Meet Sarah James, LPC, CAADC

Professional Background

I believe families are a crucial element to a young person’s healing and I strive to help the whole system move towards healthy development. I have over a decade of experience working with young people and their families helping them create more authentic relationships and fulfilling lives. I specialize in adoption, addiction, family conflict, and adolescent/emerging adult identity development, and I am competent in addressing a variety of mental health challenges related to these issues. In sessions I strive to peel back the layers of the presenting problems or symptoms to identify the core patterns and wounds that are obscuring authenticity.

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with minors in Business and Gender & Diversity Studies from Xavier University, as well as a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a Graduate Certificate in Addictions Counseling from Appalachian State University. I am licensed in both Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Addictions Counseling in North Carolina and Georgia. I am a certified Attachment Based Family Therapist and a trained Adoption Competent Therapist. I have spent the majority of my career working in therapeutic programs with adolescents, young adults, people in crisis, and people recovering from addiction.

Current Focus

My approach is attachment based, trauma informed, and family systems focused. I believe that through a lens of curiosity, we can find the root of most problematic behaviors. I seek to empower my clients to understand themselves and reevaluate the effectiveness of their choices. I strive to create a culture of safety in the therapeutic relationship in which clients can practice new ways of being, explore their values, and discover more effective methods for meeting their needs. My approach to working with parents and caregivers parallels my work with their teen or young adult; my goal is to help families exit cyclical power struggles and reimagine themselves as a team facing common goals and challenges. My style is one of “fierce love”-- I lead with compassion while holding others accountable to the belief that they are capable of resiliency, integrity, and authenticity.

Personal Interests

I grew up in West Virginia and have lived in Western North Carolina since 2015. I’m a mountain girl at heart and I like to spend as much time as I can hiking, gardening, playing with my dog, and experiencing awe and wonder through my son’s eyes.