Jack Baker, Ph.D. | Co-Founder

Jack Baker, Ph.D.

Dr. Baker is currently accepting new therapy clients. He also is available for supervision services and professional consultations/trainings for setting up private practices and treating chronic shame.

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 have clients feel as though they have been empowered to meet their challenges head-on. 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.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Baker is available to provide supervision for students and trainees in clinical psychology who are seeking guidance as they develop their therapeutic skills. He also offers consultation for clinicians and professionals interested in starting or strengthening their own private practice. Dr. Baker also provides trainings and workshops on the treatment of chronic shame, helping clinicians expand their skills in this often-overlooked but deeply impactful area of practice.

What He Treats:

Dr. Baker specializes in the treatment of chronic shame, difficulty tolerating uncertainty, and self-dislike, as well as the anxiety and depression that can stem from these issues. Dr. Baker also specializes in suicidal ideation and self-harm using DBT skills instruction, with a particular expertise with adolescents and young adults.

Dr. Baker uses Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) to treat PTSD and trauma-related difficulties, and ACT-informed exposure and response prevention (ERP) for OCD and phobias. Dr. Baker also treats 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+ and neurodiverse populations and strives to foster a therapeutic relationship that is culturally responsive, neurodiversity-affirming and trauma-informed.

Who You Are:

If you are someone who has felt isolated or shamed by others, or as though you don't belong anywhere, or even that something is inherently wrong with you, Dr. Baker may be a good fit for you. Shame can feel like a heavy cloak that wants to silence you and hide you from the world. In your work with Dr. Baker, you will learn to be an unshaming witness for yourself: someone who sees you fully without judgment, who provides self-compassion, and helps you reclaim a sense of worth. Therapy with Dr. Baker is about creating a place where you challenge shame's grip and move towards greater self-acceptance and freedom. This approach can be especially meaningful if you've struggled to feel understood, whether because your passions and interests don't align with what's "typical," or because you are neurodiverse and have felt like you just don't fit in.

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.

Assessment Approach:

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.

Experience, Training, and Personal Info

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 camping guide for autistic children and teens at a neuro-affirming summer camp 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