this is our story.

we are in this together.

Good Human Work co-founders, Jen Labanowski, LMFT, & Shelly Smith, LMFT, have spent years leaning on each other and holding each other up. In a recent interview in Thrive Global, Shelly & Jen shared a bit about the way that they take care of each other, “we’re able to support each other in a really impactful way. Fairly often, one of us will share that we’re struggling with something at home and the other one will respond, “Go. I’ve got this.” And that’s all that needs to be said.” At Good Human Work, it is our goal to provide every one of our clients and team members with the support and care that they truly deserve. As a therapist-run and therapist-owned business, we strive to cultivate an environment where everyone feels valued, supported, empowered, and protected.

we are united.

Shelly and Jen met in Peoria, Illinois, in 2012. They were both living in Peoria on a temporary basis, but they each had dreams of one day opening their own therapy practices. They decided to combine resources and open a tiny little practice together, which they named United Counseling & Wellness. They quickly realized how much their goals and values aligned, and they began to dread the day when they would eventually leave Peoria and have to shut down the lovely little practice that they built together. Just as they were about to part ways, they realized that an emerging practice called “online therapy” might be their solution. Shelly and Jen began furiously learning about online therapy, and how to do it exceptionally well. Jen and Shelly became a well-respected resource in the field of telemental health, traveling around the country to teach therapists about online therapy. Their telemental health education company, Connect, brought education and resources to countless mental health professionals. Over the last nine years, United Counseling and Wellness (now Good Human Work) has grown to a scale that Shelly and Jen never anticipated, but they wouldn’t have it any other way.