Catherine Jakobsze, MS, LPC, NCC, CCTP

Owner and Psychotherapist

YOU can call me Cathy. In so many ways, there is still a stigma around receiving mental health services. For some, their previous experience (or even experiences of others they love) has made it difficult to reach out for help. I’m here to tell you the field of mental health has evolved, much like I have as a psychotherapist throughout my career. 

During my studies at Monmouth University (2012-2018) where I earned my BA in Psychology and MS in Mental Health Counseling, I learned to pride myself on being authentic with clients, in and out of session, meaning I aim to “practice what I preach” every day. One of my mentors and graduate professors who I had the pleasure of attending a service trip to India with once mentioned, “You will only be able to take your clients as far as you’ve gone”. This statement molded my approach to counseling both professionally and personally. 

I am an experienced Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP). Over the last 8+ years, I have worked in various professional mental health settings, including intensive outpatient programs, partial hospitalization programs, community-based settings, and private practice. Most of my professional experience is working with adolescents, young adults, and adults dealing with trauma, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, ASD, ADHD, OCD, personality disorders, dissociative disorders, non-suicidal self-injury, chronic illness, clients who have previously struggled to connect with therapists in the past, sexual issues, LGBTQ+ populations, and more. I am also an adjunct professor at several community colleges throughout NJ, where I teach psychology.

I continuously strive to remain culturally sensitive in working with populations of diverse ethnic backgrounds and nationalities, gender identities, sexualities, and disabilities. My clinical approach to working with clients is collaborative. I aim to meet individuals where they are emotionally, allowing clients to guide their treatment because I am a firm believer that no one knows themselves better than the client. Although my therapeutic approach is client-centered, I pull from an array of counseling theories and techniques, including but not limited to Existential Therapy, Liberation Psychology, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Exposure and Response Therapy (ERP), Solution-Focused Therapy, Polyvagal Theory, Attachment-Focused EMDR, Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR), Motivational Interviewing, and more.

In my free time, you can catch me hanging out with my 3 hairless (yes, hairless) munchkin cats, attending any live comedy or music show I can get to, and watching mixed martial arts (MMA).