About Us

Dr. Jack Baker (he/him) is a therapist specializing in care for adolescents and adults. Dr. Baker conducts psychological evaluations for children, adolescents, and adults of all ages.  

Dr. Baker operates from an integrative theoretical orientation in his work, meaning he combines different therapeutical approaches into an overall experience that is responsive to a client's needs. These approaches primarily include third-wave cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). 

Dr. Baker structures his therapy around the establishment and progress towards concrete therapy goals. These goals are created and mutually agreed upon by both the client and Dr. Baker at the beginning of therapy, 

Dr. Baker's ultimate goal is to "work himself out of a job," or in other words, to no longer be needed! As part of this, Dr. Baker's work often focuses on giving clients tangible skills to take home from sessions and make part of their coping skills "toolbox." He also values collecting data from symptom measures throughout treatment in order to track a client's progress over time. 

Dr. Baker specializes in treatment for suicidal ideation and self-harm using DBT skills instruction, with a particular expertise with adolescents and young adults. He also specializes in treatment for anxiety and clients experiencing great difficulty tolerating uncertainty. 

Dr. Baker also uses Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) to treat PTSD and trauma-related difficulties, and ACT-informed exposure and response prevention (ERP) for OCD. Dr. Baker also treats depression, personality disorders, and disorders involving body-focused repetitive behaviors like skin-picking and hair-pulling (e.g., excoriation/skin picking and trichotillomania/hair pulling). 

Dr. Baker has a particular interest in working with clients from LGBTQIA+ populations and strives to foster a therapeutic relationship that is culturally responsive, neurodiversity-affirming and trauma-informed.

Dr. Baker works well with clients who are eager and motivated to participate in treatment. He will actively challenge his clients to do the best they can while also meeting them where they are at. 

Dr. Baker also values working with clients who are willing to provide feedback about how the therapy process is going for them. If you are someone who values a genuine, down-to-Earth style in their therapist and who can appreciate a bit of sarcasm/humor and Dr. Baker's limited taste in music (it's Taylor Swift or John Williams, not much else), then you may be a good fit! 

For parents of prospective adolescent clients, please know that Dr. Baker holds an expectation for a certain amount of work done on the part of parents. When working with adolescents, particularly those experiencing suicidal and self-harm ideation, it is immensely important to work with parents to implement helpful changes in the environment at home and at school. This may involve parents having to engage in difficult, yet critical, self-reflection about themselves and what they can do differently for the sake of helping their teen. 

Dr. Baker has experience conducting assessments across the lifespan, for a range of presenting issues, including ADHD, Autism, personality disorders, and many other co-occurring diagnoses. 

Like other Nouveau practitioners, Dr. Baker values developing individualized recommendations for each assessment client, with assessment reports featuring a strong focus on what steps clients can take moving forward. 

In addition to a neurodiversity-affirming and culturally responsive approach to assessment, Dr. Baker operates from an ecological framework of human development to understand his clients and the root of their specific concerns.

 Popularized by one of Dr. Baker's favorite psychologists, Dr. Urie Bronfenbrenner, an ecological framework examines an individual's current functioning in the context of multiple layers of one's environment. These include interpersonal relationships, one's community, and societal influences that can go unnoticed if not given proper consideration. In doing so, Dr. Baker strives to provide helpful explanations for assessment results that go beyond the traditional deficit-based, pathogy-focused and medicalized approaches historically used within the field of psychology. 

Prior to living out his dream co-owning a practice, Dr. Baker served as a therapist in a variety of settings including K-12 schools, community mental health concerns, and private practices. He received his PhD from Miami University (Ohio) after receiving his bachelor's degree at the University of Virginia. 

Dr. Baker's dissertation studied the prevention of sexual assault on college campuses. Dr. Baker's other research experience includes the study of violence prevention within the US military, youth participatory action research, and school/community-based mental health program evaluation. 

On a personal note, Dr. Baker prides himself on being a nerd with an interest in sports. He enjoys video games (namely Nintendo) and watching video game streams on Twitch and YouTube, though he also roots for the Green Bay Packers in the fall and the Chicago White Sox during the extremely rare moments when they are not terrible. 

Dr. Baker loves the outdoors and was once a wilderness survival instructor for children/teens with autism in Vermont. 

Dr. Baker is proud to be licensed to practice in his home state of Virginia. He is also licensed to provide virtual therapy services in 40+ other states and territories under PSYPACT (please see https://psypact.org/mpage/psypactmap for more information). 

Licensure:

Virginia License #0810008010

PSYPACT/APIT #14012