I have always felt like I lived near the edges—labeled “weird,” “too much,” or “not enough.” I experienced severe panic attacks from an early age, lost my mother and paternal grandfather when I was eleven, and became a parentified child and caregiver while trying to make sense of grief and anxiety.
My childhood experiences with therapy often felt awkward, uncomfortable, and unsafe. I learned how easy it is to sit in a therapy room and still feel unseen.
That history is part of why I care so deeply about creating therapy where you do not have to perform, translate yourself, or grieve in the “right” way. Your weirdness is welcome here. So are your contradictions, your humor, your anger, your uncertainty, and the parts of your story that do not fit neatly into a diagnosis.
Why I do this work:
Warm, direct, curious, and not interested in pretending therapists are blank slates.
I am Jill Pittman, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist providing online therapy to adults in California and Oregon. I have worked in mental health for more than 20 years—as a therapist, case manager, clinical leader, consultant, and supervisor.
I bring experience, but I do not bring a script for who you should become. I want to understand how your history, identities, relationships, nervous system, strengths, and current circumstances fit together. I will be honest, engaged, and collaborative. I may challenge you. I may laugh with you. I will also slow down and stay with what hurts when the moment needs it.
I believe in celebrating the unique qualities that make us us—not contorting ourselves to fit others' expectations. We’re all human. We all deserve to be seen, heard, and respected. I am committed to creating a world in which we are not only allowed but encouraged to show up fully as ourselves.
My work is grounded in racial justice and liberation, trans rights, disability justice, bodily autonomy, harm reduction, and Health at Every Size. I affirm polyamory, kink, sex-positive identities, and sex work as valid work. These values are not a script I impose on clients; they are part of the lens I bring to collaboration, accountability, safety, and autonomy.
Therapists are not blank slates, and bias is real. I believe you deserve enough transparency to decide whether my framework feels aligned and supportive.
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Professional Information
* Professional Information
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I earned an Associate of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from De Anza College. I then earned both a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Sociology and a Master of Arts (MA) in Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University.
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Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in California since 2012 (#52017).
Clinical supervisor since 2014.
Brainspotting: Phase 1, 2, 3, and Expansion training
Gottman Level 1 Trained
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists Santa Clara Valley chapter.
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists San Francisco Chapter
American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT)
GAYLESTA (The Psychotherapist Association for Gender and Sexual Diversity
WPATH (Word Professional Association for Transgender Health)
I'm certified as a Domestic Violence counselor.
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My earliest forays into the mental health field were teaching neurodivergent adolescents high school English and working with the Support Network for Battered Women (now a division of the YWCA). There, I had the privilege of supporting women and children who had survived significant trauma, including domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assault.
From there, I embarked on a 10+ year career in community mental health as a case manager and therapist. For the last 7 years in CMH, I served as the Clinical Manager for the largest outpatient team in Santa Clara County at Momentum for Mental Health. In this role, I worked with adolescents and adults, addressing issues like chronic and severe mental illness, homelessness, mood disorders (depression and bipolar disorder), psychotic disorders, substance use disorders, and complex trauma.
Before opening my private practice in 2023, I worked at Elite Focus, specializing in supporting neurodivergent adults, and at Neurocycles Wellness Center, where I provided therapy to students at Cogswell University as well as adults in the broader community.
Additionally, since 2014, I’ve provided clinical supervision to therapists at various organizations, including Momentum for Health, YWCA, Hope Services, The Brown Therapy Group, Shine a Light Counseling Center, Yes to Therapy, Yes to You, and the E-Clinic at Palo Alto University.
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While I do participate in ongoing trainings to deepen my clinical work with LGBTQIA+ clients, much of my understanding comes from long-standing, real-world relationships with friends, family members, colleagues, and clients who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. I have been working with LGBTQIA+ individuals since 2004, with the majority of my formalized, specialized clinical training occurring post-Master’s.
My continued education has included participation in three separate consultation groups led by WPATH-certified therapists, with a specific focus on transgender, gender-diverse identities, and neurodivergent folx. I completed a 40-hour LGBTQIA+ Clinical Academy through Palo Alto University- Center for LGBTQ Evidence-Based Applied Research (CLEAR) and other trainings specific to kink, ENM, and LGBTQIA2S identities throughout the last 16 years. At the same time, I hold the belief that training alone does not make anyone an “expert” on another person’s lived experience. I approach this work with humility, curiosity, and a commitment to ongoing learning.
Homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of systemic oppression remain deeply embedded in American culture. In recent years—particularly following the 2016 election and amid ongoing waves of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation—many people have felt increasingly unsafe, targeted, and unseen. These realities are not abstract to me; they directly impact my close friends, chosen family, and clients.
As a cisgender queer woman married to a cisgender man, I am mindful that I do not experience all forms of marginalization firsthand. I do not claim to fully understand what it is like to live under constant threat or erasure. What I do bring is deep care, active advocacy, and a commitment to creating spaces where LGBTQIA+ clients are respected, affirmed, and taken seriously. Supporting diversity, dignity, and self-determination—both inside and outside the therapy room—is central to my work and my values.