01 · Who James works with

James works with stress, Anxiety, anger management and self esteem

James lists 17 specialisms and 22 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects James chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In James's own words

What James says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

It was Irvin Yalom who said something to the effect that "psychotherapy is like a dress rehearsal for life". With this said, it is my intention to not only offer you support in therapy but to also help you generalize the skills you learn in therapy and apply them in your outside life and relationships. I specialize in anger, depression, and anxiety management for adults and adolescents. I also enjoy working with highly intelligent adults and teens who have a difficult time adjusting and adapting socially. This includes working with individuals on the high functioning end of the Autism scale. I employ many different therapeutic techniques such as client centered, mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, and Existential. I try to offer a balance of insight and sensitivity to each client and family that I see, and get client feedback each session. Given my training in philosophy, I also offer philosophical counseling when relevant. This includes incorporating the philosophical works of Nietzsche, Sartre, Schopenhauer, Kant, Yalom, Spinoza, Heidegger, etc. I can also administer various personality and intelligence tests.

James Gibb, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How James works

The 5 approaches James lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods James lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not James's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how James runs a session.

Acceptance and Commitment TherapyACT

Rather than trying to argue a painful thought away, ACT works on loosening its grip and getting on with what matters to you anyway. Sessions spend real time naming your values, then building action around them while difficult feelings are still present.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed

CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

Also listed

• Existential Therapy

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

James practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of James's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking James at this point.

2. Naming James specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for James is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to James.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking James

Built from what James actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not James's - James has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “With 15 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LCPC

Licensed in

Illinois

Licence

IL LCPC 180008191, OR LPC C4642

Licence number

180008191

Licence expires

31 Mar 2027

NPI

1437393824

Years in practice

15

Gender

Male

Languages

English

International clients

Accepted

Listed since

9 Jun 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

James's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met James. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.