“I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness.”
– The Dalai Lama
Psychotherapy for lives inside and outside the box
Licensed in: New York — New Jersey — Washington, D.C. — Pennsylvania — Rhode Island — Illinois
As a therapist with nearly 20 years experience,
My mission is to aid gender and sexually diverse individuals and communities find joy through my psychotherapy, public speaking, writing, and activism…
and to change the world.
You should never have to justify your identity to a healthcare provider. I provide culturally competent, compassionate, and affirming psychotherapy where we can safely ask questions to help you make your own conscious decisions about your life. Our sessions are nonjudgmental and client-centered. If you are so minded, we can simultaneously investigate issues of existential meaning.
Our goal together is your happiness. Whether you identify as transgender, lesbian, gay, bisexual, nonbinary, genderqueer, gender nonconforming, kinky, queer, questioning, pansexual, asexual, detransitioner/retransitioner, Dominant, submissive, a sex worker, monogamous, polyamorous, unicorn, neurodivergent, neurospicy, or neurotypical... even cisgender, straight/hetero, or vanilla… I assist people of all genders and sexualities.
I am also devoted to education – of other providers, of allies, of organizations – and I share my expertise on gender and sexual diversity through books and other writing, as well as through clinical supervision. I have provided several hundred lectures, workshops, and interviews throughout the United States and in Europe. I also have served on numerous boards and in other advocacy projects; all this to improve the cultural environment in which we live. And I have access to many resources you may need.
We can be defiant against the current physical and legislative assaults on our identities where ‘they’ bully the vulnerable, inciting hate, violence, fear, and despair. If you, like so many, are feeling distressed about the current world… I can provide support and hope.
we are fierce. And we can experience joy.
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LAURA A. JACOBS LCSW-R
Hiya!! I’m Laura.
I believe all our lives provide fascinating opportunities to explore the human experience. I am devoted to the exploration of identity and the relationship between individual and society, the diversity of gender and sexual identity and expression, and the search for existential meaning. And I am a fierce advocate against those who would see us returned to the shadows, the closets, or worse… I am one of many in the movement to better our world.
“
Life is not about finding yourself... it’s about creating yourself.
— G.B. Shaw
PSYCHOTHERApist
Therapy for lives inside and outside the box.
I am here for you, whether you’re cisgender, straight, and vanilla, or someone far beyond the bounds of cisheteronormativity altogether.
I have nearly 20 years experience at psychotherapy with people of all sexualities and gender identities/expressions, and many more within those communities myself. My lived experience and clinical depth are here for you to draw upon when working on your own life.
Licensed in New York, New Jersey, Washington D.C., and Rhode Island. Soon: Pennsylvania & Illinois.
AUTHOR
I write for you: transgender and nonbinary, queer/LGBTQIA+, BDSM/kinky, nonmonogamous/poly, and sex worker individuals, our communities, our allies, and even those reluctant to accept our inherent value. All my work and writings center gender and sexual diversity.
My most recent book, Surviving Transphobia, is an anthology featuring 16 prominent transgender and nonbinary contributors, each sending the message: “We’ve survived; here’s how. And if we can survive… so can you.”
Public Speaker
I am a prolific, engaging speaker with a vast depth of knowledge and experience around gender and sexual diversity for your conference, workshop, news story on a tight deadline, upcoming television segment, documentary, or other venue. You may have seen me featured in the New York Times, NPR, MSNBC, NBC News Online, SiriusXM, CBS News, Mic.com, TEDx, and more.
I would be delighted to be interviewed for your story, to provide a lecture/workshop, or to keynote at your event.
ACTIVIST
Activism can look many ways.
I have served on numerous boards and committees, carried placards in the streets, given presentations and lectures, written books, chapters, and other pieces, all to aid trans and nonbinary, queer/LGBTQIA+, kink/BDSM, nonmonogamous, and sex work communities. This effort has improved queer/trans access to care, developed clinical guidelines around mental health care for transgender and gender nonbinary people as well as for those involved in kink/BDSM, increased service availability, helped ensure that research was conducted and published in ways that are affirming, developed resources and materials, and more.
CONSULTANT
Together we can make your organization more affirming of gender and sexual diversity. A safe and respectful workplace is essential for both staff who need an atmosphere of respect and for clients who come to your site for meetings or to receive services. Whether a non- or for-profit, we can design trainings and lectures specifically attuned to your company’s needs.
CONSULTANT
Knowledge works best when it’s shared.
Whether you are a newer provider or a seasoned therapist, I can aid your professional development around working with gender and sexually diverse clients. I can offeryou occasional or ongoing clinical supervision.
HERETIC
‘Heretic’ derives from the Greek word ‘Hairetikos’, meaning: "One who is able to choose."
“... [Surviving Transphobia is a book] I love and that you should check out… I devoured it and found it very inspirational and hopeful.”
“How fucking wonderful that I have you as a therapist. I’m in awe of how grateful I am.”
— Long-Term Therapy Client