About James
Dr James R Harris
Clinical Psychologist
I’ve spent more than 16 years in private practice helping individuals and couples build stronger relationships, understand themselves more deeply, and make meaningful changes in their lives. Over that time, I’ve become increasingly interested not only in why people struggle, but in what allows them to flourish.
What makes a relationship satisfying? Why do we continue repeating patterns we recognize aren’t working? Why can someone achieve many of the things they set out to accomplish and still feel that something is missing?
These are questions that have shaped both my clinical work and my professional interest in happiness research.
My Clinical Perspective
My approach draws on extensive training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and couples therapy, alongside cognitive behavioral methods and positive psychology. Psychodynamic work helps us examine the experiences, relationships, and often deeply ingrained patterns that influence how we respond to the world. Cognitive behavioral approaches offer practical ways to examine and change unhelpful thinking and behavior.
My work in happiness research adds another dimension.
I’ve written and lectured on the clinical applications of happiness research, exploring what psychological science can tell us about the conditions that support wellbeing and a satisfying life. To me, happiness isn’t about constant positivity or the absence of difficulty. It’s a more substantive question about the quality of our relationships, our sense of purpose, the choices we make, and how we experience our lives.
I believe these questions deserve a place in psychotherapy alongside the treatment of distress.
What It’s Like to Work With Me
I see therapy as an active, collaborative process.
My style is warm and thoughtful, but also direct. I’ll listen carefully and take your experiences seriously, while asking questions that may challenge familiar ways of thinking. Sometimes that means examining patterns that have been present for years. Other times, it means looking honestly at the choices, assumptions, or behaviors that may be contributing to a current difficulty.
I’m not interested in challenging someone simply for the sake of it. I’m interested in helping people see things more clearly, particularly when a different understanding might open the possibility of a different outcome. Understanding the past can be enormously valuable. But I also want our work to inform how you live, the decisions you make, and the relationships you build going forward.
My Work With the Jewish Community
Alongside my broader practice, I have extensive experience working with Jewish individuals and couples.
For many Jewish people, faith, tradition, family, history, and community are not simply aspects of their lives. They are fundamental to how they understand themselves, their relationships, their responsibilities, and their place in the world. Others may relate to Judaism primarily through culture, family, shared history, or community rather than religious practice. I understand the importance of recognizing these different experiences, and the value of a therapeutic relationship in which someone’s Jewish identity and way of life are understood and respected.
That understanding can be relevant whether we’re discussing marriage, family relationships, personal fulfillment, life transitions, or concerns specifically affecting the Jewish community.
My practice welcomes people of all backgrounds.
Professional Experience
In addition to more than 16 years in private practice, my professional experience includes:
Extensive training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and couples therapy
Author of The Clinical Applications of Happiness Research
Lecturer on happiness and psychological wellbeing
Academic experience with UCLA Extension in Social Psychology and Psychology and the Law
Mental health consulting for Head Start programs, retirement communities, and skilled nursing facilities
Clinical assessment work for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs disability examinations through MSLA
I am licensed to practice psychology in California, Florida, and Iowa, and offer in-person appointments in Beverly Hills.
Working Together
Therapy is generally a weekly, ongoing process, allowing time to explore the issues that matter to you and develop a deeper understanding of the patterns and experiences shaping your life.
I offer a complimentary 15-minute consultation to discuss what you’re looking for, how I might help, and whether working together makes sense.
I do not bill insurance directly, but can provide documentation for you to submit to your insurer for possible out-of-network reimbursement.