Vanessa Cox, MA, LPC, CAADC

Biography

Vanessa Cox is the Founder and CEO of Extensive Prevention Intervention Counseling Services (EPICS) LLC, a professional counseling practice, and the Founder and Board President of EPICS J. R. Foundation. The driving force behind her lifework has been a personal mission to live with integrity and make a difference in the lives of others. With over 30 years of clinical and administrative experience, Mrs. Cox has worked with a diverse range of populations, including low-income families, individuals with strained family systems, probation and parole, drunken drivers, couples, individuals with persistent mental illness, dually diagnosed, multi-era veterans and their families, individuals with chronic homelessness, adolescents, individuals with HIV, single mothers and fathers, and individuals suffering from substance abuse or dependence. Her professional positions held in this field of expertise have included the following: School-Based Therapist; Treatment Program Director, for a homeless shelter and residential substance abuse treatment program; Clinical Supervisor, for an adolescent residential substance abuse treatment program; Clinical Coordinator, for an inpatient detox program; and Clinical Case Manager, for a community-based mental health provider. Mrs. Cox retired March 1,2023 from the mental health profession to work in her practice full-time and to fulfill her purpose.

Mrs. Cox has built the mission behind her work on the foundational sentiment to “begin with the end in mind.” Imagining a better future for those of the urban community who deal with mental health issues derived from environmental stressors. As someone who grew up in an impoverished and violent community and dealt with complex environmental stressors, she was inspired to develop an anger management curriculum specifically designed to help inner-city urban youth. Holding a Master of Arts degree in Professional Counseling from Lindenwood University, a Master of Arts in Human Resource Agency Management from Lindenwood University, and a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling Psychology from Southern University, Mrs. Cox is committed to continued education and training. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Missouri and holds certifications as a Substance Abuse Counselor (CAADC) and a SATOP (Substance Abuse Traffic Offender Program) professional. She is a Certified Anger Management Specialist ll (CAMS-ll) through the National Anger Management Association, New York, NY, and a member of the American Counseling Association. Mrs. Cox also volunteers her time working as the Board President of EPICS J. R. Foundation, an organization she launched in 2018 in honor of the philanthropic legacy of her brother and sister-in-law.

Mrs. Cox has been happily married to her loving husband, Fred Cox, for over a decade and spends her free time volunteering and actively participating as a member of several professional and service organizations, including the Urban League Guild. She loves traveling and spending time with her husband, children, grandchildren, and parents, John and Rose Davis. Her relationship with God and her Christian faith has been the key to her success and accomplishments.