Jasmine T. Gelber, LMSW

Children navigate so many tasks in their early years: Coming to know their parents and caregivers, playing with others, adapting to new environments, and figuring out their sense of self in the world. When children experience loss, shifts in their family, or problems navigating expectations, they may act out, become anxious, or withdraw. Sometimes big changes or ordinary challenges become too much. Therapy is an excellent place to explore these feelings in a safe, confidential environment.

I use a combination of drawing, pretend play, and collaborative games to provide a space where children can feel supported and express what is troubling them. Through the therapeutic relationship, we can act out what might be going on at school, at home, or elsewhere. From there, we can find new ways of being in relationships that are less harmful, troubling, or stuck. My work with children is gradual and long-term; it is important to build trust, get to know each other little by little, and make adjustments that are deep and long-lasting. 

Along the way, I work with parents and caregivers closely to understand each child’s full environment, and to intervene in a way that meaningfully responds to the difficulties at hand. My work is informed by psychoanalytic theory, family systems theory, and anti-oppressive ethics. What this means for our work is that I support each child in the complex ways their identity, family history, and environment may play a part in what’s bringing them into therapy. 

I graduated with honors from the Silberman School of Social Work, where my clinical training included psychiatric social work, school-based psychotherapy with children, and home-visit therapy with children and families. I also practice psychotherapy and psychoanalysis with adults. I am pursuing training in the Child and Adolescent Program at the Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research (IPTAR), and contribute as an Associate Editor to the psychoanalytic journal Studies in Gender and Sexuality. Before my career in clinical social work, I received degrees in the arts from Yale University (M.M.) and Columbia University (B.A.).