Jillian Ellison, LMFT
(she, her, hers)
About Me
I specialize in trauma treatment for high responsibility clients, including high functioning professionals, first responders, military service members, and medical personnel who have carried intense stress, cumulative loss, and moral injury until their usual coping strategies stop working. Many of my clients are the people others rely on in crisis, yet privately live with persistent grief, hypervigilance, burnout, and a gradual erosion of identity. I also work with individuals living with long term Complex PTSD, including developmental trauma, chronic relational injury, and entrenched negative core beliefs that shape identity, boundaries, and emotional regulation. Many clients have spent years managing symptoms through overfunctioning, emotional shutdown, or avoidance, and are ready for a structured, trauma focused approach that supports stabilization and reprocessing. In addition to individual therapy, I provide couples therapy for partners impacted by trauma, chronic stress, and attachment injuries. This work supports safer communication, nervous system regulation, and the repair of disconnection patterns that develop when one or both partners have been living in survival mode. My approach integrates EMDR therapy with somatic resourcing, attachment focused work, and psychodynamic interventions to address the roots of these patterns and the negative core beliefs that maintain them. When clinically appropriate, I also integrate the FLASH Technique as a low distress method that supports processing without prolonged exposure to distressing imagery. The goal is to restore stability, reduce reactivity, and help clients reconnect with agency, wholeness, and self trust.
Education & Experience
I hold a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from the University of Northern Colorado, and I am currently a PhD student in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. This training informs a systems-level understanding of how workplace demands, organizational conditions, and leadership environments shape stress, burnout, and recovery. My clinical background spans both residential and outpatient settings, providing trauma-focused care for: • 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 experiencing persistent grief after the loss of a child or loved one, including presentations complicated by survivor’s guilt and self-blame I am an EMDRIA-Certified Therapist. My approach integrates EMDR with the FLASH Technique (when clinically appropriate), along with somatic resourcing, attachment-focused interventions, and object relations mapping to address core negative beliefs, restore agency, and support durable symptom reduction and integration. FLASH is a low-distress method that can reduce activation by keeping attention on a neutral or positive focus while the memory is held lightly in mind—often without detailed narration or prolonged exposure to distressing imagery. In addition to individual therapy, I have facilitated trauma process groups using stabilization and containment strategies, peaceful place imagery, bilateral stimulation, and experiential interventions such as the Gestalt Empty Chair technique. These methods support emotional regulation, strengthen internal resources, and create a structured environment for processing experiences that have felt overwhelming or avoided over time.
Professional & Volunteer Affiliations
EMDR Credentials • EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) — EMDR Trained | EMDRIA-Certified Therapist (Credential ID: 170620423) • Basic EMDR Training — EMDR Consulting (Roy Kiessling model) Licensure, Role, and Affiliations • Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT 156597) — California Board of Behavioral Sciences • Founder & Executive Director — Beneath the Surface Therapy • PhD Student, Industrial-Organizational Psychology • California SB-Micro Certified, Woman-Owned Business — State of California • In Process: National Women-Owned Certification (Supplier Clearinghouse) • In Process Credentialing: Employee Assistance Programs (ComPsych, Magellan Health); Insurance Panels (Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield) • California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) — Active Member • Psychology Today — Verified Therapist Profile 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 • FLASH Technique — advanced, low-distress trauma processing approach designed to reduce emotional intensity and support stabilization while reprocessing distressing memories • EMDR-AIP Intervention for Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA) — applying the Adaptive Information Processing model to address developmental trauma, attachment injury, and associated negative core beliefs • EMDR Treatment of Complex PTSD — phase-oriented stabilization and reprocessing for chronic trauma histories, dissociative features, and entrenched relational/identity impacts • Engaging Teens’ Protective Parts to Reprocess Traumatic Memories — parts-informed strategies to work collaboratively with adolescent protectors and improve access to trauma targets with consent and safety • 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 & Level 2) — 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)
Specialty Area
- ADD/ADHD/Disruptive Behavior Disorders
- Abuse/Neglect
- Addictions
- Alcohol/Substance Abuse
- Anxiety/Panic Attacks
- Bipolar Disorder
- Depression
- Eating Disorders
- Grief/Loss/Mourning
- Marriage/Relationship Issues
- Mood Disorders
- Moral Injury
- Personality Disorders
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Self-Harm
- Sexual Abuse
- Somatic Issues
- Spirituality
- Stress Management
- Survivor's Guilt
- Traumatic Incident
Population Served
- Adolescents (13-17)
- Adults
- First Responders
- Group
- LGBTQ+
- Residential Treatment Facility
- Seniors
- Veteran Center
- Veterans/Military
Language
- English
Insurance
- Cigna
- Magellan Health
- Sliding Scale
- UnitedHealth
Optum, Evernorth
