Jillian Brentzel

I know first-hand the power of EMDR and am very passionate about providing hope and peace for others who feel stuck and frustrated that therapy may not have worked in the past.

I have experience helping clients navigate work, relationship, and family conflicts, reducing anxiety and depression, managing suicidal thoughts without hospitalization, and healing from trauma and abuse.

I received my Master of Social Work degree from Utah State University in 2017. I started my therapy career at the Utah Pride Center supporting members of the LGTBQIA+ community in individual therapy and through the Survivors of Suicide Attempts support group. I have also worked in child welfare, community substance use prevention, as an assessor and crisis worker in the emergency department, and as a pediatric medical social worker.

I graduated high school in Georgia, lived in Utah for 12 years, and have now returned to Georgia. I have family in Colorado and Arizona, so I am also licensed in these states.

It can be vulnerable to reach out for support. I work with my clients to create an open and safe environment where thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear of judgment.

Every person heals differently, and I use a variety of techniques from evidenced-based treatments including EMDR for trauma, Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS), Cognitive Behavior Therapy, and Emotion-Focused Couples therapy.

My approach to working with clients blends two things I care deeply about: using evidence-based practices and honoring the human side of therapy. I believe research and data matter, but I also know that clients are the experts on their own lives. I try to balance what we know from studies with intuition, empathy, and respect for each person’s unique situation.

I’ve learned to let my intuition guide how I use evidence-based practices. At first, I leaned on my instincts to decide what might help. As I gained more knowledge about which programs and skills had the strongest research support, I used that same intuition to choose which evidence-based strategies would best fit each client and situation. This approach taught me how powerful it is to blend solid research with a human touch—using intuition not as a replacement for evidence, but as a way to apply it more thoughtfully and effectively.

I believe having a treatment plan is essential to helping you achieve your goals through therapy. I open sessions by asking for an update specifically about the areas of your life you want to address in therapy. I like to plan ahead for my sessions to be prepared to connect details from past sessions with the new information to keep us moving towards your goals. I like to assign meaningful homework.