About James
James Wankel is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and a Licensed Independent Social Worker - Clinical Practice (LISW-CP) based in North Carolina. He brings five years of clinical experience helping people cope with stress, anxiety, addiction, trauma, ADHD, and life transitions. His work is grounded in direct, compassionate care designed to help people feel understood and get practical support.
He uses a listening-first style that centers each person's story.
Background and approach
Conversations focus on what matters now and on small steps that can reduce anxiety or break a pattern. Sessions mix straightforward skill-building with space to make sense of painful experiences. James draws from several approaches, including client-centered work, cognitive behavioral tools, mindfulness practices, motivational interviewing, and narrative techniques.
That mix lets him tailor methods to different concerns such as substance use, trauma-related symptoms, or difficulties with focus and stress management. In sessions he aims to help people identify unhelpful thoughts, practice new coping strategies, and rebuild routines that support daily functioning.
He also works with issues like body image, communication problems, chronic pain and illness, and challenges tied to identity and social isolation. People who come for coaching or therapy can expect clear goals, practical exercises, and honest conversation. The focus is on steady progress rather than quick fixes, with attention to both immediate relief and longer-term change.
Approaches that translate well to online work
Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and understanding a person's experience without judgment. It helps people feel heard and builds a foundation for setting practical goals and making changes. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches concrete skills to manage anxiety, break unhelpful patterns, and reduce stress.Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The therapist collaborates with each person to decide which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. That might mean starting with CBT skill practice, adding mindfulness exercises, or using narrative techniques to reframe personal stories as therapy progresses.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility. Video is useful for face-to-face conversation and skill demonstrations. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging make it possible to stay in touch between sessions and to use brief coaching tools during a busy day. These options help people fit therapy into their schedules and maintain continuity of care.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Also listed
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Coaching
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dissociation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- First responder issues
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Men's issues
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Personality disorders
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Traumatic brain injury
- Trichotillomania
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 5 years
- Licensed
- North Carolina, South Carolina
- Languages
- English
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