David Graham is Proudly Offering Therapy in Huntersville, NC
Dr. David Graham is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health therapist specializing in individual, couples, and family therapy and maintains a private practice in Huntersville, North Carolina.
The undeniable truth is that being human presents us with some significant challenges, some of which are inevitable. No one is going to escape sickness, aging, and death. However, the amount of suffering we experience depends mainly on our ability to manage them. It's not just talking about your problems and feelings. My aim here is to work together as a team, to help you be the sort of person you want to be and build the kind of life you want to live. Part of this approach involves learning skills to handle stressful thoughts and feelings more effectively, so they have less impact and influence over you. When I introduce these skills, I'll ask you to practice them between sessions. Of course, you don't have to do that, but it's like learning to play the guitar or driving a car: the more practice you do, the better you get. Our work together will also involve clarifying your values: finding out what matters to you, what you want to stand for in life, what strengths and qualities you want to develop, how you want to treat yourself and others. And it also involves taking action to solve your problems, face your challenges, and do things that make life better. After each session, I want you to leave here with an action plan: something practical to take away and use to improve your life actively. At times, therapy may seem like a roller-coaster ride, but I'll be there in the roller-coaster car with you. I will ask you at times to try new things that may pull you out of your comfort zone—like learning new skills to handle complex thoughts and feelings—but you never have to do them. You are always free to say no to anything suggested.
I practice from an integrative therapeutic approach that includes relational-cultural, psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral theories. Additionally, I also fuse Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Cognitive Behavioral (CBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) techniques to support individuals' therapy goals. My goal is to help individuals feel more comfortable with their emotional experiences and better understand themselves, their relationships, and the world around them.
I received my Ph.D. in counseling from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, licensed in the State of North Carolina as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor (LCMHCS). I am also a National Board-Certified Counselor, and I hold certifications in Trauma and Koru Mindfulness.
I have experience working on identity formation, self-esteem, intergenerational/ancestral trauma, race-based stress, trauma, depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and life transitions. I have over 20 years of working in the counseling field, working in various settings such as secondary schools, post-secondary schools, Inpatient psychiatric treatment facilities, and outpatient community-based treatment centers.
Qualifications
Years in Practice: 20 Years
School: UNC-Charlotte
Year Graduated: 2009
License No. and State: S8329 North Carolina