Meet Abbe
Abbe Jacobson, MSW, LSWAIC, is a Child, Adult & Family Therapist on the Centered Mind Counseling Services (CMCS) team. Abbe provides warm, practical, collaborative therapy for adolescents, young adults, couples, parents, and adults navigating anxiety, depression, grief, major life transitions, and the emotional weight of a medical diagnosis — and as a cancer survivor herself, she brings both clinical training and lived experience to the therapy room. She sees clients in person at our Sammamish, WA office and through secure telehealth across Washington State. Not sure if she is the right fit? Reach out and our team will help you find out.
Abbe Jacobson, MSW, LSWAIC — Child, Adult & Family Therapist
An Unexpected Path
My path to becoming a therapist wasn’t a straight one — and I’m grateful for that. Every chapter of my life has shaped the therapist I am today.
Early in my career, I worked as a newspaper reporter before earning a master’s degree in public policy and public administration. But in my 30s, a cancer diagnosis changed the course of my life. Suddenly, I was a young wife and mother of two small children navigating chemotherapy, surgeries, and the uncertainty that comes with serious illness.
As I searched for ways to support my healing, I was encouraged to make exercise part of my recovery. I embraced that advice wholeheartedly, becoming a personal trainer and group fitness instructor so I could build a life centered around movement and health.
As my own recovery progressed, I became fascinated by a question that continues to guide my work today: Why do some people make lasting changes with relative ease while others feel stuck despite wanting something different? That curiosity led me to become a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach and spend more than 15 years helping hundreds of people improve their health, develop a more peaceful relationship with food and their bodies, and create meaningful, sustainable change.
From Coaching to Therapy
Over time, I came to recognize that many of the obstacles people faced weren’t simply about habits or motivation. Often, trauma, loss, grief, or overwhelming life experiences were standing in the way. As a coach, I knew those challenges deserved more than I was trained to provide. Once my children were grown, I returned to graduate school to become a therapist because I wanted the knowledge and clinical skills to help people heal more deeply.
My clinical training includes providing trauma-informed counseling in community mental health and healthcare settings. During my internship at Catholic Community Services, I worked with adults experiencing trauma, homelessness, addiction, incarceration, and other complex mental health challenges. At VA Puget Sound, I provided psychosocial support and brief clinical counseling to veterans receiving cancer treatment while collaborating with interdisciplinary healthcare teams to provide holistic, patient-centered care. Throughout my career, I have worked with adolescents, adults, caregivers, and individuals navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, chronic illness, grief, and major life transitions.
How We’ll Work Together
My approach to therapy is grounded in openness, curiosity, compassion, and respect for each client’s unique experiences. I believe that every person possesses innate strengths and resilience, even when life circumstances, trauma, anxiety, depression, or loss make those strengths difficult to recognize. My role is to create a safe, collaborative space where we can explore your experiences, process difficult emotions, and build on the strengths that already exist within you.
After more than 15 years as a board-certified health and wellness coach, I have come to believe that healing is most effective when we care for both the mind and the body. While processing difficult experiences and understanding emotional patterns are essential parts of therapy, lasting change is also supported by healthy daily habits such as restorative sleep, regular movement, effective stress management, and nourishing nutrition. Together, we will explore the connections between your emotional well-being, your physical health, and the routines that help you feel your best.
My therapeutic approach integrates evidence-based practices including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Motivational Interviewing. I also draw on my coaching background to help clients clarify their values, strengthen motivation, set meaningful goals, and create sustainable changes that align with the life they want to live.
I believe therapy is a partnership. Together, we will work to understand your story, process what has brought you to this point, and identify practical tools that support healing, resilience, and growth. My hope is that through our work, you will discover greater confidence in your own abilities and feel empowered to create a life that is guided by your values and filled with purpose and meaning.
As someone who has navigated life’s unexpected turns myself, I bring both professional training and lived experience to the therapy room. Clients often tell me they appreciate my down-to-earth style, practical perspective, and ability to balance compassion with gentle encouragement.
What I Can Help With
I provide counseling and ongoing support for a wide range of mental health concerns, including:
- Anxiety and stress
- Depression and mood-related concerns
- Grief and loss
- Coping with cancer and other medical diagnoses
- Chronic illness and health-related stress
- Major life transitions
- Trauma-related concerns
- Body image and building a more peaceful relationship with food
- Relationship and couples concerns
- Parenting and family stress
- Caregiver support
Who I Work With
- Adolescents and teens
- Young adults
- Couples
- Parents and families
- Adults and older adults
- Individuals navigating major life transitions
- Individuals and families coping with medical diagnoses, including cancer
- Veterans and their families
The Benefit of Having a Full Team Behind You
One of the things I value about working at Centered Mind Counseling Services is that integrated care is available to you if and when you need it. You might start with therapy alone, add psychiatric support later, or work with both at once. If your needs change and you want to add another layer of care, that option is already here. Our providers communicate directly with one another, so you never have to coordinate it yourself or repeat your story from scratch.
My background adds something many therapists cannot: more than 15 years as a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach and a clinical internship in oncology social work, which means I understand how deeply physical health, medical treatment, and mental health are intertwined. When it helps, I coordinate with our psychiatric providers and counselors, so your care holds together as a whole.
Whether you are coming to me first or adding therapy to existing care, our team makes that process simple. Learn more about our counseling services or meet the full CMCS team I work alongside.
Now Accepting New Clients for Teen, Adult, Couples & Family Therapy in Sammamish and Across Washington State
I’m currently accepting new clients and provide therapy for adolescents, adults, couples, parents, and families. I see clients in person at our Sammamish office and through secure telehealth anywhere in Washington State, including Issaquah, Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, and Seattle, so you can meet in the way that works for your life.
If you are unsure whether therapy is the right next step, reach out to us — our team will help you figure out the best fit.
Background and Credentials
Master of Social Work (MSW), with distinction, Arizona State University
Master of Public Administration (MPA), Columbia University
National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC)
Licensed Social Worker Associate–Independent Clinical (LSWAIC), Washington State License No. SWIA.SC.70133686
Abbe’s Washington State license can be verified through the Washington State Department of Health Provider Credential Search. As a Licensed Social Worker Associate — Independent Clinical, Abbe works under the supervision of Washington State-licensed counselor and Approved Clinical Supervisor Anne Magnin Masin, MA, LMHC, License No. LH00011301.
Abbe Jacobson brings a rare combination of lived experience as a cancer survivor, more than a decade of health and wellness coaching, and clinical training in oncology social work — dedicated to helping teens, adults, couples, parents, and families feel more grounded, connected, and confident through warm, evidence-based care at Centered Mind Counseling Services (CMCS).