James Harrison

Hello I'm James, a native of the South Side of Chicago, I was trained as a music educator and percussionist before being invited to explore mental wellness via two amazing mentors with foundations in psychiatry, Black psychology, and social work. What started as an exploratory internship at the UCSF AIDS Health Project, specializing in work with LGBTQIA+ communities, turned into graduate studies in social work at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. to uniquely shape my cultural and clinical approaches to mental wellness and liberation. I'm fluent in American Sign Language, am developing fluency in Brazilian Portuguese and am dedicated to learning Spanish among other languages.

In therapy we get to have conversations focused on what has been going well and where you have had difficulty using your personal story as the reference. My presence as a therapist, or accompaniast, is to be attentive to the life experiences you share and offer a compassionate curiosity that can support and shape healthier ways of being. Approaches to therapy vary depending on the participant's needs. While some persons can benefit from more structured approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and other evidence based models, participants also have access to eclectic and philosophical models including African Psychology and Jungian interpretations.

The first session is a confidential “getting to know you” moment. Participants are invited to share parts of the life journey that the’ve been on and we get to ask questions that will help us better understand what may make this therapeutic relationship a good fit. I’m interested in knowing what you’re currently experiencing, what you’re enjoying in life, and what, if anything, you’d like to see shift or see maintained. From there we get to decide how to build or make referrals so that your needs continue to be met.