James Bain, LMSW, MBA(He/Him/His)

James Bain, LMSW, works with adults, teens, and young adults—often the dependable ones, the people others lean on, who tend to arrive not in the middle of a crisis but after something quieter has been off for a while and they're tired of pretending it hasn't. Many are working through anxiety, burnout, life and career transitions, shaky self-esteem, substance use, or shifts in relationships and identity. He has a particular focus on men, and on the ways work and identity get tangled together.

James's style is direct, collaborative, and a little irreverent. He asks a lot of questions, makes few assumptions, and reflects back what a client is often too close to catch on their own—quick to name strengths and mark real progress, but never content to let therapy become an echo chamber. When someone's ready, he'll push. Rather than run a single protocol, he draws on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical and radically open DBT (DBT and RO-DBT), mindfulness-based methods, and relational and solution-focused work, choosing what fits the person in front of him.

Therapy is James's second career. He spent more than a decade leading teams at tech startups before earning his MSW from Fordham University, and he also holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BA from New York University. That background gives him a practical, results-oriented read on high-stakes pressure and burnout—and on how much of what we carry into a therapy room started at work. He practices at RelateWell Therapy under the supervision of Susan Kearney, LCSW-S.

James sees clients in person in West Austin and via telehealth throughout Texas, with afternoon and evening availability on weekdays. He offers a free initial consultation and is currently accepting new clients.