Meet Our Therapists

Jessica January Behr, Psy.D.

Founder and Director, Licensed Psychologist

Anxiety
Depression
Couples Therapy
Relationship Stress
Sex Therapy
Culture and Religion
Life Transitions
Psychedelic Integration
Inter-ethnic Relationships

Most people seek therapy when they are unhappy with one or more aspects of their lives. Whether you are struggling with work, love, family or self – you might be wondering, what will really help? I believe that understanding yourself is a great gift and a power. We as people are complicated beings. It takes effort and focused attention to parse out our complexity. It takes will and bravery to face ourselves; our lives, our pasts, presents and futures. It also takes intention to appreciate our strengths and recognize the areas that need strengthening. In my practice, I will help you to discover what aspects of your current life and functioning are working well and what aspects no longer serve you. Together we will explore what you want, why you want, the obstacles in your way and how to overcome them. We start where you are and work on your goals, paying special attention to your evolution over the course of treatment. My goals, as your therapist are to gently facilitate your growth and to create a warm, sincere and safe environment that fosters trust, honesty, openness and authenticity.

"No tree, it is said can grow to heaven, unless its roots reach down to hell."

- Carl Jung

Training and Education

I am a Licensed Psychologist in the state of New York. I earned a Doctoral Degree in Clinical Psychology at Pace University’s School-Clinical Psychology Program. Psychodynamically oriented with a patient-centered and eclectic therapeutic approach, I mold each treatment to the needs of the individual integrating ACT, CBT, DBT and mindfulness techniques into traditional psychodynamic treatment when useful. My doctoral research was called Coming and Going: Movements in-and-out of Orthodox Judaism. It is available for you to read here. I studied the intrapsychic and social experience of those who transition from secular to religious orthodox or from orthodox to secular. I have a particular interest in cultural assimilation through a psychological lens.

I am trained to work with adults, adolescents and children. I received my training at multiple public and private institutions across New York City, including Mount Sinai Beth Israel, New York City Health and Hospitals – Jacobi Medical Center and the Institute for Psychoanalytic training and research. I completed my Post-Doctoral training at Metropolitan Center for Mental Health with a partnership with New York Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia.

Over the course of my years training, I worked in many different settings, learning every angle of mental health treatment with diverse populations. These experiences include inpatient psychiatry, psychiatric emergency and health psychology as well as in community-based and hospital-based outpatient clinics and in college counseling. I also conduct Neuropsychological Assessments and do assessment consulting work with private schools.

I love teaching and working with students, being a part of their growth and learning. I have held positions as Adjunct Professor at Hunter College and Pace University teaching undergraduate and doctoral students respectively. I am currently an Adjunct Professor at NYU‘s Steinhardt School of Cultural, Education and Human Development where I teach courses at the Masters level. In addition, I serve as a Mental Health Consultant for Nirvana, a technology company aimed at improving mental healthcare accessibility. I have complete various workshops in Psychedelic Integration Therapy as well as Psychedelic Assisted Therapy through Horizons and Fluence.