- Guilt and shame
- Relationship strain
- Grief work
About Jay
Jay Sontag is a New York LMHC with four years of clinical experience who works with adults carrying guilt and shame and related concerns. He focuses on relationship strains, grief, parenting stress, and LGBTQ issues as described in his profile. Jay identifies as LGBTQ+ and draws on humanistic and existential perspectives in his work.
He approaches sessions by centering the client's own values and choices. Conversations aim to clarify what matters most and to find manageable steps forward. He uses talk-based methods that invite reflection on life meaning and personal responsibility without prescribing one right answer.
Jay often helps people untangle family of origin problems, communication breakdowns, and complicated grief. He also supports people navigating gender dysphoria, sexuality questions, and non-monogamous relationship dynamics. His background includes attention to abandonment, adoption and foster care issues, and caregiving stress.
In practice he leans on client-centered listening alongside narrative and existential ways of working. That means he helps people tell their stories differently and consider what gives life meaning now. Motivational interviewing techniques are used when clients want help with making specific changes.
Sessions are conversational and grounded in real-life concerns. Jay is based in New York and conducts work in English. People interested in starting are asked to use the site's process to match and schedule an initial appointment.
How Jay uses therapy approaches in remote sessions
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and reflecting back what matters to the client. This approach helps people feel heard and supports them in naming values and next steps. Existential Therapy looks at meaning, responsibility, and choice; it helps when questions about purpose, identity, or moral conflict underlie guilt or shame.Motivational Interviewing is a practical method for people ready to make a change. It uses careful questions and reflections to strengthen personal motivation and plan small actions. Together these approaches let conversations be both reflective and action-oriented depending on the person's goals.
Finding the right method is part of the work. The therapist discusses options with each person and jointly decides what fits best given their needs, goals, and preferences. That collaborative process can shift as concerns change over time.
The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm current options before booking. Online work can make sessions easier to fit into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time so people can meet between commitments. Licensed professionals can adapt approaches so sessions focus on concrete problems or on exploring deeper questions about meaning and identity as required.
Areas of expertise
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
4+ years
Listed in
New York
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does he address?
He works with relationship difficulties, grief, parenting stress, LGBT issues, and related matters such as family conflict and guilt and shame.
How does he approach feelings of guilt or shame?
He uses humanistic and existential ideas to help people clarify values and make small, practical steps. Narrative techniques are used to reframe stories that make guilt or shame feel stuck.
What is his professional background?
He has four years of clinical experience and describes his orientation as humanistic and existential, with additional use of motivational interviewing and trauma-focused approaches.
What credential does he hold and where is he based?
He is an LMHC licensed in New York and practices from New York.
Does he work in other languages or with international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. He is not accepting international clients.
What session formats are available?
The original profile does not specify formats; please confirm current session options before booking.
How are sessions priced?
Cost varies by location and services use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin if I want to work with him?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.