Move Beyond Coping.

You and the work we do

You have done a lot of thinking about your life. You know your history. You can explain your patterns. Yet anxiety, overthinking, depression, ADHD, trauma, or the same relationship problems still keep showing up.

Hi, I am Steven Jacob, LCSW. I work with adults in New York and New Jersey who are ready for more than coping strategies and inspirational quotes. My clients want to understand why their system works the way it does and what it would actually take to change it.

People who work with me are often successful on paper and still feel stuck. They may be navigating burnout, work stress, or a quiet sense that they are living a life designed by old stories instead of their present values.

What sets them apart is their investment. They are done with surface level fixes. They are willing to look closely at their patterns, challenge old narratives, and take real steps toward change.

I provide telehealth therapy throughout New York and New Jersey. My approach is relational and very engaged. I care about what is happening in your life, and I am just as interested in why it is happening and what we can do with that knowledge. Together we look at how your story, your inner emotional and thinking patterns, and the world around you interact, so we can find a path forward that fits you.

My background

I have worked in mental health for more than a decade in community programs, outpatient clinics, private practice, consulting, and teaching psychology at the university level.

That early community and outpatient work brought me into contact with many different cultures, crises, and life experiences. It showed me how family, money, health, and identity collide in real life and that most people are doing the best they can with the resources they have. This grounded me in empathy and in the belief that context matters. Very little behavior is irrational when you understand what someone believes about the world and what they deeply want. Those beliefs and desires shape action, even when that action looks confusing from the outside.

Alongside that clinical work, I spent several years in corporate consulting, partnering with large national and global companies, including many Fortune 500 organizations. There the focus was on complex systems, competing incentives, and behavior change at scale. I learned how to map where pressure builds, how decisions are really made, and what actually moves people from talk to action inside rigid structures. I use that same skill set in therapy to help you break down stuck places into clear, workable pieces.

In turn, teaching psychology sharpened my ability to turn complex ideas from psychology and the social sciences into plain language and practical tools. It also taught me to match explanations to the person in front of me, so what we discuss feels clear and useful rather than abstract. The aim is that our work feels tailored to you and your circumstances, not like generic advice to just think differently, be more positive, or use coping strategies that do not fit your personality.

For you, this means you get a therapist who understands both your inner world and the systems you move through and can turn that understanding into a plan that fits your actual life.

How I think about change

I believe your anxiety, depression, and overthinking usually make sense once we understand your full story. They are not random flaws. They are patterns your brain and body learned in response to past experiences and current pressures.

We often stay stuck because old stories and expectations are still running the show. You might tell yourself you have to keep everyone happy, never fail, or always be in control. You might wait for perfect clarity before taking any action. You might tell yourself you are already behind, so there is no point in trying, and the idea of change feels like walking toward another disappointment.

My job is to help you see those patterns clearly and feel what is truly happening inside you, not just think about it. Then we turn insight into action.

A core belief in my work is simple.

Your perspective does not change until your experience changes.

Your experience does not change until you take a different action.

In session, we slow down the moments that matter. What you felt in your body. What thoughts rushed in. What you did next. After we have made sense of that experience, we choose a few small, realistic actions to try between sessions. At the next session, we look at what happened, what worked, and what needs to change.

I am warm and supportive, and I am also direct. I will walk with you, and I will also help you question assumptions that keep you exhausted and stuck. I often use a motivational interviewing style, which means I do not force change. Instead, I help you see the gap between what you want and what you are doing now, and we explore the emotional and practical barriers that make change hard. Over time, the goal is that your inner system feels more understandable, your reactions feel less automatic, and your choices feel more aligned with what matters to you.