ABOUT

Jill A. Harrington is a counselor, author, and educator with twenty-five years of experience supporting individuals as they navigate change, loss, stress/anxiety, crisis, and major life transitions. Dr. Harrington has also served in both the nonprofit sector and academic research settings, in management and director-level roles. She maintains a small private practice in the National Capital Area with an office in Bethesda, Maryland.

Dr. Harrington is a former Assistant Professor of Social Work at Marymount University in Arlington; Adjunct Associate Professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Washington, DC; and Adjunct Instructor for the Rutgers University Master of Social Work Online Program. She has taught courses focused on, grief, trauma, chronic illness and disabilities as well as foundations of social work. In addition to her clinical and teaching work, she develops and conducts professional education trainings and facilitates a range of support programs.

Dr. Harrington's works with individuals across the lifespan, with a particular emphasis on young adults through older adults. She has specialized experience working with veterans and military families, informed by her extensive knowledge of military family systems, transition-related stress, and bereavement. Drawing on her expertise in occupational trauma-informed care, she has also provided services in private practice to first responders and healthcare professionals.

Dr. Harrington is the creator and lead editor of the groundbreaking textbook Superhero Grief: The Transformative Power of Loss, published by Routledge (2021) and co-edited with Robert A. Neimeyer, PhD. The second book in the series Superhero Grief and the Multiverse of Loss: Case Studies and Considerations in Non-Death Loss is due out in the Fall 2026. She has authored numerous book chapters and journal articles centered on grief, loss, and adaptation.

Her overarching goal is to deepen public and professional understanding of death- and non-death-related losses, foster adaptive responses to change, and promote post-traumatic growth, compassion, and humanistic care. Dr. Harrington has been a leading expert in recognizing suicide postvention as an essential part of prevention, while actively engaging in clinical work focused on suicide prevention

She is committed to advancing a more grief-informed world and subscribes to modern loss, change, and grief models that emphasize non-linear processes and honor the diversity and complexity of human experiences of loss, change, and transition.

Dr. Harrington received part of her graduate training at North Shore Child and Family Guidance Center’s Marks Family “Right from the Start” 0–3+ Center and has devoted much of her professional career to supporting children and families. Her work is also shaped by her personal experience as a parent of children with developmental disabilities and as an aunt to a niece who is part of the Deaf community. She is a dedicated advocate for individuals and parents of individuals with special needs and disabilities.

Dr. Harrington’s practice is grounded in the fundamental principles of social work—honoring the inherent dignity and worth of every person. She is committed to practicing with integrity and competence, while promoting self-determination, advancing social justice, and fostering meaningful, empowering relationships with those she serves.

EDUCATION University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice (DSW); University of Maryland Global Campus (MBA); Adelphi University (MSW); The Catholic University of America (BA).

LCSW: Commonwealth of Virginia; LCSW-C: Maryland