My Approach To Therapy
This sounds funny to most people I meet with, but makes sense: Essentially, I believe that therapy should be a "weird" experience (meaning, unusual in a good and vitalizing way), but the therapist shouldn't be experienced as a weirdo by the client.
I am emotionally accessible, responsive, and engaging, meaning I won't just sit and stare at you, leaving you to feel alone in the room. Rather, I am a present, active part of meetings, sometimes gently leading, sometimes following, and always collaborating with a focus on your goals, respect, and an accepting and affirmative attitude. I bring compassion, curiosity, and warm authenticity to the work of therapy, which helps my clients establish trust and safety, get in touch with all parts of themselves, and learn how to get their needs met. I know that our lives and our relationships can make sense, and they can come back from dark and desperate places when we are given what we need. When we receive emotional support that is validating and reflective, healing and growth naturally occur. I welcome all people equally. I want you to come as you are no matter who you are, where you come from, who you love, or how you soothe yourself. I believe that everything we do can make sense and has a good reason for existing as it has.
In addition to the clinical training I completed at the New York University School of Social Work, post graduate certifications in Emotionally Focused Therapy and AEDP, and over 20 years of experience in direct practice, I have continued post-graduate training and consultation in a variety of approaches to psychotherapy, which inform my client-centered style. In industry-lingo, I am:
In addition to EFCT, EFFT & AEDP certifications and ongoing training and supervision, I have also studied and integrate key insights and techniques from perspectives and interventions from other models of psychotherapy and couple/family relationship therapy that I have engaged in a mixture of study, supervision, and training in. These include:
I am endlessly interested in a wide variety of theories and studies about human life, love, health and approaches to healing and growth. I see personal and professional development as an ongoing process and an ethical imperative as a therapist and a Clinical Social Worker. My clients can be assured I will always strive to provide the best possible therapy experience that I can. I am an inclusive and culturally-responsive clinical social work practitioner who stays engaged in my own personal work around my own biases and impacts. Whether in couple therapy, marital therapy, family therapy, individual psychotherapy or supervision/consultation, I will take the needs of you, your identity and context, and your relationships seriously, and always aim to treat you with respect.
To learn more about EFT, please go to http://www.iceeft.com/index.php/about-us/what-is-eft or visit my page on Emotionally Focused Therapy. To learn more about AEDP, please go to http://www.aedpinsitute.org or visit my page on Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy
I am emotionally accessible, responsive, and engaging, meaning I won't just sit and stare at you, leaving you to feel alone in the room. Rather, I am a present, active part of meetings, sometimes gently leading, sometimes following, and always collaborating with a focus on your goals, respect, and an accepting and affirmative attitude. I bring compassion, curiosity, and warm authenticity to the work of therapy, which helps my clients establish trust and safety, get in touch with all parts of themselves, and learn how to get their needs met. I know that our lives and our relationships can make sense, and they can come back from dark and desperate places when we are given what we need. When we receive emotional support that is validating and reflective, healing and growth naturally occur. I welcome all people equally. I want you to come as you are no matter who you are, where you come from, who you love, or how you soothe yourself. I believe that everything we do can make sense and has a good reason for existing as it has.
In addition to the clinical training I completed at the New York University School of Social Work, post graduate certifications in Emotionally Focused Therapy and AEDP, and over 20 years of experience in direct practice, I have continued post-graduate training and consultation in a variety of approaches to psychotherapy, which inform my client-centered style. In industry-lingo, I am:
- relational - working with the real and imagined relationship between therapist and client in a nurturing way
- experiential - privileging moment-by-moment experience in session rather than on what's outside the room
- emotion-focused - making sense of cues, feelings, physiological response, thoughts, and action tendencies
- systemic - focusing on the larger context of our individual behaviors and how we internalize our environment
- attachment-based - understanding of the importance of secure relationships with caregivers and spouses
- self determination-informed - inclusive of autonomy and competence needs in addition to relationships
- healing-oriented - starting from understanding the underlying psychological phenomenon to behavior as signals to natural righting tendencies held core within the body: we do everything we do for a reason that aims for health
- dialogically-informed - tolerant of uncertainty and "figuring it out" together
- inclusive - sex-positive, body-positive, LGBTQ+ affirming, Anti-racist, kink-friendly and all faith affirming (including atheism)
In addition to EFCT, EFFT & AEDP certifications and ongoing training and supervision, I have also studied and integrate key insights and techniques from perspectives and interventions from other models of psychotherapy and couple/family relationship therapy that I have engaged in a mixture of study, supervision, and training in. These include:
- Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (Certified Practitioner through ICEEFT)
- "3rd Wave" CBTs: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Functional Analytic Psychotherapy, Compassion-Focused Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
- The Gottman Method to Couples Therapy (Level 3 Trained)
- Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD
- Component-Based Psychotherapy for Complex Trauma
- Accelerated Resolution Therapy (Basic Training)
- Discernment Counseling for Couples on the Brink of Separation and Divorce (Certified Practitioner through the Doherty Institute)
- New Ways for Families (Counseling for High Conflict Divorces Involving Children)
- Systemic and Integrative Sex Therapy (AASECT Trained)
- Transformational Couple Therapy (formerly AEDP for Couples)
- Motivational Interviewing (Advanced Training)
- Community Reinforcement Approach and Family Training (CRAFT - Basic Training)
- Harm Reduction Psychotherapy
- Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Dialogic Practice (related to "Open Dialogue")
- Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT)
- Narrative Therapy
- Experiential Dynamic Therapies other than AEDP (i.e. ISTDP, APT, DEFT)
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Intimacy From the Inside Out (IFIO)
- Somatic Experiencing & Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD (CBCT for PTSD)
I am endlessly interested in a wide variety of theories and studies about human life, love, health and approaches to healing and growth. I see personal and professional development as an ongoing process and an ethical imperative as a therapist and a Clinical Social Worker. My clients can be assured I will always strive to provide the best possible therapy experience that I can. I am an inclusive and culturally-responsive clinical social work practitioner who stays engaged in my own personal work around my own biases and impacts. Whether in couple therapy, marital therapy, family therapy, individual psychotherapy or supervision/consultation, I will take the needs of you, your identity and context, and your relationships seriously, and always aim to treat you with respect.
To learn more about EFT, please go to http://www.iceeft.com/index.php/about-us/what-is-eft or visit my page on Emotionally Focused Therapy. To learn more about AEDP, please go to http://www.aedpinsitute.org or visit my page on Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy
James is currently waitlisting new clients at this time. To connect to available employees under James's supervision at North Carolina Therapy Professionals or to join James's waitlist, please visit https://www.nctherapists.com/
Let's work together to get your needs met.
Let's work together to get your needs met.
