- Client-centered approach
- Skill-based strategies
- Panic and anxiety focus
About Jillian
Dr. Jillian Barna is a California licensed marriage and family therapist with 19 years of clinical experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, depression, addiction concerns, and LGBT-related issues. She focuses on practical steps clients can take right now to feel more steady and capable.
Her background includes longstanding work with substance use and related life challenges. She helps people unpack how past relationships and family patterns shape current struggles. That includes attachment concerns, codependency, and communication problems that often come up around mood and relationship stress.
In sessions she uses straightforward, collaborative methods. She draws on cognitive behavioral techniques to identify unhelpful thinking and on client-centered listening to follow each person’s priorities. She also uses elements of dialectical behavior strategies, motivational interviewing, and narrative approaches when they fit the client’s goals.
Dr. Barna approaches therapy as a step-by-step process. She aims to help people build coping tools, reduce intense panic or anxiety reactions, and make small changes that add up over time. Her work is paced to match each person’s needs and readiness.
People come to her for help with panic disorder and panic attacks, workplace strain, postpartum shifts, and relationship tensions. She supports women’s issues, sexuality concerns, and recovery from drug and alcohol problems. Her style is respectful, direct, and focused on usable skills.
Therapeutic approaches and online care
Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and following the person’s goals. The therapist offers empathic attention and helps people identify what matters most to them and which changes feel realistic.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It teaches practical tools to notice unhelpful thinking and to test new ways of responding to anxiety and panic symptoms.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, provides skills for managing intense emotions and improving relationships. It includes strategies for distress tolerance and emotion regulation that can be useful during panic or overwhelming moments.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with the client to choose methods that fit their needs, goals, and preferences. They may combine elements from different approaches and adjust the plan as progress is made.
Confirm the current session options before booking, as formats are not specified here. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It can also allow people to use strategies from their daily life between sessions, so work done in therapy connects directly to everyday situations.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
19+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, relationship worries, and LGBT issues. Additional areas include panic disorder and panic attacks, workplace problems, and family of origin issues.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is collaborative and practical. She listens in a client-centered way and uses evidence-informed techniques to build coping skills and improve communication.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 19 years of experience working with people on addiction, mood disorders, anxiety, and relationship concerns.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is an LMFT - Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist - practicing in California.
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the U.S. work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are fees and payment handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What steps do I take to begin working together?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.