Joshua James, PDC, FT is a retired Marine Corps veteran, pastoral counselor, and Field Traumatologist, He specializes in connecting with people who either do not like therapy or who have had poor experiences with therapy in the past. He holds a master’s degree in counseling & communications, a bachelor’s degree in business and religion, and certifications in traumatology and marriage counseling.

Josh primarily operates from a Person-Centered approach, believing that we know ourselves better than anyone else. Therefore, we are most qualified to bring about the change we seek (self-actualization). Josh believes that every person is unique and that their views about the world, and their ability to manage it, should be trusted and understood.

Josh focuses on helping people understand themselves better, make meaning of their lives and circumstances, and find solutions to their problems. He uses collaborative and integrative approaches while working with each client to identify root problems, reoccurring issues, construct healthy and attainable goals, and implement realistic solutions that lead to liberating transformation.

Fundamental to this process is the use of techniques from Reality Therapy, which Josh uses to focus on present issues and current behavior. Less time is spent delving into the past, however, the option to explore the past is always available. Since reality therapy is solution-oriented, time is spent examining how our behavior interferes with our ability to form stronger relationships. When we know what the problem(s) is/are, we can figure out what kind of changes we need to make to get what we want out of life.

Josh sees himself as a facilitator and co-explorer, listening without judgment and acknowledging experiences without interrupting or interfering with the process of self-discovery. The journey of self-discovery helps us uncover what is hurting or broken and what is needed to repair it.

In addition to examining behavior, Josh also believes that it is important to understand what we believe about life and its meaning. In other words, we consider the question, “Why does any of this matter?”

To do this, Josh uses his experience as a pastoral counselor, along with techniques from Existential Therapy to help explore things like relationships, love, intimacy, commitment, courage, creativity, power, will, agency, presence, spirituality, individuation, self-actualization, authenticity, acceptance, transcendence, and integration.

Knowing what we believe about life and our purpose can increase self-awareness and self-understanding, which can alleviate a variety of symptoms, including anxiety, apathy, isolation, avoidance, shame, addiction, despair, depression, guilt, anger, resentment, embitterment, and purposelessness.