Who the Therapist is Beneath the Surface

Clinical Training & Approach

Jillian is a trauma‑focused Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, trained in EMDR and completing certification under an EMDRIA‑Approved Consultant. She holds a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from the University of Northern Colorado.

Her clinical work spans both residential and outpatient settings, including over two years in residential treatment facilities supporting individuals in addiction recovery and co‑occurring disorders. This has included direct work with:

• Veterans navigating moral injury and combat‑related trauma
• Medical personnel coping with patient loss and cumulative stress
• First responders processing years of high‑stakes exposure
• Individuals living with relentless, unprocessed grief after the loss of a loved one
• People healing from substance use disorders, rebuilding life after addiction, and addressing the trauma and attachment wounds that often drive it

In addition to her core EMDR specializations—Professional Reset, Confidential Medical + First Responder Care, and Unconscious Guide Release—Jillian holds advanced training in EMDR Early Intervention & Crisis Response and Psychological First Aid. Grounded in the EMDRIA‑endorsed Early Intervention & Crisis Response Toolkit and Johns Hopkins’ Psychological First Aid framework, this training equips her to rapidly stabilize trauma, apply structured triage and levels‑of‑care, adapt EMDR to remote or unstable environments, and support frontline professionals in preventing burnout and vicarious trauma.

Whether a client’s trauma stems from a critical incident, long‑term operational stress, or chronic survival patterns, Jillian’s combined expertise and lived proximity to service culture sharpen her ability to respond decisively, safeguard emotional safety, and guide clients toward resilience—even in unpredictable conditions.

For Future Clients

While Jillian specializes in three EMDR focus areas, she also welcomes anyone ready to heal from the weight of what they’ve carried — whether from a single defining moment, cumulative operational stress, or years of silent endurance. This includes those navigating:

• Addiction and recovery — including relapse prevention, rebuilding self‑trust, and addressing unresolved trauma
• Anxiety, depression, and operational stress that persist despite every effort to “get over it”
• Unhealed attachment wounds rooted in early misattunement, neglect, or relational loss
• Life transitions that stir old pain or disrupt identity — divorce, retirement, relocation, career changes
• Chronic caregiver stress and compassion fatigue from frontline work, caregiving, or leadership roles
• Critical incident recovery — including disaster exposure, mass‑casualty response, or public health emergencies, supported by EMDR‑based crisis protocols

Focused EMDR Niches

High‑Functioning Professionals
When outward success hides inner depletion, therapy becomes a space to stop performing and start feeling at home in your own life. Jillian’s work helps dismantle perfectionism, chronic over‑functioning, and early survival beliefs — using EMDR and integration tools that promote lasting nervous system recalibration.

Medical Staff, First Responders & Military
Relentless exposure to crisis can fracture identity and bind grief in survivor’s guilt or moral injury. Jillian integrates moral injury repair with her crisis‑response training, applying structured triage, levels‑of‑care frameworks, and evidence‑based EMDR protocols to ensure rapid stabilization, targeted processing, and emotional safety — even in unstable or high‑intensity environments.

Unconscious Guide Release
Early experiences can silently shape a lifelong sense of not being enough. EMDR, attachment repair, and somatic resourcing uncover and reprocess the earliest roots of these beliefs — turning fragmentation into a portal to integration and self‑trust.

Integrated Method Used

In this work, safety isn’t a performance — it’s a felt experience. Jillian blends EMDR therapy with somatic, attachment‑focused, and psychodynamic approaches to address trauma in both memory and body, restoring emotional regulation and self‑connection.

Crisis‑response methods are seamlessly integrated where needed, allowing for rapid stabilization, eased pacing, and continuity of care in unpredictable or high‑intensity situations.

Sessions may include:

• Bilateral stimulation (rhythmic butterfly hug, tactile grounding tools)
• Somatic resourcing (peaceful place imagery, containment strategies)
• Attachment repair (inner child integration, object relations mapping)
• Experiential work (Gestalt Empty Chair technique to transform critical inner voices into nurturing internal figures)

Credentials & Professional Memberships

• License
• Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist – LMFT 156597
• Professional Memberships
• Psychology Today – Verified Therapist Profile
• California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) – Active Member
• EMDR Credentials
• EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) – EMDR Trained | Certification in Progress
• Completed Basic EMDR Training through EMDR Consulting (Roy Kiessling model), with certification in progress through an EMDRIA‑Approved Consultant
• Advanced & Specialized Trainings
• Healing the Heart and Soul of Our Nation’s Warriors: EMDR for Moral Injury – integrating EMDR for moral injury repair, addressing existential and spiritual ruptures in military, first responder, and medical professionals
• EMDR Early Intervention & Crisis Response (EEI Suites) – advanced disaster preparedness training integrating 4 ELEMENTS, G‑REP, G‑TEP, R‑TEP, ASSYST, IGTP-OTP, and PRECI protocols; structured triage; levels of care; and field‑adapted EMDR for high‑intensity crises, disasters, and unstable environments
• Psychological First Aid – Johns Hopkins University – evidence‑based approach for providing early emotional and practical support in the immediate aftermath of disasters, public health crises, and traumatic events
• Gottman Method Couples Therapy Level 1 – conflict management, intimacy‑building, and effective communication skills for couples
• CBT‑E Certificate – University of Oxford, Department of Psychiatry – treatment of eating disorders and personality disorders using enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT‑E)

Healing is not about returning to who you were before the pain.
It’s about becoming who you were always meant to be.