I Listen. I Collaborate. I Help People of Texas Heal.
Dr. James Bass, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in Plano & Grapevine, TX
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist serving Plano and Grapevine, TX — specializing in couples, families, and the people who carry more than they should.
Outside the office
My Mission
My Vision
The Values That Drive Me
My Approach to Therapy
Family Systems Therapy
None of us arrives in a vacuum. The relational patterns we learn inside our family of origin shape the way we connect, communicate, and conflict for the rest of our lives. Family systems therapy values that context — and recognizes that healing often happens in relationship, not in isolation.
Attachment Science
We are born to behold and be beheld. Attachment theory provides a foundational understanding of how our earliest relationships form our personality and where healing needs to occur.
Relational Psychodynamic Therapy
This approach offers a developmental model that explores our underlying motivations, the personality we built to adapt to the world around us, and the deeper question of what makes a life feel meaningful.
What a Session Feels Like
Therapy with me is collaborative and paced to you. I want you to feel understood in a way you may not have experienced before. Sessions make space for you to process the events of your week, experience your emotions, and — as we progress — explore your personality and history at a deeper level. My style is engaging, calm, and genuinely curious about who you are.
What to Expect Over Time
The therapy I offer is not brief, quick, or easy — it asks for real commitment to sometimes long-term work. That is also what the research shows produces lasting change. On average, my individual clients complete treatment in around 50 sessions, roughly one year of work. Couples tend to complete treatment in around 35 sessions, approximately nine months. I will be honest with you throughout about where we are and what you're getting from the work.
Training & Expertise
Deep academic grounding, continuous clinical growth, and a rich tapestry of lived experience that uniquely shapes my approach to therapy.
Education
- Doctor of Professional Counseling (DPC) · Texas Institute of Professional Psychology, Kairos University · 2026
- Master of Marriage and Family Therapy (MMFT) · Abilene Christian University · 2014
- Bachelor of Science in Psychology · Abilene Christian University · 2012
Ongoing Development
Becoming a better therapist is not something that ends at graduation. I participate weekly in peer consultation groups, attend conferences and trainings throughout the year, and stay actively engaged with current research and clinical literature — not because it's required, but because the quality of your care depends on it.
Experience
Before building James Bass Counseling in 2021, I worked across a range of clinical and professional environments — church ministry, missionary work, healthcare, intensive outpatient therapy, higher education, and entrepreneurship. That breadth of lived and professional experience means that whoever walks through my door, I've likely worked near something they're carrying.
