Former Orange County Reunification Therapist Mislead Courts About Credentials
Orange County Family Court Crisis - The Victims of Jessica St. Clair, MFT
By Julie M. Anderson-Holburn and Robert J. Hansen
Originally published on NewsBreak, September 2024. Updated.
Jessica St. Clair, self-proclaimed as Orange County's first intensive reunification therapist, has not been a doctoral student at Pacifica University since 2011, according to obtained documents.
In a 2012 communication, an administrator stated, “Because you have been inactive since Fall 2011, you have been administratively withdrawn from your program and from Pacifica.”
For years, St. Clair has portrayed herself as a trusted expert in Orange County Family Court cases, labeling herself “OC’s first intensive reunification therapist” on the court's approved evaluator list.
As recently as last year, she informed OC judges that she would soon receive her doctorate from Pacifica Graduate Institute. One judge, whom this reporter observed, referred to her as a “soon to be doctor,” a title she did not correct, simply responding, “thank you.”
Despite sworn testimony in 2020 where Jessica St. Clair claimed,
“I’ve completed classes towards a doctoral degree in clinical psychology. I’m writing my dissertation now.”
Documents from Pacifica Graduate Institute confirm that St. Clair was removed from the Ph.D. program in 2011 and never returned.
During that same testimony, St. Clair asserted ongoing professional development:
“I have attended the 730 update requirements for evaluators every year, which is 12 hours of education. I go to several in-person—at least three weekend seminars a year—put on by the A.F.C.C., which is the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, toward education on family law and custody… Now I attend those virtually.”
When asked whether any of her training specifically addressed “parental alienation,” St. Clair responded: “Yes.”
It remains unclear whether the courts were aware of her lack of credentials, but she often presented herself as a doctor to clients referred by Orange County family court judges and lawyers.
Family law attorney Christian Conrad told Julie Anderson-Holburn of NewsBreak, that St. Clair prolonged cases which left children exposed to abusive parents. In several cases, St. Clair misrepresented visitation sessions, wrongly labeling pro‐ tective parents as alienators and falsely claiming children were in "imminent danger" under their care.
“St. Clair’s harmful recommendations caused significant trauma in my cases,” Conrad said.
Parents who have interacted with St. Clair describe her manipulative tactics during sessions. Many recall how she pressured them emotionally, encouraging them to cry and using emotional blackmail to coerce them into paying for expensive therapy sessions.
One parent, speaking on the condition of anonymity, recalled a disturbing exchange with court-appointed therapist Jessica St. Clair:
“I told her I couldn’t afford the $375 per hour charge for her sessions,” the parent said. “She leaned toward me, looked at my wedding ring, and said, ‘That looks really expensive. You could probably get enough for a session.’ Then she asked if I owned or rented my home. When I told her I owned it, she said I should sell my house and ring if I really loved my daughter.”
In sworn court testimony, Jessica St. Clair described Lucy Vellema as an “unempathetic mother” who “didn’t deserve to see her son.”
Vellema, in response, said:
“St. Clair made this egregious statement based on bias and corruption to increase her profit margins. She ignored the fact that I spent six months with my son during unsupervised visits, while another individual bartered sex for custody.”
From 1996 until April 2024, St. Clair served as a therapist and custody evaluator for the Orange County Superior Court family law division. Before that, she supervised MFT and LCSW interns as a Senior Social Worker for Orange County Social Services from 1991 to 2007, gaining recognition within both the OC family courthouse and child protective services.
As of April 24, 2024, St. Clair left all her family law cases in the county, leaving many unresolved.
While no clear evidence has emerged that Jessica St. Clair submitted forged documentation regarding her credentials, her sworn statements—claiming she was completing a doctoral degree she had been dismissed from—may constitute perjury or fraud. By testifying under oath that she was “writing [her] dissertation,” St. Clair misled judges, attorneys, and colleagues into believing she was nearing completion of her Ph.D.—a deception that spanned more than 13 years. Given the duration and visibility of her claims within court proceedings, it raises serious questions about whether others in the legal system knew the truth and looked the other way.
Records requests continue to be denied by Orange County Superior Court.
St. Clair and Pacifica could not be reached for comment.
The time for action is now. Justice and protection for our children must not remain distant ideals—they must become lived realities.
This ongoing investigative series on the Orange County family court crisis seeks to bring national attention to systemic failures and advocate for urgent reform and accountability. Lawmakers, the media, and the public must come together to demand justice for families and protection for children.
Are you committed to protecting American children and restoring integrity to our legal system?
Contact your legislative representatives. Speak out. Reach out to media outlets. And vote.
Whistleblowers and victims of family court, CPS, probate court, or foster care corruption anywhere in the U.S.—please contact this reporter atjuliea005@proton.me.
Together, we can ignite a national movement and create lasting change.
Julie M. Anderson-Holburn is a California-based investigative journalist reporting on family court corruption, judicial abuse, and systemic failures. Her work is published on NewsBreak, Substack, and The Family Court Circus, and has been featured by the Center for Judicial Excellence and National Safe Parents. Julie believes that exposing the truth is the first step toward meaningful reform.
This article was made possible by the support of readers like you. Thank you.
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Links to other OC prominent cases and additional reading:
State of the Nation 2012 Report
OC Supervisors Settle Lawsuit Alleging Social Services Did Not Report Child Sex Abuse
U.S. SUPREME COURT RE‐ JECTS ORANGE COUNTY’S CHALLENGE TO $4.9 MILLION LAWSUIT
Fox 11 Reporter, Producer Mar‐ tin Burns Dies in Hiking Accident
OC Weekly: LAWMAKERS OK CHILD PROTECTIVE SER‐ VICES AUDIT REQUEST PARTLY SPARKED BY OC CASE: UPDATE
OC Weekly’s Coverage on Ruby Dillon’s Custody Battle
Filed 6/14/10 Fogarty-Hardwick v. County of Orange CA G039045
Attorney Unveils Suit Alleging Cover-up of Disgusting Child Abuse by DA, County Agency
Voice of OC: Problems in OC Child Welfare System Get Statewide Scrutiny
Voice of OC: OC Child Protec‐ tion Agency Under Fire
Lexi Dillion Case: What Caused an Expert To Change His Mind?
Court Trafficking of Jonah Reef & Lexi Dillion gets national at‐ tention, exposes corruption
JUDGES REJECT ORANGE COUNTY’S CLAIM THAT SO‐ CIAL WORKERS DIDN’T KNOW LYING IN COURT WAS WRONG
Thank you for what you’re doing. You give hope to the parents who started their process to protect themselves and their children but find themselves being lied to, taken advantage of and broke while abusers go unpunished because of the broken family law court.