James Gilligan, LCSW

James Gilligan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in Florida who helps people handle stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma, grief, and mood concerns. He focuses on practical support for relationship strain, parenting stress, sleep and eating issues, anger, and career challenges. He also works with people facing attachment and abandonment wounds, codependency, and compassion fatigue.

He earned a Master’s degree in social work from Florida International University and has two decades of clinical experience. Early in his career he provided individual and group care inside Miami-Dade schools. He later worked with people diagnosed with serious mental illness, including bipolar disorder and major depression.

Since 2007 he has worked with active duty military and service members on anxiety, depression, PTSD, marital concerns, and domestic violence issues. He draws on experience helping people who grew up in dysfunctional family systems and now face similar patterns in adult relationships.

His approach combines practical, talk-based methods with skill-building exercises. Sessions often focus on identifying patterns, learning coping skills, and setting concrete steps toward change. He uses methods such as cognitive behavioral techniques, dialectical behavior skills, EMDR, and attachment-focused work.

James aims to help people make realistic changes they want in their lives. He emphasizes collaboration, straightforward feedback, and tools you can try between sessions. People who prefer clear, goal-oriented work may find his style a good fit.

How his approaches shape online work

James uses attachment-based work to help people understand how early relationships affect current connections and emotional patterns. That approach can be useful for intimacy issues, codependency, and attachment wounds.

He also uses cognitive behavioral therapy, which focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors. CBT helps with anxiety, depression, sleep and eating concerns, and many day-to-day stresses.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. He will work collaboratively to match methods to a person’s goals and preferences, and can adjust techniques over time based on what helps most.

Confirm current session options before booking so you know which online or in-person formats are offered. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. Many people find remote sessions let them keep consistent momentum while balancing work, family, and other commitments.