WOMEN SUPPORTING WOMEN
CLINICAL STAFF
Cynthia Hearst-Turner
Cynthia Hearst-Turner has maintained the role of Clinical Director at Shephearst Meadows (SHM) since opening in 2007. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and a clinician trained in both EMDR and Internal Family Systems, she has integrated 30 years of clinical and corporate behavioral health care experience to continue a mission of helping women and their families heal together. An early calling to make a difference in women's lives who identified as Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA), Codependents, or Survivors of Trauma and Addiction, led to life-changing work with the National Association for Children of Alcoholics and an eventual adjunct professorship at Reformed Theological Seminary. In addition to the reward of coordinating care for each woman who comes to SHM, she values collaborating with an expert team of therapists who feed her passion for writing clinical curricula that validate women's inherent worth and offer hope for sustained healing through change. She loves all that her Mississippi home has to offer, and on her days off, you can find her reading and writing on the front porch, enjoying a college or high school football or baseball game, or training her Labrador "grandpup," Duke, in doggy manners. She finds pleasure in the outdoors by gardening till dark or simply throwing a fishing line off the pier in the stillness of the afternoon or just before a rain shower. And, if she is to have her way, her greatest joy will be doing what she enjoys with her husband and one or all three sons alongside.
Tammy Coker
Tammy Coker is a Licensed Professional Counselor, EMDR, and Internal Family Systems Trained Clinician with a decade of experience in mental health, primarily spent as a clinician in the Addictions Intensive Outpatient Program at Shephearst Meadows. In her private practice here, she specializes in women's issues, including betrayal trauma, divorce recovery, and narcissistic abuse, foundational topics addressed in the Reclaimed Hope Betrayal Trauma Recovery Group that Tammy leads. Beyond her training in Marriage and Family Therapy, Tammy has the experience that she brings to the therapy room from her own life's journey-- parenting into adulthood; divorce recovery; partner betrayal trauma; spiritual formation; marriage and relationships; career counseling; and codependency issues. Her greatest core belief is that there is always hope for a better tomorrow. When out of the office, Tammy enjoys gardening, traveling with her husband to beautiful destinations, and spending time with their six children and four precious grandchildren.
Mary Kathryn Evans
Mary Kathryn Evans is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor, Trauma Centered Trauma Sensitive Yoga Facilitator, and EMDR trained clinician. She joined the Shephearst Meadows team in 2021, bringing an integrated approach to therapy, and trauma-informed yoga to the group. In her private practice, she concentrates on eating disorders, body image, and related women's issues. Mary Kathryn incorporates a whole person approach - mind, body, and spirit - in her treatment of adolescents and adult women. She and her husband, Hunter, love being part of the Jackson community through the Belhaven neighborhood and membership at Redeemer Church. When she's not with clients, you can find Mary Kathryn with her daughters, Amelia and Annie, curled up with her Labradoodle, Ellis, and a good book.
Courtney Layson
Courtney Layson is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Sex Addiction/ Multiple Addictions Therapist specializing in the treatment of female sex and love addiction. She has two decades of experience treating trauma and addiction and utilizes these skills in her group work and private practice at Shephearst Meadows. In addition, she maintains her commitments and practice at Layson Counseling Group, where she and her husband co-facilitate individual and couple therapy. A Jackson native, Courtney currently lives in Madison with her husband Steve and their three children. She enjoys cooking, attempting to garden, and spoiling her labradoodle, Georgia, in her free time.
Danielle Lowther
Danielle Lowther is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who joined our team in the Fall of 2023. We consider the experience she gained working in various levels of care, including community mental health, psychiatric, and substance abuse inpatient treatment, to be an asset for future program development. In addition, Danielle’s training in multiple treatment modalities offers a broad perspective in the care planning to address psychological-related symptoms, trauma-related symptoms, and crisis stabilization and management.
As the Treatment Team Coordinator, Danielle serves as a clinical liaison between the patient, therapists, psychiatrist, and family members, which is vital to building the trust and safety necessary for our team to be effective in meeting the needs of the women for whom we have the responsibility of treating and supporting. She is most passionate about working with women, and more specifically, mothers, as they manage marriage, relationships, parenthood, and mental health. Equally important and rewarding to Danielle’s personal and professional life is supporting women whose spouses are in the military.
Danielle’s sensitivity to the varying ways in which women perceive and respond to dysregulating experiences is supported by a holistic approach that assesses the biological, psychosocial, and contextual needs of each woman who presents for care. Utilizing a systems approach to healing, Danielle exceeds the realm of traditional mindfulness-centered therapies to teach women interventions that use their body’s wisdom to leverage their innate internal resources. In assessing the individual needs of each woman, she is equally careful to consider the needs of family caregivers with the coordination of family psychosocial assessments and supportive family therapy and education thereafter.
Danielle lives in Brandon with her husband Aaron and their three sons. She is an active member in her church community and enjoys exercising, traveling, and spending quality time outdoors with her family.
Julia Weems
Julia Weems is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and EMDR Trained Clinician with two decades of experience in the mental health field. She specializes in treating complex trauma in her private practice at Shephearst Meadows. Julia is passionate about her work to facilitate healing for survivors of abuse and individuals dealing with depression, anxiety, and loss. A Birmingham native, Julia has called Jackson home since 2007. In her spare time, she enjoys performing with St. Brigid's (an all-female Celtic ensemble) or just playing music at home with friends and family. She lives in Fondren with her husband and their two children.
Gayle Wimberly
Gayle Wimberly is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist Candidate whose clinical contribution to our mental health community has been far-reaching and touched the lives of many individuals and families. Her early training and certification as a substance abuse professional paved the way for other women in Mississippi to aspire and accomplish the same. Her commitment to community mental health led her to clinical positions with Saint Dominic's Behavioral Health and MEA Cares. After twenty years of service and advocating for patients, she retired for five years only to find a renewed interest in returning to her calling. In 2020, she joined the Shephearst Meadows team and opened a private practice to work with those experiencing anxiety, depression, grief, addiction, codependence, trauma, and life transitions. Patient advocacy remains crucial, as is her desire to create a safe environment where clients can find the inner strength to make lasting change. Spending evenings and weekends with family, time in the pool with her five grandchildren, and cheering them on at soccer games or gymnastics highlights her time away from work.
ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM
John Turner
Chief Financial Officer
John Turner has devoted his professional career and personal time to serving others. His years of business and accountancy experience proved vital in Shephearst Meadows' conception, where he has served as Chief Financial Officer since opening in 2007. His academic, athletic, and social experiences at Millsaps College reinforced the value of continual learning, dedication to goals, hard work, and team mentality. His display of these qualities is evident in his leadership, direction, and commitment to planning and promoting individual and team growth toward the organization's long-term goals. His mind for critical thinking and heart for coaching brings an enthusiasm to his competitiveness and drive for success, making for meaningful collaboration with our team of strong-minded, willful women! His open-mindedness, adaptability, and respect for our mission with women prove to make him a suitable mentor and helper in every instance of need. He admits the interpersonal challenges of this stage in life as his three sons are maturing, no longer needing him as a football or baseball coach but rather a life coach. As change occurs, he reports "learning the love of relationships" with his wife and sons and "relishing friendships." Time spent with his sons, watching football and baseball, teaching and playing golf, and hunting and fishing are what he enjoys most. And, at the end of a day off, he is best known for grilling a delicious steak which will assuredly bring his family together for a sacred meal at the table and a fond round of sportscasting and strategizing!
Katie McNeece
Front Office Administrator
Katie McNeece joined Shephearst Meadows in the Spring of 2023, strengthening our team with over twenty years’ experience and leadership in church and family ministry. Katie has maintained a consistent focus on developing practical skills and knowledge in the areas of social work, ministry, and counseling in both her graduate and undergraduate education. In addition, she continues to use the strengths of her education and life experiences to refine our team’s service delivery processes by ensuring that each team member, patient, engaged family member of the patient, and visitor is attended with genuine respect and steadfast reassurance. Her demeanor is frequently calming for those experiencing emotional uncertainty and overwhelm.
Katie’s approach to fulfilling the expansive role of Front Office Administrator is consistently driven by service-first values, which is enriching to all whom she has the responsibility to interface and provide direction daily. In balancing the office management tasks for both the Intensive Outpatient Programs and the private practices of each clinician, she is careful to put the needs of the patient first.
A native Jacksonian, Katie enjoys reading and traveling, experiencing the simple joy of nature walks, and spending time with her ever-expanding family of beloved pets: Rosie the Retriever and a myriad of cats (that began as foster pets who later chose to remain with her permanently). When she is not working or tending her enthusiasm for nature and animals, Katie’s love for learning, as well as her personal commitment to helping those in need, motivates her as she completes a graduate degree in counseling.
“The compassion I felt from the therapists was amazing. I really enjoyed the small group setting. Hearing from other women and their experiences contributed to my own self-acceptance and healing. As I continue to grow, I hope to set good examples and influence others in a positive way.”
