Doriel Jacov, JD, LCSW, a somatic psychotherapist in New York City.

Doriel Jacov, JD, LCSW

Psychodynamic, Somatic, Trauma-Informed Therapy

Many of the people I work with are outwardly capable in ways that make the internal struggles harder for others — and sometimes themselves — to see. They've been "managing" for a long time, and they come to therapy because that's just not enough anymore.

In our work, we'll pay attention not just to what you're dealing with now, but also to the history underneath it and where certain patterns might come from.

The core of my work is complex trauma, relationship issues, and burnout, with both individuals and couples. I also work with anxiety, depression, and grief, and offer LGBTQ+ affirming therapy. I have a particular focus on male survivors of childhood sexual abuse, who often hold onto this experience alone for years while seeming "high functioning" to everyone else, and I lead a weekly support group for men navigating this.

I see adults, couples, and teens in person at 280 Madison Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, near Grand Central and Bryant Park, and online across New York and Florida.

From Law to Therapy

Before becoming a therapist, I was a lawyer at a big law firm. Having been inside that world, I know what sustained performance pressure can do to sleep, relationships, and a sense of who you are outside of work. If you're a lawyer or in another demanding field, you won't have to explain the culture to me.

My Clinical Approach

Therapy with me is collaborative and shaped around your history and what you need. I don’t rush in sessions, and I tend to follow what feels most alive in the moment rather than an agenda. I’m an active participant in the room, and I'll share what I notice when it seems useful.

We'll look beyond symptoms to the emotional and attachment patterns that shape how you see yourself and other people. Some of the most useful moments come from noticing what comes up live during a session, because that's sometimes when those dynamics show up most clearly.

I'm not looking for what's wrong with you. I'm more interested in how the ways you learned to cope once helped you get through, and in making room for ways of relating that feel freer, more flexible, and more authentic to you.

With individuals, I draw on relational psychodynamic therapy, IFS (parts work), and somatic therapy. With couples, I use Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). Once there's enough safety and trust in place, I may also use EMDR to work with specific traumatic memories. You can read more about each approach below.

  • My psychodynamic approach is contemporary and collaborative. We explore how early attachment experiences created templates for how you navigate intimacy, conflict, self-worth, and vulnerability today.

    We focus not only on your history, but on the “here and now” of the therapy relationship. Feelings that arise in therapy often mirror feelings in the outside world. By working with these patterns in real time, we can shift unconscious dynamics that may be keeping you stuck.

    At its core, this is relational therapy — the belief that change happens not just through insight, but through the relationship itself.

  • Many people experience internal conflict: a part that pushes to succeed, a part that fears failure, a part that carries shame, or a part that withdraws to stay safe.

    IFS is a non-pathologizing, compassionate framework that helps identify and understand these parts. Together, we work toward helping you lead from a steadier, more grounded internal center.

  • Trauma and chronic stress are not only psychological experiences. They are physiological ones. The nervous system often continues responding as if past danger is still present.

    I integrate body-based awareness alongside reflective dialogue to help regulate the nervous system, reduce reactivity, and increase a felt sense of safety.

    This work supports deeper integration of traumatic experiences and moves beyond solely trying to manage symptoms. It can also be helpful in managing burnout and chronic stress.

  • EFT is an evidence-based, attachment-centered approach to couples therapy. We identify the negative interaction cycle: often a pattern of pursuit and withdrawal, that leaves both partners feeling misunderstood or alone.

    By helping each partner access and express the deeper emotions beneath reactivity, we work toward building a more secure and emotionally responsive bond.

  • EMDR is a structured, evidence-based approach to trauma processing that works by helping the brain reprocess distressing memories that haven't been fully integrated. These are memories that continue to shape how you feel, relate, and move through the world, even when you'd rather they didn't.

    Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR doesn't rely primarily on language or narrative. Instead, it works through bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements or tapping) while you hold a distressing memory in mind. Over time, this process allows the memory to lose its charge, shifting from something that feels raw and present to something that belongs more fully to the past.

    In my practice, EMDR is integrated within a relational, psychodynamic framework rather than used as a standalone protocol. I don't typically introduce EMDR early in the work. Instead, we build enough internal safety, relational trust, and self-awareness first. This is because EMDR works best when there's a stable foundation to return to. For many clients, that groundwork itself is where the most important early change happens.

    When the time is right, EMDR can be a powerful tool for processing specific traumatic memories, including childhood abuse, neglect, and other early relational experiences that continue to live in the body and nervous system long after they've ended.

Choosing a therapist is a personal decision. If something here resonates, I’d welcome the chance to connect. Reach out for a brief, no-pressure consultation.

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