Connie St. James

Connie St. James works with people who feel alone or overwhelmed when facing important life decisions. She supports clients dealing with relationship concerns, career questions, the aging process, and other sources of anxiety and stress.

Her clinical background includes a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from California State University, Northridge (1987) and a Master’s degree in Marriage, Family and Child Therapy from California Family Study Center (1989), an institution now known as Phillips Graduate University. After completing a 3,000-hour internship and passing the state written and oral examinations, she received her license from the State of California in 1992 as a Marriage and Family Therapist. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California (CA LMFT 29176).

During her internship she worked with individuals experiencing dissatisfaction in personal and work-related relationships, addressing anxiety and stress. That training also included rotations in a psychiatric hospital, a substance use treatment center, and a facility for abused children. Following her internship she maintained a small private practice in West Los Angeles and later in Palm Desert, where she also facilitated groups focused on major depression in a hospital setting.

When her family moved to Santa Barbara she changed her license status to inactive to assist with her husband’s business. After relocating to Auburn, Northern California, she spent more than twenty years working in real estate while continuing to apply her counseling skills in personal and professional settings. Now in her own “winter years,” she has returned to helping others and brings more than 60 years of life experience to her therapeutic work.

Connie combines Person-Centered, Cognitive, and Behavioral approaches. She is patient, empathic, and non-judgmental, and aims to create a safe space where clients can explore their story. Sessions focus on feelings, thoughts, and behaviors to identify what contributes to unhappiness, disappointment, frustration, or life dissatisfaction. She helps clients name feelings they may not recognize, spot unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, and clarifies or probes when useful to expand understanding. Clients set their goals and decide if or when those goals change and when to conclude therapy. She has 3 years of experience in providing therapy services.