About Dr. jaclyn Hillis-mascia

You don’t have to carry this all on your own.

I’m a Columbus-based, licensed psychologist who specializes in supporting adults navigating complex mental health concerns. As a clinical psychologist, I am an expert in helping people think about their own life in new ways and move toward meaningful change.

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please Hear me when I say:

Being here doesn’t mean you’re “not normal.” It means you’re human.

I want you to know that nothing is “too strange,” “too confusing,” or “too much.” Your experiences are human and can be understood. In our work together, we slow things down and explore what feels overwhelming and jumbled. We work to help you build a clearer, deeper sense of yourself. The goal is not just symptom relief. It’s about meaning‑making, helping you feel more connected to who you are, and using what you learn about yourself to more effectively cope with daily distress.

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How I work

At the core of my approach to therapy is a belief that every experience can be understood & change is possible.

You may be here because something inside you feels different. Your thoughts are intrusive or louder than usual. Your emotions feel intense and hard to sort out. Your sense of reality feels shaky or hard to trust. You might be having experiences you don’t know how to talk about, or you’ve tried to explain them before and felt misunderstood. This is common even after trying therapy. Some life situations call for a treatment model that works differently.

I am formally trained in a metacognitive therapy model that is scientifically proven to help individuals navigating multilayered mental health experiences. It is not a model adapted from something else. It’s called Metacognitive Reflection and Insight Therapy (MERIT). MERIT is focused on understanding yourself more fully, rebuilding a sense of coherence and connection, and moving toward reclaiming your life. It is especially helpful for adults navigating complex trauma, mood shifts, intense emotions, substance use concerns, psychosis‑related experiences, chronic stress related to life changes, or long‑standing relational patterns that feel hard to break. I am a certified MERIT therapist, and was trained directly by Dr. Paul Lysaker, the founder of the model and MERIT Institute.

I have extensive training and 10+ years of experience of providing evidence-based therapy within the VA system. I proudly served Veterans who presented with a variety of concerns and living in rural communities. My background includes years of specialized work across inpatient and residential units, intensive outpatient programs (IOP), early psychosis services and a university counseling center, all focusing on helping adults navigating experiences related to complex trauma and mental health challenges.

In sessions with me, we will work to make sense of your thoughts and emotions. Many people I work with arrive feeling unsteady inside and unsure of their own of what thoughts, longing for clarity and direction. My expertise is in helping you understand you inner world and reclaim a life that feels like it belongs to you again. I work at your pace, without pressure or judgment. I offer a collaborative space where your experiences are taken seriously, treated with respect, and never dismissed. You don’t have to fit a certain mold to work with me. Your beliefs, your story, and your way of being and lifestyle are all valued here.

Therapy with me is…

  • I hold the unshakable belief that you’re doing the best you can to protect yourself, even when it doesn’t feel that way. When your experiences are met with curiosity and compassion instead of judgment, even the most chaotic moments begin to make sense. Learn more.

  • I know it can be hard to trust someone new. I offer a calm, steady therapeutic space where we work together at your own pace. You decide what is important to talk about and what you are ready to share.

  • No one’s life journey is perfect or predictable. Sometimes when you finally see something clearly, it hurts for a moment. This passes and the pain softens. And that’s when the real change happens. Learn more.

  • If you are looking to understand yourself more fully, I can help you get there.

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specializing in:

Metacognitive therapy

Psychosis

Complex mental health conditions

Life Transitions & self-exploration

Training & Education

Owner and Clinical Psychologist, Hillis Psychological Services, LLC
Certified MERIT-therapist, MERIT Institute
Clinical Psychologist, Chillicothe VA Medical Center
Clinical Psychologist, OSU Counseling & Consultation Service
Licensed Clinical Psychologist, State of Ohio
Postdoctoral Residency, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center
Doctor of Psychology (PsyD), Clinical Psychology, University of Indianapolis
Certification in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Chillicothe VA Medical Center
Predoctoral Internship, Chillicothe VA Medical Center
Master of Arts (MA), Clinical Psychology, University of Indianapolis
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology with High Distinction, Ohio Northern University

2025 – Present |    ‍2024 | 
2017 – 2024 | 
2016 – 2017 | 
2016 | 
2015 – 2016 | 
2010 – 2015 | 
2015 | 
2014 – 2015 | 
2010 – 2012 | 
2006 – 2009 |

Research Publications

Hillis-Mascia, J., Faith, L. A., Wiesepape, C. N., & Muth, A. (2026). Changes in Emotion Regulation and Attachment Patterns Across 24 Sessions of Metacognitive Reflection and Insight Therapy (MERIT): A Mixed Methods Case Study of a Person with Schizoaffective Disorder in a Rural Midwestern Community in the United States. International Journal of Cognitive Sciences, 2(2), 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijcs2020009
Faith, L.A., Hillis-Mascia, J.D., Wiesepape, C.N. (2024). How Does Individual Psychotherapy Promote Recovery for Persons with Psychosis? A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies to Understand the Patient’s Experience. Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 14(4), 60. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14060460
Wiesepape, C. N., Smith, E. A., Hillis-Mascia, J.D., Queller Soza, S. E., Morris, M. M., James, A. V., & Stokes, A. (2024). Metacognition as a Transdiagnostic Determinant of Recovery in Schizotypy and Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders. Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 14(4), 336. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14040336
Hillis-Mascia, J.D., Goldman, R., Hammer, L.A. Wiesepape, C., & Hardin, T. (2023). Promoting Affect Regulation Among Individuals Experiencing Psychosis in Metacognitive Reflection and Insight Therapy (MERIT). Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 53, 31–39. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-022-09570-7
Ridenour, J.M., Hamm, J.A., Neal, D.W., Hillis, J.D., Gagen, E.C., Zalzala, A.B., & Lysaker, P.H. (2022). Navigating an Impasse in the Psychotherapy for Psychosis. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy.
Hamm, J. A., Ridenour, J. M., Hillis, J. D., Neal, D. W., & Lysaker, P. H. (2021). Fostering intersubjectivity in the psychotherapy of psychosis: Accepting and challenging fragmentation. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration.
Lysaker, P. H., Hillis, J. D., Zalzala, A. B. , and Gagen, E. C. (2020). Reflection and Recovery from Psychosis during the Time of COVID-19: Adaptation in Psychotherapy in the United States. Clínica y Salud. doi: https://doi.org/10.5093/clysa2020a16
Lysaker, P.H., Buck, K.D., Pattison, M.L., Beasley, R. E., Hillis, J. D., & Hamm, J. A. (2019) Supervision in the Psychotherapy of Schizophrenia: Awareness of and Mutual Reflection upon Fragmentation. American Journal of Psychoanalysis, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1057/s11231-019-09198-y
Hillis, J. D., Bidlack, N., & Macobin, B. (2018). Metacognitive Reflection and Insight Therapy (MERIT) for Persons with a Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder and Interpersonal Trauma. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 71(4), 186–195. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20180031
Hillis, J. D., Leonhardt, B. L., Vohs, J. L., Buck, K. D., Salvatore, G., Popolo, R., & ... Lysaker, P. H. (2015). Metacognitive reflective and insight therapy for people in early phase of a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 71(2), 125-135. doi:10.1002/jclp.22148
Lysaker, P. H., Hillis, J., Leonhardt, B. L., Kukla, M., & Buck, K. D. (2014). Metacognition in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: Methods of assessment and associations with psychosocial function, neurocognition, symptoms, and cognitive style. In P. H. Lysaker, G. Dimaggio, M. Brüne, P. H. Lysaker, G. Dimaggio, M. Brüne (Eds.), Social cognition and metacognition in schizophrenia: Psychopathology and treatment approaches (pp. 99-113). San Diego, CA, US: Elsevier Academic Press.
Lysaker, P., Vohs, J., Hillis, J., Kukla, M., Salvatore, G., & Dimaggio, G. (2013). Poor insight into schizophrenia: contributing factors, consequences and emerging treatment approaches. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 13(7), 785-793. doi: 10.1586/14737175.2013.811150

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