"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."

- Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Jada Hudson, M.S., LCPC, CADC, is a clinically trained therapist and the owner of Hudson Clinical Counseling. With over 20 years of experience, Jada counsels first responders who have experienced occupational stress and trauma, as well as women, children, and adolescents struggling to manage life’s transitions or emotional challenges. Jada employs client-centered therapy, which means clients take an active role in employing strategies for healing. She creates a safe, non-judgmental, and open experience to guide clients to resolution or adaptation to their life challenges. Jada has also been published in Fire Engineering Magazine and Fire Rescue Magazine. She was on the emotional wellness advisory committee and named as a subject matter expert for the Illinois Fire Service Institute in Champaign, Illinois. She was also recently invited to be the Keynote Speaker at The National Fire Academy.

About Jada

More About Jada

More About Hudson Clinical Counseling

Jada has over 20 years of counseling experience with a ride range of specialties, including first responders, children and adolescents, rape victims, terminally ill children, retirement planning, career planning, and more.

A few articles from Jada:

Lessons From a Firefighter Therapist Training Day

Jada comes from a family of first responders, and has attended numerous ride-alongs and trainings with both fire and police. Click here to read about her experience with a training day at a firehouse.

Writing Your Way to Healing

You experienced a trauma. It was horrible. What now? How do you even begin to think about it? Where do you go first? You can’t get it out of your head, and you don’t want people to think you’re weak. Should you talk to someone, or should you try to sort it out on your own?

Retirement for Firefighters: Finding Balance in the Home

Retirement is a relatively new concept, and it can almost seem unnatural when it finally happens. It brings in unexpected transitions, especially for firefighters and other first responders. It is best to be prepared.

Excercise Does More Than You Think

Your world is busy. From the time your shift starts at the firehouse, you are on your feet taking care of things. You have projects at home, the kids have performances, and you want to be availble for everyone. But, where does that leave you?

Your Relationship with Death

Everyone dies. First responders see a lot of deaths and near-death experiences on the job. Mant people dear death. But, what if fear of death is holding so many people back from truly living? What if the thing many people are missing, the thing that makes them live in fear, is a healthy relationship with death?

How to Study and Memorize Important Information

Got an upcoming test? Here are some tactics to help you remember what you need to remember. The California Highway Patrol Academy teaches cadets to use these key study skills, but they are helpful at any point in your career!

The 5 C's of Successfully Aging

What is something you are curious about that you could learn more about? What is something new or challenging you could begin to pursue? Who do you want to connect with in the coming months and years? What is one problem or project you want to fix or finish?

Is It Addiction?

Every individual is unique. Like a fingerprint, everyone has their own set of interests, desires, relationships, and experiences. However, within our society's beautiful tapestry of uniqueness lies many individuals, whose interests and desires have been driven to extremes, compelling them to mask their underlying feelings.

Quiet Desperation: The Male Manifestation of Depression

Depression symptoms and treatment have been studied primarily from a female perspective, and women definitely manifest depression differently than men. Men tend to blame others and find it “weak” to talk about their feelings.

What To Do With Worry

Few of us welcome worry into our life, yet nearly all of us experience is. Worry is thinking about what may happen, or has already happened in an obsessive way. It falls between concern and anxiety.

Firefighter Suicide: Reasons and Prevention

From celebrities to people in our own family, suicide strikes at our heart and brings shock and emotional pain to everyone left behind. Suicide in the firefighting world, unfortunately, is not only evident, it is prevalent.

Alcohol Abuse: Is Cold Turkey the Only Way?

Alcohol abuse is a common problem among people with high stress jobs, and firefighters are no exception. The really hard part for all involved is determining the severity of the alcohol abuse and how to manage it.

Clinical Areas of Interest

ANXIETY
DEPRESSION

(SITUATIONAL AND CHRONIC)

SUBSTANCE ABUSE
RELAPSE PREVENTION

SUICIDAL IDEATION
TRAUMA RESOLUTION

OCCUPATIONAL STRESS

PTSD
GRIEF & LOSS

SOCIAL ANXIETY
LOSS OF A CHILD
TEEN ISSUES
RELATIONSHIPS & MARRIAGES

PRE-MARITAL COUNSELING

ONCOLOGY COUNSELING

DIVORCE ADJUSTMENT

RETIREMENT PLANNING

CAREER TRANSITIONS

RESILIENCY

“I came for help with an addiction problem. I have been able to confront that addiction with counseling. She has also helped me with self-esteem issues and depression. Jada is warm, non-judgmental, concerned, knowledgeable, insightful, and very easy to talk to. She is like a friend who doesn’t judge you – just listens and then helps you see your own mistakes and how you can correct them.”

Male, 58 years old, educator