James McCracken, MSW, LCSW, DCSW
(He/Him/His)
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, ICEEFT-Certified Emotionally Focused Therapy Practitioner and Supervisor, Certified Discernment Counselor and NASW-Diplomat of Clinical Social Work. I have dedicated my career to helping people grow, heal, and seek change in their lives that is culturally-sensitive 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.
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:
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.
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. I am also active in the EFT professional community via ICEEFT and the Carolina Center for EFT, the National Association of Social Workers, and local ("Triangle") psychotherapist communities, and I provide relationship education seminars and trainings to helping professionals and the public alike with the help of other EFT therapists (Hold Me Tight® NC). I have also held membership in the past with the American Academy of Psychotherapists, an advanced clinical fellowship organization for psychotherapists committed to personal growth and development beyond theoretical and technical training. I am also a member with the Clinical Social Work Association (locally known as the "NC Society for Clinical Social Work"), a Professional Member of 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, the AEDP Institute, 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, stories (film and television), music of all kinds, food of all sorts, and playing guitar in a local metal band (the pandemic has, of course, limited some of these activities).
Outside of my professional life, I enjoy time with my wife and son, our animal companions (one pictured above), family and friends, stories (film and television), music of all kinds, food of all sorts, and playing guitar in a local metal band (the pandemic has, of course, limited some of these activities).
