Jennifer Wilke-deaton

Jen L. Wilke-Deaton, MA, LPA, has more than 27 years of experience providing therapy, consultation, and psychological testing for kids, teens, and

families across multiple settings, including inpatient treatment, outpatient clinics, schools, and the judicial system. She currently works in a privatepractice setting in central Kentucky, specializing in crisis management, ADHD, child abuse, PTSD, DBT, behavioral disorders, anxiety, ASD, and attachment. A nationally recognized trainer, consultant, and keynote speaker, Jen has traveled to all 50 states, providing education to foster care organizations, social services, schools, psychiatric hospitals, juvenile detention facilities, early intervention programs, in-home therapy, colleges and universities, and case management services. She is a tireless and passionate advocate for children and families, and her authenticity shines through, often coupled with humor, storytelling, and genuine commitment to helping others.

She has developed a parent training program recognized by the Governor’s Commission for the

Treatment of Children & Families and Kentucky’s Child Protective Services and helped develop a

regional children’s crisis stabilization unit, children’s advocacy center, and an intensive after-school

program for behaviorally challenged youth.

Jen regularly speaks on mental health issues and child abuse for Morehead State University,

Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky Child Protective Services, and National Public Radio; serves as the psychometrician for college athletes through the Center for Academic and Tutoring Services (CATS) at the University of Kentucky; and provides psychological evaluations and therapeutic support services for the Department of Disability Determinations and the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.

She has also published the Creative Parenting Skills, Parenting Better Children, Awareness in Focus: Modern Guided Imagery Techniques for Immediate Practice (audio CD), Awareness in Focus by Kids for Kids (audio CD), and The Mandala Workbook: Activities Across the Lifespan.

Jen earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from Northern Illinois University, with research focus in trauma-informed care and EMDR. She earned her master’s degree in clinical psychology from Morehead State University, with emphasis in areas of neuropsychology, trust, betrayal, and trauma.

A Chicagoland native, Jen has resided in central Kentucky for the last 30 years with her profoundlypatient and supportive husband and their child, a precocious and talented pianist and composer. She is a supporter of the arts and the local community mission garden and acts as a prop-mom for the MCHS marching band. (Yes, she welds and builds!)