My background
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor. My background includes two master’s degrees (an MA in Psychology and an MA in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy) from Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology. I also have a bachelor's degree in Psychology (BA in Psychology) from California State University Dominguez Hills. Additionally, I have an associate's degree in Early Childhood Education from Santa Monica College.
I received extensive training in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy at The Maple Counseling Center for working with individual adults, as well as training in working with couples using Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and an informed approach in Emotion-Focused Therapy.
My experience and training with individuals, couples, and groups also includes chronic mental illness and severe psychopathology at Exodus
Recovery Inc in a locked psychiatric facility as well as outpatient; acute mental illness at Resilience Treatment Center at levels of IOP, PHP, and residential; substance abuse at Forward Recovery at IOP, residential, and detox; supervising adolescents on a crisis hotline at Teen Line at Cedar Sinai Hospital; individual and couples
counseling in private practice under the
supervision of Margaret Hickman, LMFT 87976; suicide crisis counseling at the Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center; and working with individual adults and couples at Meridian Counseling. I have training in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and I am informed in and have experience with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), as well as mindfulness meditation and
practices.
I completed Level 1 Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy.
Additionally, I served as president of the Maple Alumni Association, for which I organized and hosted events for psychotherapists featuring respected professionals in the field of mental health.
I also have experience as a preschool teacher, an early interventionist, a social skills interventionist, and a behavior interventionist working with children with special needs using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).
I was featured on two podcasts discussing the topic "Managing Anxiety and Depression during the Pandemic" (Speaking Up for Mental Health podcast at The Maple Counseling Center and Guiding Compass podcast episode 43: Coping with COVID-19 at Meridian Counseling).
I was interviewed by Canvas Rebel on November 22, 2023 for my work as a licensed therapist. Click here to read it: https://canvasrebel.com/meet-jillian-ziesmer/
I was featured in Bold Journey magazine on July 21, 2023, in which I discussed my journey as a licensed therapist and the impact of self-care. Click here to read it:
https://boldjourney.com/news/meet-jillian-ziesmer/
Additionally, I was featured in Voyage LA magazine for my work as a licensed therapist and my views on challenges and success under the "Inspiring Stories" series on June 26, 2023. Click here to read it:
I was also featured in ShoutOut LA magazine, in which I discussed my experience as a licensed psychotherapist and my views on taking risks in an article titled "Rolling the dice: conversations on risk." It was published on June 5, 2023. Click here to read it:
jillianziesmertherapy@gmail.com
(323) 438-0646