Meet James
Choosing someone to accompany you through deeply personal work is an important decision. I believe it's important to find someone with whom you feel safe enough to be yourself.
If we work together, I'll meet you with curiosity, authenticity, compassion, and deep respect for your unique journey. I believe healing isn't about becoming someone different, but about creating the conditions where more of who you already are can emerge.
Why This Work Matters to Me
Over the past fourteen years, I've had the privilege of supporting individuals navigating addiction, developmental trauma, relational trauma, PTSD, and Complex PTSD across both outpatient and residential treatment settings. Those experiences shaped me in countless ways, but some of my deepest learning has come through my own ongoing commitment to growth and the lifelong process of understanding what it means to be human.
Over time, my understanding of healing began to change.
I came to see that many of the ways we learned to survive were our best efforts to navigate circumstances no one should ever have to face—especially during times when our capacities, choices, and resources were limited. What once helped us endure may now leave us feeling disconnected from ourselves, from others, or from the life we long to live.
Rather than seeing those patterns as something to overcome, I began to see the wisdom they carried. They weren't signs that something was wrong with us; they were often the very strategies that allowed us to make it through.
That realization fundamentally changed the way I accompany others.
Today, I'm less interested in asking, "What's wrong?"
and far more interested in asking, "What happened?"
"How did this person's experiences shape the ways they've learned to protect themselves, relate to others, and move through the world?"
Healing, to me, begins by honoring those protective patterns before becoming curious about whether they continue to serve us today.
It was this way of understanding people that ultimately drew me to NARM and Somatic Experiencing. While both continue to shape my work, I've come to believe that no framework is more important than the relationship itself.
Healing unfolds within a relationship grounded in curiosity, authenticity, respect, and the belief that every person carries an innate capacity for healing, growth, and greater freedom.
Experience
The way I accompany others has been shaped by years of clinical experience, advanced training, ongoing consultation, and a deep commitment to my own continued growth. Each has contributed in meaningful ways to the practitioner I am today.
Over the past fourteen years, I've worked across both outpatient and residential treatment settings, supporting individuals navigating addiction, developmental trauma, relational trauma, PTSD, and Complex PTSD. These experiences have given me the privilege of witnessing both the profound impact of trauma and the remarkable capacity people carry for healing, growth, and living more fully as themselves.
My work is grounded in the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) and Somatic Experiencing (SE), two approaches that continue to shape the way I understand trauma, resilience, and healing.
More importantly, they continue to remind me that meaningful change rarely comes from applying the right technique. It emerges through the quality of the relationship we create together.
I remain committed to ongoing consultation, advanced training, and personal growth because I believe this work asks us to keep learning throughout our lives. Every person brings a unique history, unique strengths, and a unique way of making sense of their experiences. No two healing journeys unfold in exactly the same way, and I consider it a privilege to meet each person where they are.
Experience Includes
14+ Years in Mental Health & Behavioral Health
Residential & Outpatient Treatment
Addiction Recovery
Developmental & Relational Trauma
PTSD & Complex PTSD
Advanced Training
Both NARM and Somatic Experiencing are depth-oriented approaches that require years of study, consultation, and continued practice. My commitment to ongoing learning remains an essential part of the way I show up for this work.
NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM)
Somatic Experiencing (SE)
I've been especially grateful for the opportunity to learn directly from Dr. Laurence Heller, founder of the NeuroAffective Relational Model. His mentorship has profoundly influenced not only my clinical understanding of trauma, but also the way I think about relationship, healing, and what it means to accompany another human being.
What Working Together Feels Like
Healing doesn't begin with having all the answers. More often, it begins by slowing down enough to become curious about your experience without immediately trying to change it.
If we choose to work together, my role isn't to tell you who you are or what your life should look like. Instead, I'll join you in exploring your experience with curiosity, compassion, and respect—creating a space where every part of you is welcome, even the parts that may have felt confusing, overwhelming, or difficult to understand.
Together, we'll move at a pace that honors your capacity, your experience, and what feels genuinely possible for you. There is no expectation to force change, relive painful experiences, or become someone you're not. Rather than pushing toward healing, we'll create the conditions where healing can unfold naturally.
Some sessions may involve conversation. Others may invite greater awareness of your body, emotions, relationships, or the patterns that have shaped your life. Wherever our work leads, my intention is to support a deeper relationship with yourself—one rooted in greater awareness, choice, and connection.
Lasting change doesn't come from fixing ourselves. It grows from meeting ourselves with honesty, curiosity, and compassion, creating the conditions where more of who we are can emerge.
A Few Things About Me
Outside of my work, you'll often find me exploring the outdoors, hiking, camping, or simply spending time in places that invite me to slow down and reconnect. Nature has a way of reminding me that growth unfolds in its own time, and that some of life's most meaningful changes can't be rushed.
I'm deeply curious by nature. I enjoy learning, meaningful conversations, and exploring the many ways we make sense of ourselves and our experiences. Some of my greatest teachers have come through books and professional training, while others have come through relationships, personal challenges, and the ongoing process of living this work in my own life.
Above all, I'm committed to continuing my own growth. I don't believe healing is something we arrive at once and for all, but an ongoing process of becoming more fully ourselves. That commitment continues to shape not only the way I live, but also the way I accompany others.
At the heart of it all, I'm simply someone who cares deeply about people and considers it a privilege to walk alongside them as they reconnect with themselves.
Begin with a Conversation
Taking the first step can feel both hopeful and uncertain. You don't need to know exactly what you're looking for or whether this work is the right fit. Sometimes, simply beginning a conversation is enough.
I offer a complimentary 30-minute consultation via Zoom where we can get to know one another, explore what brings you here, and discuss whether working together feels like the right next step.
Whether we decide to move forward or not, my hope is that you'll leave our conversation with greater clarity and a better sense of what feels right for you.
If you're feeling curious about what's possible, I'd be honored to connect with you.