Health & Wellness: Meghan Jacobson, LCSW

Megan-Jacobson-e1693180911629

Whole Health Counseling


Good health is a journey, not a destination. Every day it is a process and at times difficult to stay on the right path. But the choices you make about how treat your body and make a difference in how good you feel mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Healthy bodies are instruments which we accomplish our goals in this world, and the desire for healthy bodies, and therefore healthy lives, is one the greatest pursuits in life.

This month we highlight those that help us to care for our bodies and minds on our journey to better health. Those featured impact individuals every day to help them achieve their goals for the mind, body and soul.


Everyone needs a good listener.

Research shows that talking through issues is one of the best ways to find a resolution. Meghan Jacobson, mental health therapist and owner of Whole Health Counseling in Downers Grove, enjoys guiding clients from five years old through adulthood along the path to resolution.

Jacobson earned a degree in secondary education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She taught at an alternative high school in Milwaukee early in her career. She enjoyed working in education and felt her students’ needs were underserved.

Drawn to the social and economic justice component of social work, she decided to pursue a Master of Science in Clinical Social Work from the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Jacobson operates a virtual practice. Her gift is in building a trusting rapport with her clients. She enjoys working with youth, especially as a mediator between them and their parents.

She specializes in coaching parents through challenging development stages and providing tools that perhaps were not modeled in their own childhoods. She can identify communication blocks in families and offer strategies to build healthier homes.

Whether considering a change in therapy or just beginning the search, Jacobson cannot stress enough the importance of finding someone challenging in the right ways and helping individuals “realize their full potential.”

She said, “Get out there and try several therapists before settling.” Jacobson prioritizes keeping a list of vetted referrals for patients seeking a specialist if she feels it could offer more support.

Now settled in Downers Grove with her husband and two daughters, she is an active member of the Downers Grove Junior Woman’s Club. She is also on the board for grit2, a local non-profit focusing on teen mental wellness and empowering parents to support their teens.

Visit wholehealthcounseling.com for more information.

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Kristina and Matthew Bailey began reading books to their son, Owen when he was six months old— they haven’t stopped.
Owen turned 4 in June and recently received an award from the Clarendon Hills Public Library for having had 1,000 books read to him before starting kindergarten.

The library’s 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge is one of a few reading challenge programs offered in Clarendon Hills, where the Bailey family has lived for the past 2 1/2 years.
Kristin Bailey said she saw an ad about the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge and decided it was a good fit for Owen.

“He’s always been really into books,” Bailey said. “He had a natural interest in books at nine months old. That’s when COVID started, and he didn’t get out much, so reading books to him worked out very well. He’s a naturally curious kid, and imagination-building is important. The reading allows him to learn and explore new things, and he really wants to learn to read now.”

Krista Devlin, the Clarendon Hills library’s youth services librarian, said there’s a specific reason The Friends of the Library-sponsored 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge was started in 2022.

“Reading aloud to a child is one of the best ways to help develop important early literacy skills, which will prepare them for kindergarten,” Devlin said. “It is also a great way to bond with your child and to encourage a love of reading.”

Devlin said Owen was the second child to reach the challenge of having 1,000 books read to him before starting kindergarten. He was awarded a certificate, a crown, and his picture was taken to recognize his accomplishment.

Bailey, who said she is “a big reader,” said her family usually goes to the library once a week. Reading three books each night to Owen, along with a book before nap time, is the household normal.

“Consistency in our routine has been good and is important,” she said, adding that Owen’s two sisters, ages 2 1/2 and 1

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