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Jacob Leigh,
PhD
(he/him)
intern therapist
SPECIALIZATIONS
I am a mental health counselor in training working with adults. I offer sessions for individuals, couples, and people in nontraditional intimate relationships. My specialty is working with queer and trans people at all different stages of their journey, but I am also eager to support anyone seeking a non-judgmental safe space.
I am developing specializations in anxiety, depression, and living through the aftermaths of loss and unexpected life transitions. My passions lie in fostering survival, and engendering self-love, acceptance, and resilience.
THERAPEUTIC STYLE
BACKGROUND & TRAINING
Originally from California, I have been making a home in the Hudson Valley for the last few years. I am currently completing a Clinical Mental Health Counseling master’s program at SUNY New Paltz.
I have a prior PhD in gender and sexuality studies, with specializations in intersectional feminist, queer, trans and psychoanalytic theories. Along with an extensive history of engaging with queer and trans people in the educational and nonprofit sectors, I have some clinical experience working with neurodivergent clients, and clients with disabilities.
RELATED HOBBIES & INTERESTS
PHILOSOPHY
Surviving and thriving in a world that is set up to see us fail is a radical act. But simply coping when everything feels overwhelming can be an incredibly formidable task. Seeking out support, understanding, and care enables us to get through the difficult
times. Incredible change can happen when you begin to imagine new possibilities for yourself and the relationships you’re in.
I believe that all people live extraordinarily complex lives, and that with the right support we can cultivate the resilience and tools to get us through even the most onerous circumstances. Therapy is a space where you can develop these skills while being your most honest self. It can help you figure out what it is that you need, both from yourself and from others.
As a newcomer to the Hudson Valley, I am making home here by exploring all the small back roads, wide open spaces, bodies of water, and mountains on my bicycle.
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When I’m not on my bike, I am connecting with my local community, or curled up on the couch reading science fiction – anything and everything time travel related – or contemporary queer fiction.
My style is conversational and thoughtful, and it is premised in radical acceptance. I treat my clients with care, working with them to help them grow, and to bring about change or a new perspective. I strive to really get to know my clients by taking a narrative approach to my work. I believe that the stories we tell about ourselves and our
circumstances can either hold us back or enable our flourishing. My style draws on psychodynamic insights that are informed by feminist perspectives.
Working with people in relationships, my approach is to get all parties to truly see and be seen by each other. I work to establish an awareness of where everyone is coming from, and to develop a healthy relational language so that they can communicate what
they need from one another.
COMMON CHALLENGES I SUPPORT
Clients often come to me when the challenges they face are too heavy to hold on their own. Often, this includes navigating relationships in which they feel stuck, or when they recognize that things are not working, or are experiencing the painful sense of not being understood.
I work with clients managing the isolating effects of anxiety, depression, and panic attacks, as well as those living with loss and upheaval. Clients grappling with the complexities of sex, gender, and identity, or looking to cultivate queer joy and gender euphoria will find me compassionate and knowledgeable.
For all my clients, I am attuned to the ways in which intersecting layers of stigma and injustice can shape everything from our day to day lives, to the weight of the worlds we find ourselves in.