Elise Jacobson, M.S.W., LICSW

Elise Jacobson is a child and family social worker of 33 years and has a thriving private practice. She is a graduate of Brandeis and Yeshiva’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work and she has an expertise in the PDA (pathological demand avoidance) profile of autism, an atypical presentation which can go unidentified even into adulthood.  

Jacobson uses practice skill, lived experience and clinical observations from her body of work to offer a psychodynamic client-centered and relational therapy space. Her practice expanded its offerings into secondary therapy on neurodivergent needs, support groups, consultation to school teams and parenting-focused therapy due to a shortage of care.

The core of her work is a focus on de-pathologizing and decentering from neuro-normative expectations. She has an accessible, clear and inviting style and a strengths-based approach she applies to everyone.  She mentors professionals, writes frequently on practice and is the founder of the PDA Therapy Collaborative, an online community dedicated to evolving our understanding of this important work.