About Jackson
Why I do this work
In my upbringing, mental health was never a topic that was discussed or valued, but rather something you de-prioritized and endured, alone. I was taught that as long as my external needs were met, that was all that mattered.
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It wasn't until college, when I was on the verge of failing, that I went to therapy. At the time, what felt like a last-ditch effort to survive, became the very thing that taught me how to heal and grow from my past and ongoing traumas. It was where I started to learn how to thrive, not just survive, leading to the realization that our own innate resilience needs the space and opportunity of a therapeutic environment to do that healing and growing.
Qualifications
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MSW from NYU Silver School of Social Work (2019)
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4+ years experience with individuals, couples, and group therapy
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3+ years specializing in working with QTPOC clients
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1 year of relational psychoanalysis training, The Stephen Mitchell Relational Study Center (2022)
My Approach
As a QTPOC therapist, I firmly believe that we need trauma-informed anti-oppressive spaces where we can foster vulnerability, compassion, and self-accountability. I have been shaped by a variety of approaches to therapy, including relational psychodynamics, Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT). Each approach has its own unique strengths and benefits, and by incorporating elements of each, I am able to provide individualized and effective therapy to each of my clients.
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I am passionate about working with QT folks who are experiencing PTSD or trauma-related effects, depression, and/or anxiety. I also love exploring the impact of identities on our internal and external experiences.
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Foci:
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Helping QT folks navigate and heal from systemic, interpersonal, and internal trauma and/or grief.
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Exploration of personal identities in a space intended to cultivate curiosity and compassion.
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Developing coping strategies and tools to better deal with the effects of ADHD, depression, and anxiety, as well as other major challenges that impact the ability to achieve your goals.
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Developing awareness, insight, and compassionate acceptance of how we got here.
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I am currently doing exclusively virtual appointments and am only available to residents of the state of New York.
I am a Queer, Trans non-binary, 2.5 generation mixed South Asian (Fijian Indian and Caucasian) Oregonian, and a first-generation college graduate who has been directly affected by incarceral systems.
My Journey
Growing up in rural Oregon as a mixed South Asian queer trans person, I often experienced impostor syndrome and severe isolation. I am intimately familiar with the experience of not being seen, or being seen for something I am not while also benefitting from it as a person who passes both as cis and as white. In therapy, our identities will inevitably interact, and I believe it's vital to incorporate these understandings into our work to better grasp how we relate to the larger world.
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I am also in a long-term, non-monogamous relationship and am passionate about exploring and cultivating consent, healthy boundaries and open communication.
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It can be very tiring trying to find a therapist with similar identities, and a space within which you aren't constantly having to explain yourself or your experience, or have the focus turn constantly to one aspect of your identity. You are not alone. I know this struggle firsthand, and how isolating it can be.
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I work hard to honor and invite all parts of you, your experience, and what they mean to you.