James Harmon (LPC)

My full name is James Phillip Harmon but I generally use my middle name, Phillip or Phil; however, I am not too fussy about this. I live in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and have worked in both in-patient and outpatient settings as a Licensed Professional Counselor for just over 30 years. These settings have allowed me to work with people who are experiencing stress, depression, anxiety, trauma, abuse and addiction issues, pretty much general practice. My initial counseling education was in Adlerian Psychology. This foundation has been strengthened and expanded with later training in Marsha Linehan’s Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Alfred Adler was a social psychiatrist who taught that all human behavior has a purpose that makes sense to the individual. He taught that we develop a personal understanding and beliefs about life that we use in our efforts to address the challenges of finding where we belong in society, finding how we can best contribute to society and in establishing and maintaining relationships. Adlerians believe that we all have what are called “mistaken beliefs” things that are true because we believe them but are only true to us, not in the more general context of society as a whole. A more contemporary approach, that in my opinion builds upon some of what Adler taught, is Marsha Linehan’s Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). This approach sees the individual as being the expert on and about themselves. Again, we have mistaken beliefs that are our truths and the issue becomes adjusting these beliefs, if we choose to do so, to help us respond in a more effective manner to the challenges life presents. Therapy is something that happens between two equal partners, not a technique that is imposed. The therapist and client may have very different beliefs and opinions about what is happeneing. Both are correct; they simply disagree. The best solution to a problem is the one that is most effective for helping the client build the life they want to have. I believe that you have the ability, the strength and the courage to identify and make needful changes that can help you have a more satisfying life. It can a bit of work but is well worth the effort. A large part of the therapist’s job is to ask questions, make comments and suggestions, maybe challenge a bit to help the client find their answers.