James Dvorak, LMFT

I’m a licensed psychotherapist based in California, focused on working with the LGBTQIA+ community around shame, intimacy, and anxiety around life transitions and grief

Therapy with me is grounded in presence and trust. We’ll move at a pace that feels right for you, meeting whatever arises with curiosity. My goal is to create a space where you feel safe, supported, and understood, especially when it comes to the deeper, more complex parts of your life and identity.

I integrate therapeutic approaches such as Relational Gestalt, Attachment Theory, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Jungian analysis, Somatic Experiencing, Hakomi, and Acceptance-Based Psychotherapy. These modalities support a deep, curious exploration of identity, relationships, and life’s complexities. Here’s what our work might include:

We start with what’s present
Rather than focusing only on the past, we begin with what you're experiencing right now. This means emotionally, physically, and relationally. We’ll pay close attention to the patterns that show up in your thoughts, relationships, and body, especially in moments of anxiety, shutdown, or disconnection.

We explore the parts of you that show up in stress
You might notice parts of yourself that seek control, want to please, withdraw, or feel deeply overwhelmed. These parts were usually developed for a reason, even if they no longer serve you. Together, we’ll get to know them. The work is not to get rid of them, but to understand what they’re trying to protect and what they might need instead.

We ask questions that have been quieted
Whether you're grieving, questioning your identity, or wrestling with desire and connection, we will create space to ask the harder questions: Who am I now? What do I want? What am I afraid of? Together, we’ll listen for the deeper meaning underneath what’s been hard to name.

We work through the body, not just the mind
I integrate somatic (body-based) practices to help you slow down and feel more grounded. Sometimes the body holds what words cannot. As a result, we will work towards tuning into sensations, e.g., tightness in the chest, a lump in the throat, a sudden stillness. That awareness will help you gain insight into what’s happening beneath the surface and help facilitate more self-trust and space to make different decisions and choices.

We create space for queer experiences and liberation
Many therapy models weren’t built with queer lives in mind. My approach honors and integrates LGBTQIA+ experiences, recognizing how shame, resilience, identity, and longing often intersect in ways traditional therapy can miss.

We aim to move toward clarity and choice
The goal isn’t perfection or “fixing” yourself; rather, it’s deeper self-trust. Over time, therapy can help you feel more grounded in who you are, clearer about what matters, and more able to meet life’s challenges with compassion and agency.

Because I am focused on helping individuals who are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, my work often supports people facing challenges around:

Relationships and Intimacy
I help individuals build healthier, more fulfilling connections with partners, family, friends, and themselves. Together, we explore emotional patterns, communication styles, attachment dynamics, and desires. This includes identifying what you want in relational and sexual intimacy, recognizing what’s been shaped by anxiety or shame, and clarifying how you’d like to move forward with greater awareness.

Ethical Non-Monogamy & Open Relationships
I work with individuals practicing consensual and ethical non-monogamy or polyamory. Together, we explore emotional needs, boundaries, and the impact of jealousy, attachment, and projections—building trust and clarity in complex relational systems.

Anxiety & Stress
I help clients reduce chronic stress, manage overthinking, and work with panic, social anxiety, or general day-to-day anxiety that may be disrupting their life. We explore both immediate tools and deeper causes to bring clarity and confidence in helping meet anxiety and understanding it’s way of protecting and where that it may no longer helpful.

Grief & Loss
Grief therapy can support healing from the death of a loved one, breakups, or major life transitions. I offer a grounded space to move through sadness, numbness, anger, and meaning-making at your own pace, moving forward with care and honoring that which has ended.

Gender Identity and Expression & Sexual Orientation
I provide affirming LGBTQIA+ therapy for those exploring or deepening their relationship to gender identity and expression as well as those experiencing stressors related to their sexual orientation. Whether you're coming out, transitioning, or questioning, we’ll create a space rooted in curiosity, affirmation, and safety.