Summer Hillas, LMFT | Certified Clinical Military Counselor (CMCC)
I am Summer Hillas, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Clinical Military Counselor with extensive experience supporting individuals, couples, and families navigating life’s most complex challenges. My clinical career spans child welfare, school-based services, and outpatient settings, where I have served both as a practitioner and a mental health leader. I bring deep expertise in trauma-informed care, crisis response, co-occurring diagnoses, serious mental illness, and client advocacy, and I hold additional proficiencies in IEPs, psychological testing, conservatorship, and debriefing.
How I Help
I am a warm, enthusiastic, and deeply human therapist and coach who believes wholeheartedly that every person is capable of meaningful growth and lasting change. I show up with hope, humor, and authenticity. I aim to meet you exactly where you are. My approach is collaborative and eclectic, drawing from CBT, DBT, ACT, and trauma-informed frameworks to create a tailored experience for each individual. You are the expert on your own life; my role is to walk alongside you with skill and genuine care. This is your space: safe, non-judgmental, and entirely yours.
Coaching for Military Families, Veterans & Service Members
As a Certified Clinical Military Counselor, I bring both professional training and deep personal regard for the men and women who serve – and for the families who hold the home front. Military life carries its own distinct culture, stressors, and strengths, and I understand how to meet that world with fluency and respect. My coaching for veterans, active duty service members, and military families is not clinical in nature; it is forward-focused, strengths-based, and grounded in the lived realities of service: transitions out of the military, family reintegration, identity shifts after service, leadership development, and building resilience beyond the uniform. I work as both coach and consultant to help military-connected individuals and families find clarity, purpose, and connection in the next chapter of their lives.
More About Me
I am a true people person; passionate about connection, beauty, storytelling, and the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit. When I’m not working, you’ll find me spending quality time with my family and loved ones, cooking for the people I adore, attending church, reading, exercising, practicing the joy of self-care and beauty, or planning my next adventure. I bring all of that warmth into the room with every client I meet.
Training & Credentials
- B.A., Psychology — California State University, Stanislaus
- M.S., Counseling Psychology — California State University, Stanislaus
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
- Certified Clinical Military Counselor (CMCC)
- 5150 Certification