Marston James

Hi, my name is Marston James and I’m a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (MFT) with openings for new clients. When looking to begin with a new psychotherapist, I think it’s valuable for clients to know that I have a holistic view of our human struggles as opportunities to learn and grow as individuals, and that nowhere is that opportunity greater than in our personal relationships. I believe that in working through our personal issues in psychotherapy, we become more of who we really are, our true selves. For over 25 years I have helped individuals of various self-identities, though I specialize in working with gay men and lesbians toward realizing a gay/lesbian self. Additionally, and on a more personal note, I am an activist for the rights of LGBTQ+ persons, women, animals (wild and domestic), and the environment. I am also the human companion and caretaker for four rescue cats.

I look to address the underlying causes of your present-day struggles in order to untangle them, freeing you to develop new perspectives and new behaviors, not just learn to cope better with the struggles you are currently having. In the process of working with your struggles in therapy, you may begin to develop insight into your present situation, integrate “split off” unaccepted parts of yourself into your conscious awareness, and experience an increasingly more solid sense of self on the path toward self-realization. I think this is at the heart of my depth-oriented psychoanalytic approach. With gay and lesbian clients this approach also utilizes a gay-centering lens that affirms and validates one’s sexual orientation. Specifically, psychoanalysis means that we will look at how early life experiences in your upbringing, called “unfinished family business” from childhood, are continuing to impact your adult life and relationships today. In the process my clients report experiencing a greater sense of wholeness, feel more grounded, and have increased self-confidence. From this new perspective, we can then address what you would like to become or achieve in your life going forward.

In the first session, especially if this is your first experience in psychotherapy, I will help you to orient toward the process of therapy sessions, including what typically happens and how therapy helps. In typical first sessions, for example, we will first discuss what brings you into psychotherapy at this time, including identifying what struggles you’re currently experiencing and for how long. It is not uncommon that you may experience some anxiety or nervousness about talking about your struggles. Not to worry, I strive to provide a safe environment for you in these sessions and will remind you that you have the right to determine what and how much you are willing to share. Then we may talk about how we can address your present situation in these sessions and answer any questions that may come up for you along the way. At that point we may shift to exploring your upbringing: where you were born, where and how you were raised, who else lived with you during your upbringing, what your relationships were like with your parents/caregivers and siblings. The idea behind this kind of exploration is that your early years and the nature of your early relationships are highly meaningful. The dynamics of those early relationships continue to get played out in your current relationships as a means of resolving the unresolved issues from your upbringing.

If the above descriptions I’ve offered connect with you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me to schedule an initial session. If you would like, I also offer a free brief initial phone or video consultation to see if we might be a good fit. Or, if you would like to go ahead with your initial session, you make schedule it yourself by going to my calendar through the following link:

https://care.headway.co/providers/marston-james?utm_source=pem&utm_medium=direct_link&utm_campaign=239529

Either way, I look forward to meeting you soon!