Jill Hanna, LMFT
Independent Contractor Therapist
“I prefer to think of my patients and myself as fellow travelers. We are all in this together, and there is no therapist and no person immune to the inherent tragedies of existence.”
— Yalom
Hi, I’m Jill (she/her). I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Oregon (LMFT T1485). I have been working in the mental health field since 1994 and have been a licensed therapist since 2006. I first became licensed in California in 2006 and then in Oregon in 2019.
My clinical practice focuses on providing therapy for those with anxiety related disorders and Obsessive Compulsive disorder. My therapeutic approach primarily uses trauma-informed, Cognitive Behavioral therapy including Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT) and Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP). I also have training in and incorporate other types of therapy as appropriate (see below).
While occasional anxiety and worry are a common part of all of our lives, having severe anxiety can significantly interfere with our friendships, relationships, parenting, healing, and taking actions towards our goals.
People I work with often tell me they are coming to therapy because they feel stuck—they are having trouble sleeping, making decisions, overthinking and overanalyzing; they are distressed and feel paralyzed by indecision and doubt; they describe experiencing high levels of dread; and they get caught up in replaying the past and “what ifs” about the future.
Some share that they are experiencing unwanted, distressing intrusive thoughts, images, and urges (i.e. obsessions) that cause significant anxiety, uncertainty, and sometimes shame. They engage in repetitive behaviors and mental acts (i.e. compulsions) in an attempt to ignore and suppress the thoughts, reduce the anxiety and distress, and prevent dreaded events from happening. Putting so much energy into managing this cycle can be exhausting and debilitating, and can really get in the way of life.
To learn more about anxiety, panic, and OCD, please feel free to scroll below.
How we work together:
Our sessions focus on learning and practicing helpful ways of taking action in alignment with your values and goals rather than traditional “talk therapy.” Sessions are interactive and collaborative and we will often use our time together to practice coping strategies and skill building at your pace, with compassion and humor. I partner with you to take action so you can get out of your mind and into your life!
I also have a lovely, calm, sweet, goofy, and beautiful therapy dog named Rebel. She is a yellow Labrador who is well trained. Rebel has been joining me in therapy sessions for several years and often lies quietly nearby while we talk. She enjoys attention and affection should one feel inclined! Whether or not Rebel joins us is up to you.
I am currently working with:
Adults-individually
LGBTQ+ community
People of all races and ethnicities
People of all gender identities
…through a trauma informed lens of social justice/anti racism/equity
More about me:
I have a long history of working with folks in a variety of non-profit, community mental health settings who’ve experienced mental health challenges, trauma, substance abuse and dependence, intimate partner violence, and juvenile incarceration/juvenile drug court.
Throughout my career, I have taken part in a diverse array of training and consider myself a life-long student. As such, I continue to attend training and participate in on-going professional consultation. I have a passion for learning and believe that maintaining and strengthening my therapy skills is crucial to being a thoughtful and successful therapist.
Modalities
Cognitive Behavioral therapy
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
EMDR
Trauma-focused CBT for teens
Motivational Interviewing
Mindful awareness
“Parts work” from Internal Family Systems
Contact Information
If you have questions and want to determine if my style is a good fit for you, feel free to contact me to schedule a phone consultation with me:
503-342-2510, ext 211 jill@counseling-pdx.com
Anxiety Disorders
According to data from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America www.adaa.org, “over 40 million adults over the age of 18 in the US suffer from anxiety disorders yet only 36.9% of those suffering receive treatment.” Anxiety disorders interfere with our ability to make decisions, take important actions, and move towards our goals. They cause significant interference in school and/or work performance, socializing/interacting with others, and relationships.
Generalized Anxiety is a characterized by persistent and excessive worry about different things and difficulty controlling and moving on from the worry; it is accompanied by feeling nervous or on edge, irritability, difficulty concentrating, sleep problems, being fidgety, feeling like something bad is going to happen (dread), and fatigue.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can often go undiagnosed for years. Symptoms of OCD include experiencing distressing and unwanted intrusive thoughts, images, and urges (obsessions), and are accompanied by engagement in repeated behaviors and mental acts (compulsions) one feels driven to perform as a response to the obsessions. Obsessions can be overwhelming and cause great fear and shame, making it difficult to open up about them. For more information about the different symptoms and themes of OCD, feel free to access the International OCD Foundation website: www.IOCDF.org
Panic Disorder is diagnosed when a person experiences recurrent, unexpected abrupt surges of intense fear or discomfort (panic) that is accompanied by many of the following symptoms: pounding heart, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, lightheadedness, chills/heat sensations, numbness or tingling, fear of dying and/or going crazy.
Panic attacks are followed by persistent worry and preoccupation with when the next panic attack will occur, and fear or avoidance of places and activities where panic attacks have occurred in the past.
To learn more about different types and symptoms of anxiety disorders, feel free to follow the links above.
