Are you experiencing distress from unmet longings in your marriage or romantic relationship? Or are you having difficulty with other close relationships such as with a parent, a child, a sibling, or a best friend?
We all want to feel safe, secure, understood, and admired in our closest relationships. We want to feel esteemed and validated, and like our partner or family "gets" us. And when we're not in this place, we can feel like everything is falling apart.
A cycle starts to emerge: one partner tries to be heard by being more persistent and louder, and one partner starts to shut down or avoid conflict. The harder each tries to resolve the conflict in their own way, the more "stuck" the whole situations feels. It seems like the other is to blame, but it's really an attempt to protect the relationship. Somehow the whole thing feels worse, and partners either start looking for the exits or start thinking they have to settle for less than they hoped for. Nearly all marriages and committed romances, as well as parent-child relationships, experience these negative cycles and the subsequent erosion of trust, and yet the outcomes can be better. Divorce and disconnection do not have to be the end result.
We all want to feel safe, secure, understood, and admired in our closest relationships. We want to feel esteemed and validated, and like our partner or family "gets" us. And when we're not in this place, we can feel like everything is falling apart.
A cycle starts to emerge: one partner tries to be heard by being more persistent and louder, and one partner starts to shut down or avoid conflict. The harder each tries to resolve the conflict in their own way, the more "stuck" the whole situations feels. It seems like the other is to blame, but it's really an attempt to protect the relationship. Somehow the whole thing feels worse, and partners either start looking for the exits or start thinking they have to settle for less than they hoped for. Nearly all marriages and committed romances, as well as parent-child relationships, experience these negative cycles and the subsequent erosion of trust, and yet the outcomes can be better. Divorce and disconnection do not have to be the end result.
Your Relationship Deserves Quality Therapy
Studies show that most couples and families wait until major distress has been occurring for multiple years before seeking help. No matter how early or how long your relationship has had problems, if you are reading this, chances are you are bothered by hurt feelings, anxiety, frustration and unmet longings, and you are ready for change. I have the training, experience, skill, and commitment to help you have a happier, healthier relationship, and help you recover and grow from hard times in your life. Please read my website, and if I sound like a therapist you’re interested in, call me (919-228-9729) or email me today for a free consultation. If it turns out I’m not the best fit for you, I can help you find someone who is. Your relationship and your happiness deserve support.
Do These Problems Sound Familiar?
- Feeling stuck and frustrated, being ambivalent about preserving or leaving the relationship
- Feeling invalidated, invisible, or unable to clearly communicate
- Lack of sexual intimacy, or lack of sexual pleasure in a marriage or romantic relationship
- Turning away from one partner and towards another person (affairs) or activities (in some cases addictions)
- Hiding activities or parts of your self in hopes of avoiding rejection
- Feeling constantly anxious, depressed, or physically distressed (e.g. headaches, IBS, fatigue)
- Both partners seemingly "giving up" in silence (and feeling like distant roommates)
- Feeling unsafe, insecure, and unloved no matter what has been tried
It Doesn't Have to Be This Way:
Effective Couples and Family Therapy Can Help
To begin transforming your relationship, contact James McCracken, LCSW, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Emotionally Focused Therapist (919-228-9729). I will gladly provide a free brief, 15-minute phone consultation to answer any questions you may have.
I use scientifically-validated and evidence-based approaches to therapy, including Emotionally Focused Therapy and Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy, and will help you make sense of your feelings, thoughts, and actions in your relationships to improve your ability to communicate and decrease distress. I help my clients feel understood and able to understand their closest relationships, while also de-escalating problematic patterns. As my clients get in touch with their deeper emotions and needs, they increase healthy assertiveness and respectful boundaries. I help people heal from hurts and betrayals, and make informed decisions about relationships that are ailing. I enjoy helping people feel empowered, and I help people get to where they can ask for, receive, and give the love they want and deserve. I know we are all looking for safety and security in our closest relationships, that these conflicts are about connection, and that proven approaches to therapy do help most people.
I use scientifically-validated and evidence-based approaches to therapy, including Emotionally Focused Therapy and Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy, and will help you make sense of your feelings, thoughts, and actions in your relationships to improve your ability to communicate and decrease distress. I help my clients feel understood and able to understand their closest relationships, while also de-escalating problematic patterns. As my clients get in touch with their deeper emotions and needs, they increase healthy assertiveness and respectful boundaries. I help people heal from hurts and betrayals, and make informed decisions about relationships that are ailing. I enjoy helping people feel empowered, and I help people get to where they can ask for, receive, and give the love they want and deserve. I know we are all looking for safety and security in our closest relationships, that these conflicts are about connection, and that proven approaches to therapy do help most people.
Life is better when we live in the shelter of each other…
We are designed for it!
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Office Location:
3326 Durham Chapel Hill Blvd B-130 Durham, NC 27707 Phone Number:
(919) 228-9729 Email: james@jamesmccrackenpsychotherapy.com |
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James McCracken is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Emotionally Focused Therapist and Supervisor, dedicated to improving the mental health of North Carolina residents. He provides couple therapy, marriage counseling, discernment counseling, family therapy, individual psychotherapy, and EFT supervision services in his Durham, NC office. He is conveniently located to Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Hillsborough, Morrisville, Apex, and Cary. If you would like to learn more about his practice directly, receive a free brief consult, or set up an appointment, please call
919-228-9729 or email james@jamesmccrackenpsychotherapy.com |
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I welcome and celebrate diversity in my practice and stand against oppression, social injustices, and traumatic separations of children from their families. I am an anti-racist, anti-sexist, and LGBTQ+ friendly, and sex-positive practitioner. I work with adolescent and adult clients from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds.
James A McCracken is listed at AllTherapist.com
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James McCracken, LCSW, PLLC. All Rights Reserved
3326 Durham Chapel Hill Blvd., B-130, Durham, NC 27707
james@jamesmccrackenpsychotherapy.com | 919-228-9729
3326 Durham Chapel Hill Blvd., B-130, Durham, NC 27707
james@jamesmccrackenpsychotherapy.com | 919-228-9729