Jocelyn began her work with children, adolescents, and families, supervising visits with children, parents, and siblings in a specialized foster-care setting in Southern Illinois. During this time, she began to understand parental/family interactions with children who had complex emotional, behavioral, and/or medical challenges.

Jocelyn continued her education and moved on to work with children and adolescents in an inpatient behavioral-health setting, working with at-risk individuals experiencing mental-health crises. These experiences helped Jocelyn develop a one-on-one approach to assessment and treatment planning, and shaped her belief that family collaboration and support, and group-based approaches are essential to helping children and adolescents build coping skills, social skills, and emotional self-awareness.

Following her time as an inpatient therapist, Jocelyn worked with families in need, using a community-based support approach to outreaching and supporting families of children who had recently experienced a mental health crisis. In this role, Jocelyn gained a deeper understanding of the approaches, resources, and support that communities can offer children, adolescents, and families in crisis.