Thank you for visiting my website. Choosing a therapist can be a difficult decision. In times like these you need someone with experience whom you can trust. As a psychologist with over 20 years of experience, I believe in exploration and solutions. I also believe in the power of relationship to transform lives. My treatment approach is to provide a space for you to explore the issues that are causing on-going distress and worry and also to provide a treatment approach that will promote positive and long-lasting change.

I want to help you succeed and live a more fulfilling life. We can do this through understanding the emotional and/or behavioral issues impeding your progress.

My treatment approach is to integrate a variety of treatment modalities to help you. Some of these include, helping to develop coping skills for future success, utilize techniques designed to help you understand your motivations and provide the opportunity to make different choices. Sometimes just having more knowledge and insight about yourself and the people around you can make a difference. Other times, we work to go deeper into the self to find answers. We may uncover negative thoughts or patterns of behaviors that no longer provide you with progress or life satisfaction. This can lead to feelings of resignation or sometimes despair.

Let me help you. Whatever the path or problem, I am here to help you figure out where to start and together we can move towards clarity and positive change.

About Me

Dr Jennifer Jackson

Ph.D., Clinical Psychology
Columbia University
Teachers College

Ed.M. Graduate School of Education
Harvard University

B.A., Smith College

Dr. Jennifer Jackson is a licensed clinical psychologist who works with individuals across the age spectrum. Dr. Jackson has worked for 20+ years in the mental health field where she has helped individuals, couples and families meet the challenges of modern life.

Dr Jackson has a wealth of training and experience. She received her BA from Smith College and a Masters of Education in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University. As a clinical psychologist, Dr Jackson earned her PhD from Columbia University, Teachers College and further postdoctoral training at Long Island Jewish Hospital in New York/Schneider Children's Hospital. She also has been trained in family systems-based group relations work, which informs her organizational consulting and family work. Her clinical work has included helping children and adolescents in crisis as well as working with young and older adults dealing with mood issues, trauma and difficult life transitions.

Dr Jackson provides her expertise and knowledge of psychodynamic psychotherapy as well as cognitive behavioral (CBT), DBT/mindfulness and EMDR to help her clients learn to regulate their emotional landscape. She is a collaborative clinician who uses her ability to empathize and understand the difficulties that bring her clients in for help and affect real and lasting change.

Currently in her practice, Dr Jackson treats a range of issues including depression, anxiety, behavioral and mood issues, attentional challenges in children and adolescents and family & marital conflict. Her work with young adults often focuses on the practical and existential anxiety which often comes with the transition into adulthood. While her clients come from all walks of life, she works with BIPOC and multicultural clients, as well as those exploring their gender and sexual identity. Additionally, she has worked extensively with groups throughout her career as a facilitator and supervisor of groups for adolescents and adults with chronic illness.

Dr. Jackson is currently licensed in New York and New Jersey(where she raises her children) and where she's worked with many children, adolescents and adults over the years to help them achieve meaningful and lasting change.

Services : Below are some of the challenges I provide treatment for...

Children, Adolescents & Beyond
Treatment Issues:

◊ Depression
◊ Anxiety/perfectionistic worry/avoidance of social situations
◊ Life-skill challenges/Major life adjustment issues
◊ Low self-esteem
◊ Identity and sexuality issues
◊ Adoption (adjustment to, feelings about, cross-racial understanding)
◊ Biracial/multicultural perspective and issues
◊ Divorce (impending or current adjustment to)
◊ Family conflict
◊ ADHD (evaluation, education & understanding of)
◊ Grief and Trauma
◊ Peer difficulties and social isolation

Adult & Couples
Treatment Issues:

◊ Depression/feelings of exhaustion, lack of motivation, worthlessness
◊ Anxiety/excessive worry/perfectionism
◊ Life transitions
◊ Stress Management (individual or marital)
◊ Career Changes (exploring chnaging, adjustment to the change)
◊ Family and Parenting Challenges
◊ Conflict & Divorce
◊ LGBT issues (individual and family)
◊ Grief and Loss
◊ Postpartum Stress/Depression
◊ Perimenopause/Menopausal Stress
◊ Life and/or Work Coaching

Treatment Options:

After an assessment of your needs and goals, the following treatment options may be recommended:
◊ Short-term Counseling
◊ Individual psychotherapy
◊ Child/Adolescent therapy
◊ Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
◊ Group psychotherapy
◊ Group Therapy
◊ Cognitive-behavioral therapy
◊ Family therapy
◊ Couple therapy
◊ Play Therapy
◊ EMDR (Eye Movement Desentization and Reprocessing)

Getting Started

Telephone Consultation

Dr. Jackson may provide a free 15 minute telephone consultation to all prospective clients. At this point, patients may set up an in-person initial consultation if they are interested in moving forward. I can be contacted at 917-685-4207.

Telehealth and Phone Sessions

While I can currently meet in my Montclair and Manhattan offices, I also provide secure telehealth sessions via doxy or zoom, platforms. Phone sessions are also an option, however, face to face therapy (whether via computer or in person) is the primary and most effective recommended modality offered to clients.

Initial Consultation

At the initial consultation, patients will
Discuss their current problems and reasons for starting therapy
Receive feedback related to clinical/diagnostic impressions
Develop treatment goals
Be provided with treatment recommendations
Learn more about the therapy modality recommended, what is involved, and determine whether this is the right type of treatment for them.

Treatments

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is often the first choice psychological treatment for people seeking help from their GP with psychological difficulties. Indeed, there is a large and solid evidence base that demonstrates CBT to be an effective short-term treatment for a range of conditions, including depression and anxiety. In CBT, the client and therapist work together to determine how your thoughts about yourself, others and the world influence your emotions and behaviour. You then work together to identify alternative ways of thinking and develop behaviours that are more adaptive. Many clients like CBT because it can be delivered in 8-12 sessions and rather than exploring your past in detail, it pays most attention to your thoughts, feelings and, behaviours in the present day.

Mindfulness has been shown to be an effective short-term treatment for a range of psychological problems. Mindfulness helps clients develop a mental state of awareness, focus and openness - which allows you to engage fully in what you are doing at any moment. In a state of mindfulness, difficult thoughts and feelings have much less impact and influence over you, which leads to an improved sense of control and wellbeing.

Psychodynamic therapy is a long-term approach, which, focuses on unconscious processes as they are manifested in a person’s present behaviour. The goals of psychodynamic therapy are to improve your self-awareness and understanding of the influence your past experiences, and in particular dysfunctional relationships in your childhood may be having on your present behaviour.

Systemic therapy is sometimes referred to as family therapy, although it can involve working with people who are not related. This approach works to foster change in relationships that are struggling, by identifying and addressing patterns of maladaptive interactions and moving the “system”; that is the family or couple; towards a stronger and more stable relationship.

Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapy which was originally developed for working with victims of trauma. It is based on the idea that under extreme stress one’s coping mechanism can become overloaded and traumatic memories can become “stuck.” EMDR develops the connections between different memory networks helping the brain to process traumatic events. EMDR is gaining lots of research interest and has shown good results for PTSD, OCD, phobias and complicated bereavement.

My Mental Health has made me lonely

Feeling Lonely has damaged my mental health

Fees and Insurance

I am an out-of-network provider and clients may choose to pay for my services with their out of network benefits or spending account plans. Payment is required at time of service and I provide an invoice that can be submitted for reimbursement if you are covered by your insurance plan. I encourage you to call your insurance provider to clarify reimbursement as insurance plans vary. I provided limited number of sliding scale slots which are based on income and current life circumstances. Sessions are reserved especially for you, therefore cancellations made less than 24hrs will be charged the full session fee.

For specific fee and service information please contact me at, 917-685-4207.

Appointments
Your scheduled appointment is a time reserved especially for you. As is typical in a psychotherapy practice, I require at least 24 hours notice for cancellations. If you are unable to provide notification at least 24 hours in advance, this may result in loss of your regularly scheduled appointment time and/or delays in rescheduling. Failure to notify at all (i.e. not showing for your appointment) and last minute cancelations will result in being billed for that session. Where life interferes through illness or other unavoidable circumstances, this will be taken into account.

Location:

Contact Me:

218 Lorraine Avenue,
Montclair, NJ 07043
(917) 685-4207