homes. Stronger voices.
Domestic-violence prevention, children’s well-being, and healing-centered parenting matter deeply to me. My focus is on interrupting cycles of harm and building safety, accountability, and connection.
Books & writing
Love. Growing up. Finding your voice.
Explore my work through the LOVE Principle, books for teen readers, and my trauma memoir.
Stories for Teen Readers
Stories of relationships, loss, faith, and finding a voice while growing up.
Explore the books
Waking Marissa — also listed as Drawing Marissa.
Published under Jessica Gaffney and Jessica Adriel.
Every Last Breath
My personal story of trauma, survival, and finding my way back to my own voice.
Inside the memoir
A reflection on the cost of holding everything together, the experience of losing yourself, and the work of rebuilding a life in which your own voice matters.
The podcast · With Jessica Gaffney
The Trauma Pastor
Truth, healing, and the heart of God.
Conversations about boundaries, relationships, faith, and finding your voice. For men and women rebuilding trust within themselves and with God.
BoundariesFaith & healingRelationships
My life mission
Listen. Observe.
Validate. Encourage.
My mission is to help people heal from trauma, break cycles of harm, and build relationships where safety and dignity have a place.
The LOVE Principle puts that mission into practice: Listen, Observe, Validate, Encourage.
Listen
Give someone the space to speak—and the attention to be heard.
Observe
Notice feelings, needs, and patterns with curiosity and care.
Validate
Recognize another person’s experience and honor their dignity.
Encourage
Support growth, strengthen a voice, and make room for hope.
Explore the principle
Listen with attention. Observe with care. Validate another person’s experience. Encourage their growth. My developing children’s book, What Love Is All About, brings these ideas into everyday life for young readers.
Connect with my work
Space for reflection.
Support for what comes next.
Faith, equality & dignity
Explore the questions that shape my writing about domestic violence, misogyny, equality, and healing.
Explore my perspectiveRestorative Weekends
Individual and small-group experiences for people preparing for divorce or rebuilding afterward, with room for reflection, creative expression, and rest.
The program is in development. Dates, locations, pricing, and booking are not yet available.
Explore weekends at The Trauma Expert →Better Decisions Therapy
Explore my therapy practice and take the next step toward individualized care.
Visit the practice