Jessica C. Handelman, LCSW-BCD
Jess Handelman is a Board Certified Licensed Clinical Social Worker with nearly 20 years of experience, licensed to practice in Colorado, Florida, Texas, and Utah.
Holding certifications in Advanced Forensic Social Work and Multicultural/International Social Work Practice, other specialized expertise includes Adoption Trauma, Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, Complex Trauma, and Forensic Evaluations. Jessica's primary focus of work is centered around dependent and neglected children and domestic relations matters. She has also worked on juvenile delinquency, guardianship, criminal matters, and other civil litigation cases.
Jessica's scope of work routinely involves legal advocacy, conducting Parent-Child Interactional Evaluations, facilitating therapeutic out-of-home placement transitions, and serving as an expert witness nationwide. Jessica is a certified Child & Family Investigator and Parental Responsibilities Evaluator. She also serves as a Parent Coordinator/Decision-Maker in domestic relations matters.
Jessica’s expert testimony has been heard in over 21 Colorado jurisdictions and across the country in various other states. She is known for her expertise in complex family dynamics involving domestic violence, parent-child contact problems, and child refuse/resist dynamics. Notably, additional qualified areas of expertise include: Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, Childhood Trauma, Best Interest of the Child, and Adoption-Related Loss (among many others).
Jessica’s extensive work with dependent and neglected children has allowed her to develop specialized expertise in evaluating the impact of various child welfare permanency outcomes. She has a deep and comprehensive understanding about how these permanency outcomes affect a child's mental, physical, and emotional well-being, as well as their overall stability and long-term development.
Jessica actively participates in organizations and agencies dedicated to improving child welfare best practices. She currently serves as a peer reviewer for the Journal of Forensic Social Work, published by the National Organization of Forensic Social Work.
Outside of her professional engagements, Jessica is a devoted mother, a perpetual tourist, and an aspiring author who finds balance in life through yoga and an unwavering commitment to finding the best desserts in every city she visits.
Offering a wide range of services, Jessica provides nationwide expert testimony and delivers presentations and training opportunities, available both virtually and in person.