About the Founder
Dr. Alan S. Jacobson, Psy.D., MBA, Founder & Chief Psychologist
I founded Therapeutic Tutoring to bridge the gap between traditional academic support and psychologically informed intervention. My background in clinical psychology and educational assessment shaped a model that integrates cognitive science, executive functioning development, and structured academic skill-building.
Dr. Alan Jacobson, Founder and Chief Psychologist
Therapeutic tutoring is not simply homework help. It is structured, psychologically informed academic intervention designed to address underlying learning differences, executive functioning challenges, and emotional barriers to learning.
I founded this program to bridge the gap between traditional tutoring and clinical insight — creating an approach that integrates educational therapy services, psychological understanding, and targeted academic intervention.
As a licensed clinical psychologist with more than 20 years of experience working with adolescents and adults, I have worked extensively with individuals experiencing:
- Dyslexia
- Dysgraphia
- Dyscalculia
- ADHD
- Executive functioning challenges
- Learning disabilities
- Academic anxiety
- School refusal
- Performance-related stress
Therapeutic tutoring grew out of seeing a consistent need: students did not simply need tutors. They needed structured, meaningfully informed intervention.
What Is Therapeutic Tutoring?
Therapeutic tutoring combines elements of:
- Cognitive educational therapy
- Special education tutoring services
- Executive functioning coaching
- Psychological support
- Academic skills development
Unlike traditional tutors, therapeutic tutors understand how anxiety, frustration, shame, and repeated failure impact learning.
Unlike purely clinical therapy, educational therapy services focus directly on reading, writing, math, and executive skills.
This hybrid approach is sometimes referred to as:
- Educational therapy
- Academic therapy
- Learning therapy
- Cognitive educational therapy
- Therapy and tutoring
The goal is practical skill-building supported by psychological insight. As a psychologist, I designed this model to reflect both academic science and human development.
My Clinical Background
I earned my doctorate in clinical psychology after completing over 5,000 hours of supervised training. My work has included psychological testing, executive functioning assessment, academic accommodations evaluations, and therapeutic intervention.
Over time, I saw a pattern:
- Students who underwent testing still needed structured follow-through.
- Parents who secured accommodations still needed skilled implementation.
- Educational therapists and tutors often worked in isolation from psychological understanding.
- Therapeutic tutoring was built to integrate those worlds.
In addition to my Psy.D., I hold an MBA, bringing systems-level thinking to program development and intervention design.
A Structured, Thoughtful Approach
My goal in founding this program was simple:
To provide structured, psychologically informed, academically rigorous support for students who need more than ordinary tutoring.
Whether you are seeking:
- Tutors for learning difficulties
- Learning disability tutors
- Special education therapists
- Academic therapy
- Therapy and tutoring integration
Our approach is grounded in both science and human understanding.
Therapy and Tutoring Integration
Because of my clinical background, therapeutic tutoring also attends to:
- Anxiety related to academic performance
- Shame from repeated academic struggles
- Avoidance behaviors
- Perfectionism
- Identity and self-concept
Academic growth cannot happen in isolation from emotional experience.
Next Steps
If you are unsure whether you or your child would benefit from therapeutic tutoring, educational therapy services, or structured academic intervention, I invite you to schedule a consultation.
We can review academic history, testing (if available), current challenges, and goals, and determine whether this approach would be appropriate.
My philosophy is that academic struggles are rarely about effort alone. They reflect patterns in cognitive processing, executive functioning, emotional regulation, and instructional fit. Therapeutic tutoring is structured to address those layers simultaneously, rather than simply increasing repetition.
After years of conducting psychological evaluations, I consistently observed that testing alone was insufficient. Students needed structured follow-through grounded in cognitive science and emotional understanding. Therapeutic tutoring was developed to meet that gap.
As Founder and Clinical Director, I establish the methodological standards for intervention, supervise program design, and ensure that academic support aligns with psychological principles and best practices in learning science.
When appropriate, therapeutic tutoring is coordinated with prior psychological testing, IEP documentation, or accommodation plans. Intervention is aligned with identified processing patterns rather than generalized academic drills.
The goal is not simply improved grades, but restored confidence, reduced avoidance, and durable academic independence.
Who
Who benefits from our Therapeutic Tutoring services? Proven results.
What
What benefits can Special Needs Tutoring provide your child?
Where
Where can we serve students with Special Education Tutoring services?
When
When to get tutoring for children with learning disabilities
Why
Why an academic therapist can be the ket to student success.
How
How you can contact us with questions or a referral.
Clinicians Interested in Joining Us
We’re happy to know that you’d like to be a Therapeutic Tutor! Please see our page for professionals to get information on starting the process.
