About Dr. Jesse Finkelstein
Evidence-based care meets creative design.
Dr. Jesse Finkelstein is a clinical psychologist, writer, and educator specializing in evidence-based care for adults and couples. His work integrates cognitive-behavioral approaches with radical genuineness, humor, and creative design to make therapy both effective and engaging.
Dr. Finkelstein received his doctorate in clinical psychology from Rutgers University, completed his pre-doctoral internship at Montefiore Medical Center, and a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where he later served as an Instructor in Clinical Psychology.
He has been intensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and specializes in treating mood disorders, OCD and anxiety, emotion dysregulation, and trauma. His clinical style combines evidence-based practice with warmth, irreverence, and curiosity.
Dr. Finkelstein is the creator of The Game of Real Life (a DBT-based card game), a collaborator on the DBT skills video series for Rutgers’ DBT-RU program, and a contributor to clinical resources like the DBT-PTSD manual and the GBAT videos for CBT and autism. He is also the co-founder of Therahive, a digital learning platform for evidence-based therapy.
His book Real Skills for Real Life: A DBT Guide for Stress, Emotions, and Relationships (Guilford Press) is forthcoming November 16, 2025.