Michael James , LCPC, LPC

Michael James is a licensed counselor with 24 years of experience who draws on straightforward, practical methods to help people facing stress, anxiety, addiction, and relationship struggles. He holds LCPC and LPC credentials and practices in Missouri. He often works with concerns related to parenting, grief, LGBT issues, depression, and coping with life changes. Michael favors clear, collaborative sessions where clients and he build a working relationship first. He starts by listening to what matters most and then sets small, achievable goals. Sessions focus on real-life skills for managing emotions, improving communication, and reducing problematic behavior. His main influence is cognitive behavioral ideas, used to spot unhelpful thinking and change behavior in daily life. He also uses client-centered listening to make space for each person’s perspective. When appropriate, he brings in mindfulness and motivational techniques to support steady progress. Over two decades of practice have included work with substance use, trauma and abuse, eating and sleeping concerns, anger, ADHD, and intimacy-related issues. He pays attention to family of origin themes, communication problems, and the stresses tied to caregiving and fatherhood. Sessions aim to help people feel less stuck, whether they’re facing career choices, grieving, or recovering from betrayal. The approach is direct and calm, focusing on what a person can try between sessions. Michael works in English and provides online and phone options for ongoing support.

Therapeutic approaches that work well online

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and understanding each person's experience. The therapist provides steady, nonjudgmental attention so clients can make sense of their feelings and decide what changes to try. This approach helps with low self-esteem, relationship struggles, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) teaches practical ways to notice patterns of thinking and change behaviors that keep problems going. It suits anxiety, depression, anger, and many day-to-day challenges because it emphasizes small experiments and homework between sessions. Motivational Interviewing is a short-term style that helps people clarify what they want and build the motivation to act. It is useful when someone is unsure about changing substance use, habits, or other difficult behaviors. Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t helped in the past. Together they choose methods and adjust them as progress is made. Online formats make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues, while phone sessions use less bandwidth and can be quicker to schedule. Live chat and text-based messaging let people check in between sessions or use shorter, written check-ins when that fits their routine. These options aim to increase flexibility and help therapy continue consistently.