Jacob Price
Hello, my name is Jacob Price, LMHC. I've been licensed in the state of Florida since 2013 and running a solo private practice since 2017. It's my belief that the most important part of therapy is the relationship between the therapist and client.
I also teach evidence based techniques that help my client learn how to work through difficult emotions so they can focus living a rich and meaningful life.
Opening up in therapy can feel vulnerable and scary at first so it's important that the environment is one where the client feels understood and not judged. When a person is able to clearly express themselves and process how they feel in a supportive environment, they have more clarity in understanding themselves and their life circumstances. During therapy, we'll use what we learn about you to help us figure out which evidenced based therapies and coping skills might benefit you the most. Just like anything that's of worth, therapy requires patience, effort and a willingness to try new ways of thinking and being. If you're wanting an empathetic, warm environment where you feel heard so we can work on helping you accomplish your goals, I'm hear for you. Feel free to schedule an appointment.
First session
The first session is a chance for us to get to know one another. I try to keep things pretty casual and while I ask questions to get a clear idea of what you're wanting help with, I also leave plenty of space for you to take your time and feel comfortable. While I want to learn as much about you as I can, I'm also sensitive to people's trauma history and triggers so I'm willing to go as slow as you need to go. It's important to be open but also to be mindful of going at your pace. The first session is also about me explaining how the approaches that I'm trained in work and how they might be applied to your specific situation. It's also a place where I'm here to answer any questions you should have about therapy or about my past. Even though therapy can involve serious and uncomfortable emotions it also is a place for joy, resilience and sometimes even humor, if the mood is right. I want to help you feel at home with yourself and with therapy and this first session sets the tone.
Strengths
After having worked in private practice for 9 years I'd say that my first and greatest strength is active listening. It takes really holding space, paying attention and selectively reflecting back things I heard in a more concise and organized way to help a person gain clarity. I also find that I have a passion for working with people who are survivors of trauma, especially from abuse or neglect they experienced throughout life. I find EMDR to be my most effective tool for helping a person to learn how to work through traumatic memories so they aren't affected by them in the same way anymore. It's quite rewarding to hear a person who's been traumatized see their perspective shift about their trauma and also learn how to regulate their physical responses to trauma. I also love using acceptance based behavior therapies like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as well as Mindfulness Based Cognitive therapy encourage people to strike a balance between having mindful awareness/acceptance of their feelings as well as using actions to help them feel more secure in themselves and their lives. These therapies are evidenced based to help reduce the symptoms of disorders such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and borderline personality disorder to name a few. They also help if you're struggling with current life circumstances and just want to look at them in a more healthy way.
Ideal clients
I love working with adults who are struggling with symptoms of anxiety, depression, panic disorder, Post Traumatic Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder. In addition, I enjoy helping people work through various life issues such as career goals, relationships, time management, prioritizing goals and figuring out one's spiritual path.
Treatment methods
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is a mindfulness based therapy that teaches a person how to lessen resistance to emotions so they can experience them in a healthier way and use them to guide their actions. The focus of the therapy is on learning how to live a life that aligns with one's values which increases a sense of well being. I start the therapy relationship by finding out what a person's goals and values are as well as how troublesome thoughts and emotions interfere with them living up to their values. Throughout the sessions I suggest and model various coping skills to help foster mindfulness awareness and with time the therapy has been shown to reduce overall levels of anxiety and depression.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
When a person is depressed, anxious or experiencing trauma symptoms they often have thoughts that can be distorted. With CBT I help a client to target these thoughts, gain awareness of them and attempt to question the accuracy of the thoughts. After that we can help formulate a more accurate, healthy thought pattern. CBT is the number one evidence based treatment for reducing depression and anxiety. Also, the "B" in CBT standards for behaviors. In my practice, I teach clients a wide variety of behaviors depending on the issue including but not limited to: diaphragm breathing, using sensory stimulation to reduce anxiety, pros/cons lists, time management, the relationship of food/lifestyle habits and mood, etc.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is an evidence based treatment that combines bi-lateral stimulation either from eye movements or from left and right shoulder tapping with exposing oneself to past difficult memories. The bi-lateral stimulation helps the person to more rapidly process the traumatic memories as well as to self-soothe while having to think about difficult memories. This treatment has by far been the quickest and most effective way to reduce trauma symptoms that I see in my clients such as flashbacks, mood swings, intrusive thoughts, nightmares, negative core beliefs about one's self as well as the rest of the world.
Location
Virtual sessions