About Jaclyn

Finding the right therapist is like finding a trusted doctor or hairstylist—someone who understands you and helps you feel confident and supported. I believe that therapy should be a space where you feel seen, heard, and empowered to explore your thoughts and emotions.

Since high school, I knew I wanted to be a therapist. Even before I stepped into a therapy office, I was fascinated by the human mind and passionate about helping others. For my senior project, I focused on dream analysis, an idea rooted in the work of Sigmund Freud, the father of modern psychology. I conducted my own study on dreams and their emotional symbolism, sparking a lifelong interest in understanding how our unconscious minds influence our daily lives.

In 2004, I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Psychology with minors in Management and Communications from Keene State College. During this time, I went to therapy for the first time while navigating my parents’ divorce. The experience was transformative. Therapy helped me manage the emotional turmoil I was facing, and it deepened my understanding of how it could benefit others.

After college, I explored a variety of careers—sales, marketing, restaurant management—but none fulfilled me. I kept circling back to therapy, and it became clear that this was my true calling. After a brief stint in paralegal school, I knew I wanted to help people more intimately than through legal work. I returned to graduate school for mental health counseling, where I found my community. The material was fascinating, my teachers were passionate, and I knew I had found my path.

While in grad school, I began psychoanalysis, and it was a game-changer. My therapist helped me see patterns and themes in my life that I had never noticed before. It was empowering to finally talk about my emotions in a way that felt productive and freeing.

After graduating, I spent six years working in substance abuse treatment, both inpatient and outpatient. In 2019, I gave birth to my first son—a positive experience that left me feeling capable of balancing career, motherhood, and home life. However, when we welcomed my second son in 2021, my world felt like it had been flipped upside down. I struggled with postpartum depression and anxiety, feeling overwhelmed and as if I were drowning in motherhood. Returning to work became increasingly challenging. I had changed, and I could no longer give so much of myself without sacrificing my well-being. I craved work-life balance and uninterrupted time with my children, free from the constant demands of emails and phone calls.

In 2022, I launched my private practice, Jaclyn Tanner Counseling, LLC, to create a career that aligned with my evolving needs. As I geared my practice toward supporting moms and parents of young children, I trained in CT’s Mind Over Mood program. This approach integrates motivational interviewing, motivational enhancement therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, positive psychology, and attachment therapy—evidence-based practices that empower parents and provide them with tools to support their own emotional regulation. I also completed specialized training through Postpartum Support International (PSI) to work with clients experiencing perinatal mental health challenges.

In 2023, I returned to school for post-graduate training in psychoanalysis at the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis, where my own beloved analyst had trained. I also began my own psychoanalysis, deepening both my personal and professional growth.

As I built my practice, I often met with a fellow mother of two—also a therapist—during playdates. We shared our struggles in adjusting to motherhood and saw firsthand the lack of adequate postpartum support. In the spring of 2024, inspired by Fair Play, Eve Rodsky’s documentary on the inequities of parenthood and household labor, we co-founded Evolving Tree Therapy, a perinatal group practice “where moms go to be cared for.” We recognized that moms are the core of their families—when a mother isn’t well, the whole family feels the impact. By supporting and empowering moms, everyone benefits. In the summer of 2024, we opened our doors, creating a space for mothers to receive the care they truly deserve.

Professional development remains at the forefront of my work as a therapist. In 2025, I have committed to becoming trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and IFS (Internal Family Systems) to help my clients heal at a deeper, more systemic level. These approaches will further support those struggling with unresolved childhood trauma, which often influences how we respond to and parent our own children. By deepening my training, I aim to provide even more comprehensive care to the parents I work with, helping them break generational cycles and cultivate healthier, more fulfilling relationships.

What is Psychoanalysis?
Psychoanalysis is grounded in Freud’s “talking cure.” By talking about our emotions, we can release the weight they carry, allowing us to live with more emotional balance. It helps us examine unconscious patterns and emotions, bringing them to the surface so we can better understand our behaviors, relationships, and life choices. Through this process, we gain insight into our inner conflicts and have the power to make conscious, intentional decisions that lead to more fulfilling lives. Psychoanalysis is offered for in-person sessions only.

Clientele
I specialize in working with moms who feel overwhelmed by the mental load of motherhood—those carrying the weight of over-responsibility, second-guessing themselves, and feeling disconnected from who they once were. My clients are often high-achieving women who are used to handling it all but now find themselves exhausted, resentful, or lost in the demands of parenting. They may be struggling with postpartum depression or anxiety, guilt, burnout, identity shifts, or relationship challenges. Some are new moms navigating the early postpartum period, while others are years into parenting but still feeling the weight of it all. No matter where you are in your journey, if you long to feel more confident, balanced, and fulfilled in motherhood, you are not alone—and support is here.

I also have a passion for working with dads and non-birthing partners, who often struggle with their own adjustment to parenthood. Many feel helpless watching their partner struggle or unsure of their role in this new dynamic. Some grapple with feeling disconnected, unheard, or unsure of how to support their family while also managing their own emotions. Parenthood changes both partners, and I provide a space where dads can explore their own experiences, gain tools for communication and emotional regulation, and step into parenthood feeling empowered and supported.

Although my primary focus is working with parents, I have worked with a wide range of clients over the years. If you feel a strong calling to work with me, I’m always open to a phone consultation to see if we would be a good fit.

When I’m not in the office, I enjoy being outdoors, whether walking, running, or gardening. I’m a true crime documentary enthusiast, love interior design, and enjoy thrifting. I’m also a wife, a stepmom, and a mom to three boys.