Connie St. James , LMFT

Connie St. James works with people who feel alone or overwhelmed when facing difficult life decisions related to relationships, career, aging, or other sources of stress and anxiety. She draws on decades of life experience and clinical training to help clients clarify concerns, improve relationships, and develop practical ways to cope with change and loss.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from California State University, Northridge in 1987 and a Master’s degree in Marriage, Family and Child Therapy in 1989 from the California Family Study Center, now known as Phillips Graduate University. After completing a 3,000-hour internship and passing state written and oral examinations, she received her California license as a Marriage and Family Therapist in 1992. She holds the LMFT credential, which stands for Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.

During her internship she worked with clients experiencing dissatisfaction and distress across personal and work-related relationships, and trained in a psychiatric hospital, a drug and alcohol treatment center, and a facility for abused children. She maintained private practices in West Los Angeles and Palm Desert, and while in Palm Desert facilitated hospital groups focused on major depression. Later moves led to a period of inactive licensure while supporting family business activities, followed by more than twenty years working in real estate while continuing to apply counseling skills in personal and professional settings.

Now in her later life stage she is motivated to return to therapeutic work. She combines Person-Centered, Cognitive, and Behavioral approaches, working in a patient, empathic, and non-judgmental manner. Her work focuses on understanding each person’s story - the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors that contribute to dissatisfaction - and helping clients identify and reframe unhelpful patterns while setting goals and determining the appropriate time to conclude therapy.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support with Connie St. James

Connie St. James draws primarily on Person-Centered, Cognitive, and Behavioral approaches. Person-Centered therapy emphasizes empathy and respect, offering a supportive environment where clients explore feelings and personal values to build self-understanding and confidence. Cognitive techniques focus on identifying and reframing unhelpful thoughts that contribute to anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem, helping clients develop more balanced thinking patterns. Behavioral strategies target practical changes in actions and routines, useful for managing stress, building coping skills, and addressing relationship patterns.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Connie works collaboratively with clients and licensed professionals to determine which techniques best match a person’s needs, goals, and preferences, adjusting methods over time as progress and priorities evolve.

Online therapy options - including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging - make it easier to access consistent care despite busy schedules or geographic constraints. These formats provide flexibility for scheduling, allow work to continue between face-to-face visits when needed, and make it practical for clients to receive support in a way that fits their daily lives while working with qualified therapists.