Jacob Mangelsdorf, PACFA

Jacob Mangelsdorf is a PACFA counsellor with 18 years' experience in Australia. He works with people facing stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship and family difficulties, and trauma and abuse. He often helps those dealing with loss and grief, including suicide-related bereavement and intervention. Jacob writes plainly and draws on long clinical experience to shape each session around the person's situation.

He starts from a person-centred perspective that considers life context and personal values. From there he brings in practical techniques from approaches such as acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) when they fit the client’s needs. He also uses elements of Gottman couples work and family therapy practices when relevant to the issue being discussed.

Jacob tends to focus on understanding why someone is where they are now. He works with clients to identify sources of stress or distress and then set small, practical steps toward change. He often supports men wanting clearer communication and more satisfying relationships, and he helps parents and caregivers who are managing stress and role pressures.

Outside the consulting room he is a father and partner who values sport, running and music. Those interests shape how he thinks about routines, recovery and personal values, and they sometimes inform the goals set with clients. He asks straightforward questions and aims for sessions that help people move toward the life choices they want to make.

People who feel stuck after a relationship, work or health change often find his approach concrete and action-oriented. He encourages clear boundaries, values-based decisions and practical strategies rather than vague promises.

Therapeutic approaches and how online sessions work