Education
Ph.D Counseling Psychology, Seton Hall University, (Expected May 2029)
Masters of Education, Mental Health Counseling, Fordham University (2023)
Bachelor of Arts, Forensic Psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice (2021)
Bio
Jasmine Jackson is a doctoral student at Seton Hall University. She holds a B.A. in Forensic Psychology with a minor in Counseling from John Jay College of Criminal Justice (2021) and a Master of Education in Mental Health Counseling from Fordham University (2023). She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at Seton Hall University. Jackson has developed extensive clinical experience across college counseling centers, private practice, and hospital settings. She currently serves as a Behavioral Medicine Consultation Liaison at a hospital in New Jersey, where she provides bedside psychological assessments, behavioral health consultations, and brief evidence-based interventions for medically hospitalized patients. Her work includes supporting patients coping with adjustment to illness or injury, chronic pain, treatment-related stress, cognitive concerns, and complex psychosocial challenges, while collaborating closely with multidisciplinary medical teams to promote integrated patient care. In addition, Jackson is the Founder, Clinical Supervisor and Director of Clinical Training at Feelings First Counseling, a telehealth-based mental health private practice serving individuals, couples, and groups throughout New York. Through her practice, she provides attachment-based and evidence-based psychotherapy while supervising and mentoring developing future clinicians. Her clinical work focuses on anxiety, depression, self-esteem, attachment concerns, interpersonal relationships, life transitions, and relational functioning. Her research portfolio is multidisciplinary. She serves as Principal Investigator on “Bridging Bonds: Therapists’ Perspectives on the Human–Canine Relationship in Psychotherapy” at Seton Hall University and is Co-Investigator on studies exploring attachment, relationships, and mental health. Her clinical expertise includes attachment-related concerns, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, and health-related psychological concerns. Her scholarly interests include the therapeutic benefits of human–animal relationships, attachment and relational processes, and innovative approaches to integrative psychotherapy.
JJC Affiliations
Courses Taught
CSL/PSY 342
CHS 320
CSL 250
CHS 310
Professional Memberships
American Psychological Association Division 17 Section 13
Eastern Psychological Association
Western Psychological Association
American Psychological Association Division 17
Languages
Honors and Awards
PSC Traditional B Research Grant
Research Summary
My primary research interests center on the integration of attachment theory, relational psychoanalytic frameworks, and Canine-Assisted Psychotherapy (CAP) within clinical and applied counseling settings. Broadly, my work examines how attachment processes shape emotional regulation, interpersonal functioning, and therapeutic change across both human human and human animal relational systems. I am particularly interested in how early attachment patterns and internal working models influence relational dynamics in psychotherapy, as well as how non-human attachment figures such as dogs may facilitate corrective emotional experiences, enhance felt security, and support affect regulation within clinical treatment. Through this line of inquiry, I aim to advance attachment informed and relationally oriented interventions that deepen clinical effectiveness, strengthen therapeutic alliances, and promote resilience and psychological well-being.
Currently, I serve as Principal Investigator on a qualitative study at Seton Hall University examining Integrating Dogs into Psychotherapy: A Qualitative Study of Clinician Experiences and Clinical Practice. This project utilizes in-depth semi-structured interviews and rigorous qualitative analytic methods to explore clinicians’ experiences, conceptualizations, and clinical decision-making processes related to the incorporation of dogs into psychotherapy. Particular attention is given to perceived therapeutic benefits, ethical and practical considerations, and clinical challenges associated with CAP implementation. By centering clinician voice and lived professional experience, this study seeks to generate clinically meaningful insights that inform best practices, contribute to the emerging evidence base on animal assisted interventions, and clarify the role of canine presence in facilitating therapeutic process and client engagement.
Additionally, I serve as Principal Investigator on a mixed methods study at CUNY titled Attachment, Human–Canine Bonds, and Mental Health Outcomes: A Mixed-Methods Study” This project integrates quantitative measures of attachment and psychological well-being with qualitative interviews to examine how human canine relational bonds intersect with attachment security, emotional regulation, and mental health outcomes. By combining statistical analysis with narrative accounts, the study aims to develop a more nuanced understanding of how companion animals may function as attachment figures and contribute to emotional support, relational stability, and psychological resilience.
Beyond CAP focused research, I am also a Principal Investigator on a mixed methods study at CUNY John Jay College titled “Attachment, Love, and Relationship Satisfaction in Dual-Career Couples: A Mixed-Methods Study” This project investigates how attachment styles, relational dynamics, and occupational demands interact to shape relationship satisfaction among dual career couples. Using an integrative methodological design, the study examines both measurable dimensions of love and satisfaction as well as qualitative experiences of intimacy, negotiation, and relational stress. The goal is to inform empirically grounded interventions that support relational functioning, work life integration, and couple well-being.
Across these research programs, I aim to synthesize attachment theory, relational psychoanalytic perspectives, and human animal interaction research to advance both empirical understanding and clinical application. Collectively, this work emphasizes relationships as central mechanisms of psychological change whether occurring between humans or within human animal bonds and highlights their capacity to foster emotional growth, resilience, and transformation in therapeutic contexts.
*(She welcomes any students who are interested in getting involved in her research to reach out directly via email. She is especially open to mentoring students who are curious about attachment theory, human–animal interaction, and clinical research.) * jajackson@jjay.cuny.edu