Lillian joined the Ballmer Institute in September 2026 as an Assistant Clinical Professor. Lillian earned her PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from The University of Montana in 2024, and an MA in School Counseling in 2009. She is passionate about crisis counseling and has trained and volunteered on three separate crisis hotlines.
Lillian has worked as a high school counselor in large suburban schools, small rural schools, and a dual enrolled high school on a technical college campus where she also taught re-engagement students. She has also worked as an elementary school counselor in comprehensive K-5 school systems and provided counseling services to a two-room K-8 schoolhouse in rural Montana. Lillian holds active school counseling licenses in Washington, Oregon, and Montana.
Lillian also holds an associate level license in Montana and will soon be practicing clinically with clients across the lifespan in Oregon under supervision to finish up her hours to obtain an LPC license.
For the past two years, Lillian was an Assistant Clinical Professor of Counseling at Portland State University, teaching and supervising master’s level students enrolled in clinical counseling, school counseling, rehabilitation counseling, and marriage, couple, and family counseling programs. Some of her favorite classes to teach include Counseling Skills, Counseling Children, Counseling Youth, Career Counseling, and Crisis Assessment and Intervention.
Dr. Martz’s research interests focus on promoting wellbeing and positive psychology among adolescents and educators, crisis response, equity in college and career readiness, and anti-racist school counseling practices. She is passionate about leadership and service to the counseling profession. She is a past board member of the Montana School Counselor Association (MSCA), where she served as co-chair of the conference committee and chair of the professional development committee and currently serves on the Oregon School Counseling Association’s (OSCA) Awards Committee. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, listening to podcasts, and cuddling her rabbit and two senior cats.