About Me

Dr. Janessa Henninger is a Hawaiʻi based mental health counselor invested in serving our local community as well as teaching courses nationwide. 

She obtained her M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision with an emphasis on child and adolescent counseling from the University of Northern Colorado. Dr. Henninger is a Licensed Professional Counselor (Colorado) and a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor with the Association for Play Therapy. She also is the president-elect for Hawaii Association for Play Therapy. 

Her passion is to play! 

Dr. Henninger is a faculty member training mental health and school counselors at Adams State University and Palo Alto University. With her ten years of experience as a counselor educator, Dr. Henninger incorporates play into her teaching, supervision, and clinical work. 

Her fifteen years of clinical experience include working with children, adolescents, and adults in clinical settings such as outpatient and private practice. Dr. Henninger has worked with children and families impacted by child abuse and neglect, perpetrators of sexual offenses, LGBTQ+ children, teens and adults, and persons with developmental disability.