Dr. Thomas Davis

Dr. Thomas Davis holds a PhD in Counseling Psychology from Duke University and is a licensed psychologist in North Carolina, license number 0742. He brings 46 years of clinical experience to his work, including 35 years practicing in the same medical facility where he treated people across the lifespan from age 3 to age 94.

That long-term continuity often meant he worked with the same clients from childhood into adulthood and, in many cases, with multiple generations of the same family. That perspective gave him a distinctive view of individual development and the ways people operate within intergenerational family systems. Over the years he treated adults in individual, couples, and family modalities as they evolved.

In therapy Dr. Thomas Davis treats the client as the expert on their own life while serving as the professional guide. He begins by helping clients organize their self-knowledge and life experience into a practical, actionable plan that can improve daily functioning.

From the first session he works with clients to define the problems to be addressed and to create a problem-oriented treatment plan. His approach prioritizes thoughts, then behavior, then emotions - the view that clearer, more organized thinking leads to more productive behavior and, ultimately, better emotional outcomes. Homework assignments are used to reinforce progress between sessions. When working with children and adolescents he adapts this plan to be age-appropriate and brings family members into the process when they can serve as helpful agents of change.

Dr. Thomas Davis has conducted psychological testing on more than 5,000 individual clients, assessing depression, anxiety, dementias, brain injuries, personality development, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning disabilities, and a client’s capacity to tolerate various surgical interventions. This testing experience allows him to interpret prior test results and to offer informed guidance based on those findings.

His principal aim is for clients to finish each session with a clearer understanding of themselves than when they began. He emphasizes two client goals - first, gaining mastery over life in ways that bolster self-esteem, reduce worry, and increase positive feelings; and second, developing stronger skills to manage the everyday ups and downs of living. After every appointment he sends follow-up notes that summarize what was covered and learned, list any homework assignments, and outline the suggested direction for future sessions. His office hours are Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM. His clinical specialties include stress, anxiety, relationship and marital issues, parenting concerns, depression, coping with life changes, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related issues, sleeping disorders, anger management, self-esteem struggles, career difficulties, bipolar disorder, compassion fatigue, ADHD, panic attacks, PTSD, adolescent issues, geriatric issues, and general adjustment issues.