Jill Adams
I didn't set out to become a therapist. Counseling is my second career.
For 20 years, I taught art in public and private schools. Somewhere along the way, I became increasingly frustrated by the limits of my role—and by a system that seemed to have very little room for the things I thought mattered most: emotional well-being, meaningful relationships, self-exploration, individuality, and the arts.
I also knew something about those things from my own life. I have never been particularly gifted at putting complicated feelings into words. Art gave me another way in. It helped me make sense of things that were difficult to name—grief, trauma, contradiction, longing, all the messy stuff that doesn't always cooperate with language. The more I understood myself through that process, the more interested I became in understanding other people.
What I believe about therapy
My own experience in therapy taught me that good therapy isn't about being fixed. It is about having a safe relationship in which you can ask questions you were afraid to ask, say things you haven't quite figured out how to say, and how to look at yourself and your life with a little more compassion.
That's the kind of relationship I try to create with my clients.
I don't believe people need to be saved. Most of us need to be understood, respected, and given enough room to figure some things out for ourselves and sometimes we need help doing that. Sometimes we need someone willing to sit with us in the mess for a while.
What teaching taught me
Teaching art made me resourceful, flexible, and comfortable with things getting messy. It also taught me humility. I spent the bulk of my teaching career in some of Chicago's most under-resourced schools. Being part of those communities changed me-not because I came away with answers but because I became much more aware of what I didn’t understand about my own privilege, about racism, inequity, and the way the world we live in shapes our mental health. This has informed my perspective on the practice of therapy and given me a healthy skepticism about the idea that every problem resides solely in the individual. Sometimes the thing we're struggling with isn't simply something wrong with us.
And I still believe in what art can do. It can bring beauty and wonder into places where neither seems particularly likely. It can give us a way to speak truth when words fail.
A little about how I work
Clients often describe me as relatable and down-to-earth. I am serious about the work, but I don't think therapy has to be serious every minute of the time. There is room for humor and absurdity even in darkness. I hold capacity for both.
I'm also a work in progress. I don't pretend to have everything figured out. What I can offer is a genuine relationship and a lot of respect for the complexity of being human.
Education & Training
I am a board-certified Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas (TX #74000). I received my MA in Counseling from St. Edward's University (2012) and my BFA in Art Education from Texas Christian University (1991)
Additional training includes:
Internal Family Systems (IFS), Level 1
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
Eidetic Image Therapy
Nonviolent Communication
Ketamine-Assisted Therapy/Integration (Blossom Ketamine)
Psychedelic Therapy Education (Fluence)
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
ART can be used alongside talk therapy or as a stand-alone approach to address symptoms of trauma and other concerns. For more information about ART see: https://acceleratedresolutiontherapy.com/
I am a SIMS Foundation provider for Austin-area music professionals and their families. If you or someone you know could benefit from these services, visit the SIMS Foundation or contact them at 512-494-1007. https://simsfoundation.org/
I also work with Backline who provide services and resources for touring musicians. https://backline.care/about/
If you'd like to set up an appointment, you can send me a message here:
