James Staunton, Marriage Counselor in San Diego, 92103

James Staunton, MFT

Profession(s):
Marriage & Family Therapy
License Status:
I'm a licensed professional.
Primary License:
MFT - MFT43811

My Approach to Helping

Therapy is a collaboration. I bring the knowledge of (and love of) the process, and my experience and insight, while you are the expert in your own life and feelings, and provide the connections that make therapy come alive and work. I approach every person with respect and openness.

It can be nerve racking to talk to someone you don't (yet) know about the most personal issues in your life. I am by nature non-judgmental and will focus on understanding you and how to make things better for you as an individual. Its an exciting process and well worth your time and attention!

More Info About My Practice

I accept several types of health insurance (please call your insurance if they cover psychotherapy, how many sessions you would have available in a year, if your deductible applies, and ask what the co-pay would be for seeing me). If you have a PPO, you can see any therapist, but may need to pay a higher co-pay. I also work with teens and children through Medi-Cal.

Evening and Saturday morning sessions available.

Free off-street parking available on ground level of the building.

How Psychotherapy Can Help

Psychotherapy helps by giving people, sometimes for the first time in their lives, the full empathic attention of another human being. Usually we try to address problems directly or work on issues with our friends or family. This can only go so far, because friends and family have their own agendas for us, or need to share the time by talking about their lives and problems. By contrast, in therapy the time is yours, to go in depth, uninterrupted accept to clarify and bring meaning and insight into the process. A therapist needs to be open-minded, willing to look at everything without flinching, and accept everything about you. The only exception to that is the direction needs to ultimately be toward healthy growth. But that often includes completely exploring what is not so healthy. Psychotherapy helps us to understand our own minds. To know what drives us to self-destructive behaviors and painful feelings. We need to understand the world isn’t something we’re just subjected to, but WE have a lot to do with how life goes for us. Our minds understand and affect the world (especially the people in our lives) in our own peculiar ways.

My Role as a Therapist

The therapist’s role is to be the invaluable helper in the natural process within us toward health and finding greater understanding of ourselves and meaning in life. I believe people naturally want health and happiness, but often need another human being to listen, support, watch over, and validate our positive efforts to grow. Therapists provide insight and educate us on what we can’t yet see for ourselves, and alert us to our self-destructive tendencies. This can take some time. Often what causes pain and suffering in our lives has several causes, and they all need to be addressed to make a full and complete change. Its the therapist’s role to keep at it, not give up or into illusions, and keep us on track. But eventually a good and helpful therapeutic experience leaves us with the knowledge to continue to grow and prosper through future challenges. This has been shown to be the effect of psychodynamic psychotherapy, which takes into account the whole person and all life experiences.