About Dr. jaclyn Hillis-mascia

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

I’m a Columbus-based licensed psychologist. I offer in-person individual therapy at my office in the Grandview area and surrounding communities in Columbus as well as securely online across Ohio. I specialize in supporting adults navigating complex inner experiences and multilayered mental health concerns.

As a clinical psychologist, I am an expert in helping people think about their own life in different ways and move toward meaningful change.

Let's connect today
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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.

Many people have experiences that create confusion, feelings of being disconnected from themselves, or conflicting emotions that can be hard to sort out. These experiences can make a person’s sense of reality feel shaky and hard to imagine how to move forward. I believe people make the deepest changes when they feel safe to explore their inner world freely within the context of therapy. I use an integrative approach based on Metacognitive Reflection and Insight Therapy (MERIT), relational, and humanistic principles. The therapeutic relationship becomes the space where curiosity, reflection, and clarity take shape.

In sessions with me, we will work to make sense of your thoughts and emotions. 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.

The Experiences That Shape How I Work today

I have 10+ years of experience of providing evidence-based therapy within the VA system. I proudly served Veterans who presented with a variety of concerns living in both Urban and rural communities. My background includes years of specialized training 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.

I am a certified MERIT therapist, and was trained directly by Dr. Paul Lysaker, the founder of the model and MERIT Institute. I continue to be actively involved in the Institute and have contributed to research and the supervision of psychology students over the past years, all in service of strengthening the field of recovery oriented care.

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.

  • My practice is rooted in a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. I see these values as lived responsibilities rather than statements, and I work to embody them through curiosity, respect and a willingness to examine my own assumptions. My training introduced me to the importance of service, justice, dignity and human connection, and my continued work has deepened my understanding of what it means to practice these values with intention. I aim to offer a space where every person feels valued, with particular care for those who have been pushed to the margins or excluded.

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specializing in:

Metacognitive therapy

Psychosis

Complex mental health conditions

Life Transitions & self-exploration

Training & Education

2025 - Present: Owner and Clinical Psychologist, Hillis Psychological Services, LLC 
2024 - Present: Certified MERIT-therapist, MERIT Institute 
2017 -2024: Clinical Psychologist, Chillicothe VA Medical Center
2016 - 2017: Clinical Psychologist, OSU Counseling & Consultation Service
2016 - Present: Licensed Clinical Psychologist, State of Ohio
2015 - 2016: Postdoctoral Residency, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center
2010 - 2015: Doctor of Psychology (PsyD), Clinical Psychology, University of Indianapolis
2015: Certification in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Chillicothe VA Medical Center
2014 - 2015: Predoctoral Internship, Chillicothe VA Medical Center
2010 - 2012: Master of Arts (MA), Clinical Psychology, University of Indianapolis
2006 - 2010: Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology with High Distinction, Ohio Northern University

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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