Jill Koester, LCPC

I have been working at SIU’s Survivor Recovery Center since November 1, 2021. I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and also an RN. I have always held a strong interest in psychiatry and have worked with SIU in the Department of Psychiatry in the past as well as Memorial Health as an RN on 5A/G Psychiatry and as a therapist at the Partial Hospital Program. I’ve always wanted to be a counselor and I love the work that I do.

I like the benefits that exercise offers, especially incorporating the social aspects of working out in a group. I teach aerobics at FitClub, usually at 5:30 a.m. If I don’t have a class waiting for me it is much harder to get up to work out that early. I love to bike outdoors in the summer and I enjoy hiking. My favorite vacation spot is Atlantis Resort in Nassau, and I’ve been there three times. I’ve never been a fan of winter.

I enjoy the outdoor activities that Springfield offers in the summer, especially Paint the Street, any festivals downtown, or walking through the Henson Robinson Zoo. My yellow Lab Bella likes to hike at Carpenter Park with me.

I grew up in Iowa, but I have lived in Springfield most of my adult life. I have a husband named Steve who likes to run marathons and a daughter named Maggie who is in college at Iowa State. My three stepchildren are adults and doing well, and we have three grandsons.