The Work
Work With
James
O'Neill

This is not therapy as management. This is descent — into the places that have held you back — and return, with something new.

The Invitation

"You are not difficult. You are not resistant. You are someone who has outgrown the ceiling of what you were told was possible — and now you need a room tall enough to stand up in."

How This Works

Depth requires depth.

01
Somatic & Clinical Foundation

The body holds what the mind cannot yet articulate. James brings clinical precision — Johns Hopkins-trained, two decades of practice — to meet what lives below the narrative you've already told yourself a hundred times.

02
Psycho-Spiritual Integration

East and West in the same room. The rigour of evidence-based practice alongside the wisdom traditions that science is only beginning to measure. Neither is abandoned. Both are necessary.

03
The Long Arc of Change

Real transformation is not linear and it does not happen in six sessions. James works with people who are ready to commit — not to a program, but to themselves. The container holds as long as the work requires.

Offerings

Three ways to begin.

Each path is designed for a different moment of readiness.

One-on-One
Individual Session
Depth Work

Private, ongoing sessions for individuals ready to move beneath the surface. Therapy, coaching, and somatic integration woven together — tailored to where you are and where you need to go.

What's included
50-minute weekly sessions (in-person or virtual)
Somatic & MBSR integration throughout
Email support between sessions
Personalized practice framework
$225/ session
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8-Week Course
Group Program
MBSR Intensive

The gold-standard Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program as James teaches it — grounded in the UC San Diego curriculum and deepened by twenty years of clinical application. A full-body, full-life reset.

What's included
Eight weekly group sessions (2.5 hrs each)
Full-day Saturday retreat (week six)
Daily guided audio practices
Course workbook & resource library
$750/ full course
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Specialized Session
Hypnotherapy · QHHT
Subconscious Work

For clients ready to go beneath the conscious narrative entirely. James is HYPNOS and QHHT certified — trained in the methods that access the layers of the psyche that talk therapy alone cannot reach.

What's included
Extended 3-hour initial session
Pre-session intake & preparation call
Session recording provided
Integration follow-up session
$450/ session
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Getting Started

How the work begins.

There is no onboarding form. There is a conversation.

01
Send a Message

A brief note — a few sentences about where you are and what you're looking for. No formal intake, no questionnaire. Just the truth of your situation, as you understand it.

02
A Conversation

James will respond personally. If it feels like a fit, he'll invite you to a 30-minute exploratory call — no obligation, no sales process. Just two people determining if this is the right match.

03
We Begin

If you both feel it, you'll schedule your first session. Everything else — frequency, format, focus — gets shaped by what emerges in the room.

04
The Work Unfolds

There is no predetermined timeline. Some people work with James for months; others for years. The work continues for as long as it serves you — and not one session longer.

Who This Is For

You have done the work. And still.

The people James works with are not beginners. They have read the books, tried the therapists, done the retreats. They are intelligent, self-aware, often successful by any external measure — and yet.

There is something that hasn't moved. A place that doesn't respond to insight alone. A knowing that something deeper is needed — a different kind of room.

James does not work with active psychosis, severe substance dependence, or acute crisis requiring higher-level care. If you are unsure whether this is the right fit, send a message — honesty is welcome.

"I have done years of therapy and made real progress — but I keep hitting the same wall."
"I know what my patterns are. I just can't seem to stop living them."
"Something happened — or didn't happen — a long time ago. And I can feel it running the show."
"I want a guide who isn't afraid of the spiritual dimension of this. Who won't pathologize the depth."
"I am ready to stop managing my life and start actually living it."
What Clients Say
The work speaks for itself.

"I had spent a decade in traditional therapy and made genuine progress. Working with James was different in kind, not just degree. He held a space I didn't know I needed — and something that had been locked opened."

M.R.
Executive Director · One-on-One Client

"What I noticed first was that James wasn't afraid of anything I brought. No flinching, no redirecting. He just stayed present with me in the hardest places. That steadiness was the medicine."

A.T.
Physician · Depth Work Client

"The MBSR course changed my relationship with my own mind. Not through discipline or effort — through a kind of returning. James teaches it like someone who has actually lived it."

C.W.
MBSR Course Participant
Questions

Common questions.

Do you accept insurance?
—

James does not work with insurance panels directly. Sessions are private-pay. A superbill can be provided for clients who wish to seek out-of-network reimbursement from their provider. Many clients find that the flexibility and depth of private-pay work is worth the investment.

Do you work with clients outside of Maryland?
—

Coaching, MBSR, performance coaching, and group programs are available to clients anywhere in the world. Licensed clinical therapy services are offered to Maryland residents only. If you are outside Maryland and want to explore coaching or mindfulness work, reach out — the distinction is in the clinical framing, not the depth of the work.

How is this different from regular therapy?
—

James is a licensed clinical professional counselor — this is real therapy, not life coaching. What makes it different is the integration: somatic work, mindfulness practice, spiritual inquiry, and clinical skill in one room. Many clients come having tried standard CBT or talk therapy and felt it addressed the surface without touching the root.

How long does the process take?
—

James does not offer short-term solution-focused work. Most clients work together for a minimum of six months, and many continue much longer. The work has its own timeline — rushing it undermines it. That said, most people notice significant shifts within the first six to eight sessions.

Is virtual work as effective as in-person?
—

James sees clients both in-person (Columbia, MD) and virtually. The somatic and relational depth of the work translates well to video — many long-term clients work entirely remotely. In-person sessions are offered for clients in the Columbia, MD area who prefer face-to-face contact.

What is the sliding scale policy?
—

A small number of reduced-fee spots are held for clients who would otherwise not be able to access this level of work. If fee is a genuine barrier, mention it when you reach out. James believes the work should be accessible to those who are called to it.

JO
James

The door is open.
When you are.

There is no perfect moment to begin. There is only the moment you decide the distance between who you are and who you could be is no longer something you can live with. Send a message. James will respond personally.

Begin