Jessica Wood earned her doctorate in Psychology (Psy.D.) from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology and is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist for the state of Missouri. Her areas of study included psychological testing and evaluation, substance abuse treatment, marriage and family therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and general child and adolescent psychology/treatment. Jessica focused her continuing education on adolescent trauma, treatment methods and dialectical behavioral therapy to assist in treating self-injurious behavior and other complex emotion regulation disorders.
Prior to Shelterwood, Jessica worked in an out-patient community mental health service center providing individual therapy, an out-patient substance abuse treatment center for families and adolescents as well as in individual, group and family therapy in a child and adolescent treatment center.
Jessica has a passion for working with adolescents and their families and loves seeing relationships and lives restored. She was drawn to Shelterwood because of the unique faith integration approach to treatment, and she is always eager to work with students transforming young lives and families.
Outside Shelterwood, Jessica enjoys spending time with her husband and baby girl, as well as bike rides, walks, working out, traveling, visiting friends and relaxing in the sun.
Justin Puch has been working with families and teenagers since 2009 in ministry and as a Licensed Counselor. Justin is passionate about working with those with trauma / loss, depression, anxiety, family issues, and attachment problems. Justin comes to Shelterwood from a Director role in a substance use residential program, and has spent time in private practice and as a student pastor at two large churches.
Ken received his Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice from Rutgers University. During his senior year, Ken became an assistant chaplain at the Morris County Juvenile Detention Center in New Jersey. Over the next two years, he completed a family life ministry intern at his local church. Ken discovered his passion for working with at-risk teens and their families.
Ken pursued his Master’s degree in counseling at Dallas Theological Seminary. Ken’s focus transitioned to substance abuse treatment. Ken and his wife, Janelle, moved to Kansas City in 2011, where he worked as both a case manager and a therapist in residential, transitional and intensive outpatient substance abuse programs. Ken received a Clinical Supervisor certificate from the Missouri Credentialing Board and currently leads and supervises Shelterwood’s Substance Abuse Therapy team.
Josiah Johnson has been engaged with the youth of Shelterwood since 2013. He has served as a Direct Care Staff and Assistant House Director. His focus has always been on walking through the hardships of life with students as they work on their personal and family struggles.
Josiah uses his real life experience working with Corrections as well as serving as a leader in Celebrate Recovery. Josiah’s focus is on addiction, recovery and maintaining sobriety. His goal for our students is to regain a fun, positive and healthy lifestyle as they transition into adulthood. Josiah enjoys playing tennis, photography and reading.
Tiffany Rensberger earned her BS in Biblical Counseling from Calvary Bible College. Her areas of study included Marriage and Family Therapy, Counseling Youth, Crisis Counseling, and Addictions Counseling. Upon graduation, Tiffany spent the summer working as Crew Counselor over the high school staff at Life Action Camp. She began her journey at Shelterwood as a mentor in 2012.
Tiffany is passionate about Shelterwood’s vision to see teens and their families restored physically, emotionally and spiritually. Tiffany says, “It’s the holistic approach that makes Shelterwood work.” During her time as a mentor, Tiffany developed an appreciation for twelve-step addiction programs and group therapy as she attended countless Narcotics Anonymous meetings with students. She is furthering her education in Substance Abuse Therapy by studying under Shelterwood’s Addictions Therapist, Kenny DeBlock. In her free time, she enjoys playing basketball, going to the gym, being outside, playing guitar, drinking coffee and eating cereal.
Julie completed her MS in Counseling and Art Therapy at Avila University and is a licensed professional counselor in the state of Missouri. Julie’s passion is for teenagers and she uses art as a creative therapeutic strategy to help students resolve the tension and pain in their lives. Prior to Shelterwood, Julie worked at Spofford Home for Children, Re-Discover Program and Wyandotte Center for Behavioral and Community Health.
Her desire to work more exclusively with adolescents and families led her to the Shelterwood team in February of 2012. Julie enjoys applying art therapy as a catalyst for growth and healing. She also desires to help teens discover their passions and to be productively involved at Shelterwood, in their community and ultimately when they transition home.
Ed graduated from Amberton University with an MA in Professional Counseling. He has been a Licensed Professional counselor since 2008, and has had a diverse work history in the field of therapy and counseling and working in both inpatient and outpatient settings. He has experience with a wide variety of individuals, serving in both private and community based facilities. He has worked with families in crisis, dealing with both mental health and substance abuse issues.
He utilizes a refined cognitive behavioral skill set to serve clients and their families to implement changes for individuals and their families. Ed loves to focus on the positive aspects of one’s personality and increase rational thinking in response to life’s challenging events.
Megan earned her BA degree in Psychology at Texas State University and continued on to Friend’s University, where she completed her MS in Family Therapy. Megan has experience working with those with anxiety, depression, identity issues, attachment, physical, emotional and sexual abuse and problems that stem from family systems. Prior to joining the Shelterwood team, Megan worked with the families of children and adolescents who experienced various forms of trauma. In 2016, she joined Shelterwood to work with a strong clinical and interdisciplinary team that values clinical excellence and integrates faith to help families find a systemic approach to healing.
Outside of Shelterwood, Megan enjoys traveling, going to local festivals and trying new restaurants with her friends and family.
Janelle earned her BS at Calvary Bible College and continued on to Dallas Theological Seminary where she completed her MA in Counseling. Janelle has experience working with eating disorders, body image issues, anxiety, depression, and mood disorders. Her interest in reactive attachment disorder (RAD) and developing more secure relationships strongly influences the work she does with adolescents and their families. She joined the Shelterwood team because she is passionate about working with families to rebuild and restore communication and relationship bonds. She enjoys helping teens learn skills necessary for true healing, recovery and wholeness.
Outside of Shelterwood, Janelle enjoys spending quality time with her husband Ken and their son, as well as running in various 5K events throughout the year.
Cindy Booth received her BA in Individualized Studies: Arts for At-Risk Youth from Metropolitan State College in Denver, Colorado. Previously, Cindy was a gallery fine arts consultant, a muralist and faux painter, drawing instructor and freelance portrait artist for several publications, including the Denver Post.
As an arts educator, Cindy has worked with at-risk middle and high school students, teaching many art mediums, art history and art appreciation. Cindy also has experience in set design and theater. Many of her students have received local and national arts awards and scholarships.
Elisabeth Klemme (Lis) attended the University of Missouri where she received a Bachelors in Religious Studies and a Bachelors of Journalism. During college she worked in after school programs and realized how much she loved working with teenagers. After college she went on to work for the Boys & Girls Club in Columbia Missouri as their Teen Director, and Manager of Grant Writing and Grant Compliance. After getting married and moving to Kansas City, she found Brain Balance. She started as the Assistant Director, and was later promoted to Program Director at Shelterwood. Working at Shelterwood merged Lis’ love of God, excitement for working with teenagers, and her love of the Brain Balance program. Shelterwood and Brain Balance are both in the business of restoration and healing. Lis loves to see God’s healing in the lives of teens and to witness their process of restoration. In her spare time, Lis spends a lot of time at the park with her 2 year old daughter, Corrine, and husband Jason. She enjoys healthy cooking and traveling to see family and friends.
Amanda’s work and passion is to help children reach their full potential and see families healed and restored. She comes to Shelterwood with more than 15 years of experience, beginning as a classroom teacher working with children struggling with learning and behavior issues. After witnessing the results of the Brain Balance program through one of her students, she left her teaching career to join the Brain Balance team in 2007. Amanda was the Center Director of the Brain Balance in Peachtree City, GA, for five years, serving families with children suffering with symptoms of ADHD, sensory processing, dyslexia and learning difficulties.
In 2012, Amanda moved to Kansas City to develop the Brain Balance Program for Shelterwood Academy. Here she has gained experience collaborating with therapists, educators, and housing staff to develop a holistic brain based approach serving struggling teens. Currently, Amanda is working on her Ph.D. in Brain Rehabilitation and specifically is doing research in the development of empathy. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, the outdoors, and traveling abroad.
