James McCracken, MSW, LCSW

(He/Him Pronouns)

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, ICEEFT-Certified Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFCT & EFFT) Practitioner and Supervisor, Certified Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) Practitioner and Supervisor-in-Training, and Certified Discernment Counselor. I have dedicated my career to helping people grow, heal, and seek change in their lives that is culturally-responsive and personally meaningful.

 I believe that even when circumstances appear bleak or relationships seem to be on their last leg there is hope for healing, growth and change.
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I was raised in Birmingham, Alabama, and have lived all over the United States, having served as a counselor, clinical social worker, and therapist in community settings with a many different populations who have experienced a variety of problems including:

• couples, families, and individuals experiencing relationship and marital distress,
• individuals with histories of trauma (single incident, complex and developmental) and severe emotional distress,
• people who have experienced oppression, poverty, discrimination, and community violence,
• people who have been diagnosed with serious, long-term, disabling and terminal illnesses (i.e. HIV/AIDS, Hep C, advanced stage cancers) and injuries (i.e. TBI, limb loss, paralysis) 
• those recovering from addictions (i.e. out of control substance and alcohol use, sex addiction/out-of-control sexual behavior, gambling addictions, technology addictions)
• and people recovering from challenging situations such as long-term unemployment, domestic abuse, serious psychiatric illness and disability, and homelessness.

No matter the problems life has presented, my clients tell me they find my approach helpful, supportive, and effective. My clients tell me that they sense I see them as a real person, and not just a client, and that they see what I do is not just a gimmicky job.  They know this was a calling for me, and helping people make their worlds better is a passion of mine.

Through it all I have learned how to sit with someone else's painful feelings and human longings, knowing that this is the source of our strengths and resilience, and the first step to healing and transformation in therapy. I have learned that healing and change happen in the context of secure and responsive relationships. No matter the circumstance, the common denominator in our lives is our longing for secure closeness and connection.  There's no denying our universal human needs: the needs for safe close relationships, delight and play, to have choice and consent, and to feel competent are in our DNA as a species, and only secure, responsive and supportive relationships can meet these needs.  I know that we all require to have our emotional truths captured and understood by others, to be part of something larger than ourselves.  Our relationships, whether romantic, marital, familial, peer, or communal, are what give our lives meaning and context. 

Prior to starting my private practice, I have held clinical faculty appointment at the UNC School of Medicine (Department of Psychiatry), where I have been a therapist, program director, and state-wide program coordinator in Early Psychosis Intervention services with the OASIS Program, and held multiple clinical positions in community mental health agencies in Birmingham, Alabama and New York City.  In addition to providing psychotherapy services as a clinician and supervising other psychotherapists, I am the Co-founder, Clinical Director, and a managing member of North Carolina Therapy Professionals, PLLC, a multi-professional group practice whose mission is to deliver state-of-the-art psychotherapy and counseling services to residents of North Carolina, and state of the art support for therapist employees.  I have provided relationship and clinical education seminars and workshops to helping professionals and the public alike with the help of other relationship therapists (i.e. Hold Me Tight®).I am also active in professional communities via the AEDP Institute, ICEEFT, the North Carolina Community for EFT (co-founding member), and the National Association of Social Workers.  I am the founder of the North Carolina Community of Psychotherapists ("the NC and Triangle therapist listservs"), and co-founding member of the United States Association of Licensed Psychotherapy Providers.  I have also held membership in with the American Academy of Psychotherapists, the Clinical Social Work Association (locally known as the "NC Society for Clinical Social Work"), the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT), the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT), the National Registry of Marriage Friendly Therapists, Modern Commitment, and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Sciences (ACBS).  Additionally, I know what it's like to be a psychotherapy client, having done my own for many years (I believe it is important for therapists to have this experience in addition to their training and supervision).

Outside of my professional life, I enjoy time with my wife and son, our animal companions (one pictured above), family and friends, watching dramas (film and television), listening to music of all kinds, eating food of all sorts, cycling on and off road, and playing guitar in bands that are hard, harsh and heavy.

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