Dr. Jacob received his Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University and completed a year of postgraduate training at the Center for Cognitive Therapy at the University of Pennsylvania. He has been working in mental health since 2000 and holds licenses in Pennsylvania as a psychologist, a professional counselor, and a marriage and family therapist.

Dr. Jacob is past president of the Pennsylvania branch of the American Counseling Association (2016–2017) and has been involved in advocacy efforts for professional counselors, such as working to obtain lobbying services for licensed counselors in Pennsylvania. In addition to presenting research on a variety of topics at conferences all over the world, he regularly offers workshops throughout the country on topics such as cognitive therapy and personality disorders. He also maintains a clinical practice as a psychologist, where he specializes in family and couples counseling, addictions counseling, and grief counseling.