Jill M. Esbeck grew up in the Mid-west, spent 4 years in Portland, OR and then 15 years in Northern VA/DC area where she got a Master in Social Work and raised 2 step children through their teens. In 2002, she moved back to the Pacific NW for good and settled in Olympia with her husband and their 2 children and 2 cats and 2 dogs.

Jill knew from a very early age that she wanted to help people; joining a peer counseling group in high school, working with preschoolers in undergraduate school, volunteering for the crisis hotline back in Virginia and co-founding SideWalk, a homeless advocacy center for adults without children in Olympia. Before coming to the Emotional Wellness Team, Jill was a therapist for 3 years on a Wraparound Intensive Service (WISe) team with Catholic Community Services serving families in the community.

“My number one goal is to create a safe, open environment where everyone feels they have a voice. I honor the different perspectives people bring to the table and seek to understand how they see the world and make decisions about what to do in it. I believe every person has assets and strengths to help them cope, learn and grow. I strive to highlight the things that are going well in a situation in addition to identifying things that people would like to change.”

Jill looks forward to working with you and your family to find ways to find out “what better looks like”.

Lai Wan grew up in Hong Kong and came to the United States for college. She graduated from Idaho State University in 1987 with a degree in Early Childhood Education and Psychology. In 2007, Lai Wan completed her master’s degree in counseling. Lai Wan has specialized training in CBT modality, trauma-focused CBT, Motivational Interviewing, and chemical dependency. Promoting mental wellness and overcoming stigma are two important missions to her for clients. She feels honored to be a new member of the collaborative care team at South Sound Pediatrics where she is working with the pediatricians to identify behavioral health needs for early intervention for the child.

Lai Wan lives with her husband and their teenage son. She also has two adult sons. In her free time, she loves gardening, traveling, reading, and playing board games with families and friends.