Hi, I’m Jacob

I’m a therapist who is deeply interested in how people change – not just through insight, but through experience.

My work is grounded in the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), which focuses on how early relational patterns shape how we show up in connection with ourselves and with others. I work with both individuals and couples, helping people understand and shift the patterns that keep repeating in their lives and relationships.

My background includes a BA in Contemplative Psychology from Naropa University and a Master’s in Counseling Psychology from New College of California. My training bridges Western psychodynamic approaches with mindfulness-based and body-oriented perspectives.

I’ve also been engaged in my own personal work for over two and half decades. I’ve been in therapy extensively, participated in long-term spiritual inquiry groups, and maintained a consistent meditation practice since 2000, including extended retreat time. This isn’t just something I studied – it’s something I’ve lived.

In sessions, I bring a calm, focused, and curious presence. I’m not here to analyze you from a distance or offer quick fixes. Instead, we work together to understand what’s happening in real time – especially in the places where you feel stuck, reactive, or disconnected.

Over time, this creates the conditions for something deeper to shift. Not by forcing change, but by allowing new experience to emerge where old patterns once dominated.

I see therapy as a collaborative process. I’m not above you or outside of what you’re going through – I’m alongside you, helping you navigate terrain that I also know from the inside.

Many of the people I work with have already done a lot of thinking and self-reflection. What they’re looking for is something that actually changes how they experience themselves and their relationships.

Additional Training & Approach

My work is informed by several depth-oriented and relational therapy models, with a strong focus on couples and attachment.

I hold advanced training in:

• NARM (NeuroAffective Relational Model) – working with developmental trauma and the patterns that shape how we relate to ourselves and others
• I’ve also served as a teaching assistant in NARM master-level trainings over several years, supporting other therapists in learning this approach
• The Developmental Model of Couples Therapy (Couples Institute) – helping couples move out of repeating cycles and into more differentiated, connected relationships
• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) – an attachment-based approach to strengthening emotional bonds in relationships

I’ve also trained in AEDP, psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and somatic and experiential approaches, all of which support working with emotion, the body, and unconscious patterns in a direct and experiential way.

Earlier in my career, I worked with children and families through play therapy, and I’ve received training in connection-based parenting approaches. This continues to inform my understanding of how early relational experiences shape adult life.