Holiday Stress Is Rising Again This Year: A Psychologist Can Explain the Difference Between Normal and Something More

Dr. Alan S. Jacobson, Psy.D., MBA, is available to discuss where ordinary holiday stress ends and clinical anxiety or depression begins.

WESTWOOD, MA, UNITED STATES, October 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The American Psychiatric Association's most recent holiday polling found Americans reporting more anxiety about the holiday season than the year before, citing finances and family conflict among the top drivers. Dr. Alan S. Jacobson, Psy.D., MBA, a licensed clinical psychologist who has served as a source for NPR, Politico, NECN, and WPRI, is available this season to help reporters draw a clear, usable line between holiday stress that is normal and uncomfortable, and anxiety or depression that has become clinical and needs treatment.

Jacobson's past commentary for NPR, Politico, NECN, and WPRI has ranged from school bullying to political anxiety, and he brings the same framework to holiday coverage: stress tied to a specific, time-limited trigger - a difficult family gathering, a tight budget, a first holiday after a loss - is usually normal, even when it's intense. What isn't normal is distress that persists after the trigger passes, is out of proportion to the situation, or starts interfering with sleep, work, or relationships well into January.

The good news, Jacobson says, is that holiday-triggered anxiety and family conflict respond well to treatment. Individual therapy gives people tools to manage stress and long-standing family patterns before they boil over, while family therapy creates a structured space to work through the specific conflicts that resurface every year, often producing insight and closeness that outlast the season itself. Many of his clients describe their most meaningful personal growth as happening not despite the holidays, but because of the hard conversations the season forces into the open.

Jacobson brings more than 25 years of clinical experience to that work, including specialized training in EMDR and Polyvagal Theory-informed approaches, and holds the National Register Health Service Psychologist credential alongside licenses in Massachusetts, California, New Hampshire, and New York. He also serves on Mensa International's Gifted Youth Committee and built a multi-state telehealth practice to make that depth of experience available to clients who can't easily find a local specialist. Jacobson holds PSYPACT authority to practice telepsychology across 46 states and offers phone, video, or in-person sessions from the Boston/Westwood, Massachusetts area, with an additional presence in San Diego, California, and NYC, New York.

About Dr. Alan S. Jacobson, Psy.D., MBA Dr. Alan S. Jacobson, Psy.D., MBA provides individual, couples, and family therapy through Foresight Psychology, PLLC. He is a licensed clinical psychologist with more than 25 years of experience, licensed in Massachusetts, California, New Hampshire, and New York, with PSYPACT authority across 44 states, and has been a media source on topics including school bullying and political anxiety for outlets including NPR,
Politico, NECN, and WPRI. Learn more at https://dralanjacobson.com.

About Foresight Psychological Institute Foresight Psychological Institute is the parent organization for a network of clinical psychological practices founded and directed by Dr. Alan S. Jacobson, Psy.D., MBA, built on the principle that responsible psychological care looks forward, connecting today's diagnosis to tomorrow's real-world outcome, rather than stopping at a label. Its practices include therapy, psychological and neuropsychological testing (branded as Precision Psychological Testing), and therapeutic tutoring.

Dr. Alan Jacobson
Foresight Psychology, PLLC
+1 617-680-5488
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