01 · Who James works with

James works with stress, Anxiety, family conflicts and grief

James lists 14 specialisms. 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.

I am a New York State Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over 16 years of clinical experience serving diverse populations in various agency, private practice, and medical settings. I am primarily a Narrative Therapist and use principles from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to inform my work with clients. I believe that one of the central tasks of one's life is to make meaning out of experience, regardless of whether that experience is perceived to be "good" or "bad." How we feel about our life's path depends a great deal on the stories we tell ourselves about our past and our future.

Even though these elements of past and future are important, how we feel about ourselves in the present, and in fact our ability to be willingly present with whatever circumstances come up for us, is a powerful predictor of feelings of competence and well-being. Many times we struggle "against" our own experience, causing needless suffering for ourselves and even for those around us.

In my experience, the only prerequisite for meaningful change is a willingness to believe that it can be possible. Even if you question whether you're willing to believe this, I believe that we can work together to influence factors that ultimately lead to willingness and a meaningful excursion into a change process. In my therapeutic process, we are partners - you're the expert on you, and I bring the Narrative, Psychodynamic, and ACT focus to train different lenses on your situation, all with respect and compassion, and without advancing an agenda of "shoulds." If you're courageous about digging into the rich material of your inner life (even if you're anxious about it too), we'll be a good fit.

James Rusk, on the BetterHelp listing · read 8 Nov 2026

03 · How James works

The 7 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.

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.

Narrative Therapy

Treats the story you tell about your life as something that can be examined and retold rather than as the plain facts. Separates the person from the problem - “the anxiety” rather than “your anxiety” - to make room for the parts the current story leaves out.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Works on the assumption that current patterns - in relationships, at work, in how you treat yourself - have a history, and that seeing the history loosens the pattern. Less structured than CBT, usually longer, and more interested in what comes up unbidden than in a weekly agenda.

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

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.

• “With 17 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

LICSW

Licensed in

West Virginia

Licence

WV LICSW DP00946174

Licence number

DP00946174

Licence expires

1 Jul 2028

NPI

1972656254

Years in practice

17

Gender

Male

Languages

English

International clients

Accepted

Listed since

15 May 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 8 Nov 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.