Jillian Loyas-Stryker, MA, NCC, R-DMT is a Masters Level Therapist at Bucks Support Services. Jillian completes a Masters Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling & Dance/Movement Therapy at Rider University. Before interning and ultimately joining Bucks Support Services, Jillian had completed a clinical internship at Buttonwood Behavioral Health Hospital in Pemberton, NJ, an acute inpatient psychiatric hospital for adults. Jillian received her B.A. in Dance & Musical Theater from Marymount Manhattan College in NYC, where she lived for many years working as a professional dancer, choreographer, dance teacher, and event producer before becoming a helping professional. She currently serves as a board member of the NJ chapter of the American Dance Therapy Association (NJ ADTA) as their Public Relations Chair utilizing her marketing & graphic design skills to share her passion for mental health and the arts. Jillian works under the clinical supervision of Mark Ludwig, LMFT at Bucks Support Services.

Jillian is grateful and passionate to serve clients of all ages and identities in both individual and group settings as a clinical mental health counselor and a creative arts therapist. Her anti-oppressive counseling framework includes social justice oriented, trauma-informed, person-centered, psychodynamic, queer, and feminist theoretical perspectives. Jillian actively engages in ongoing advocacy and activism especially related to anti-racism and LGBTQIA+ rights. In addition to her clinical education and professional experience, Jillian is a trauma survivor, thankful to have experienced post-traumatic growth, as well as a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community. She is passionate to support others in their healing journeys regarding any difficult life adjustments her clients may face whether related to personal identity development, family and relationships, career development and career transitions, managing mental illness, eating disorders, body image issues, addiction and/or compulsive behaviors, coping with loss and grief, and recovery from trauma, assault, abuse, and/or domestic violence.

Jillian’s trauma-informed, arts-based, therapeutic approach includes bringing many tools to the table for her clients to choose from which integrate the creative arts with mental health counseling for purposes of cultivating lasting healing, healthy coping, and facilitating mind-body awareness with a HAES (Health at Every Size) lens. In addition to talk-based therapy, her sessions can include music, movement, dance, yoga, meditation, visual art, poetry, and mindfulness exercises aimed at supporting client-defined goals, personal growth, self-appreciation, and empowerment. Jillian believes in maintaining open-mindedness, non-judgement, and unconditional positive regard for her clients. She highly values humor, honesty, mutual respect, creativity, integrity, diversity, equity, and inclusion both in and outside of sessions, all which Jillian intends to be the hallmarks of her helping relationships.