01 · Who James works with

James works with stress, Anxiety, trauma and abuse and anger management

James lists 12 specialisms and 30 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.

Greetings! I am James Milner, an LCSW, with 20 years of providing counseling services in a professional capacity. I am a graduate of Savannah State University, where I received my Bachelor of Social Work degree.I then completed my Master of Social Work degree at the University of Georgia. I obtained my LMSW in 2006. I obtained my clinical licensure in 2012. I am from Atlanta, GA, and have worked in the area for my entire career. I initially served as the Mental Health Specialist for Community Concerns, Inc., and supervised a transitional housing program for severely mentally ill homeless men for 10 years. Since that time I have gone on to become the Executive Director of the agency. In that capacity I have designed and implemented several supportive housing programs including: Emergency Shelter; transitional housing for women; a Dual Diagnosis Substance Abuse residential program; and an apartment complex with onsite supportive services for homeless families. During this time I also started my private Practice, S.H.A.N.T.I Psychotherapy, LLC (S.H.A.N.T.I - Spiritual Holistic and Natural Therapeutic Interventions). Through that agency I contracted to provide services at Georgia State University in their Counseling and Testing Department. I maintained that contract for approximately three years. From there I obtained my own office space in downtown Decatur, GA and operated out of that space a little over two years. I left my office space when I was promoted to Executive Director of my non-profit agency, CCI. In addition, I am a licensed and ordained Baptist minister and serve as the Assistant Pastor of the Chapel of Christian Love Baptist Church. In that capacity I am also the Lead Pastoral Counselor for the church. I am a yogi and Reiki Master. I am also Certified as a Meditation Instructor and as an Anger Management trainer. I am also trained in hypnotherapy. I consider understanding the culture, world - view and belief system of the client with whom I am working, to be crucial to establishing an effective therapeutic relationship. I utilize an eclectic approach that incorporates philosophy, psychology, and spirituality as valid tools to improve well being of the clients I serve. My specialty is assisting adults in understanding their personal history and the connection to the challenges they currently face. I enjoy the therapeutic relationship and operate from a personal philosophy that believes "mind over body...spirit over mind". In addition to utilizing the Best Evidence BasedPractices that have evolved out of therapeutic practice; I acknowledge the extensive history of applying interventions that take into account the spiritual beliefs of the individual. To that end I also utilize Transpersonal Psychology as deemed appropriate and effective. I have worked well with men, women and couples. I work to connect with each client as an individual and not as a representative of their assigned diagnosis. I see the diagnostic process as simply a step toward finding the most appropriate solution to alleviate suffering and to increase the quality of life.

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

03 · How James works

The 8 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”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Dialectical Behaviour TherapyDBT

A structured skills-led adaptation of CBT built around holding two things at once: accepting yourself as you are and working to change. Teaches concrete skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation and relationships. Developed for people whose feelings arrive at overwhelming intensity, and strongest-evidenced there.

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.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

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.

Internal Family SystemsIFS

Treats the mind as made up of parts - the critic, the one who withdraws, the one that keeps everything running - each of which is trying to protect you. The work is getting to know them rather than overruling them.

Also listed

• Hypnotherapy

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

3 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 Cognitive Behavioural 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.

• “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

LCSW

Licensed in

Georgia

Licence

GA LCSW CSW004725

Licence number

CSW004725

Licence expires

30 Sep 2028

NPI

1609129188

Years in practice

11

Gender

Male

Languages

English

International clients

Not 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.