Specialized
Counseling
Skills:
Jim West has clients drive from all over the state of Florida, from Georgia and the
Bahamas as he has been able to treat clients with ADHD, Anxiety, Mood Disorders,
Depression and more with FDA approved supplements and Dietary Modifications in the Orlando area.
Since 2003 85% of his clients have not needed medication or used less medication
than when they first came to Total Life Counseling Center in the Orlando area..
Personal: Jim received his Bachelor’s Degree in Youth
Ministries as well as his Master’s Degree in Counseling from Liberty University,
Lynchburg, Virginia. One of the highest ranking students in his class, Jim
subsequently attended additional coursework at University of South Florida and
obtained his licensure with the state of Florida and the National Board for
Certified Counselors.
Past Experience:
James West is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who works primarily with children,
adolescents and young adults from ages 6
and up in Central Florida
Private practice with Alpha Counseling
Center in Lakeland from 1994-1996 while working with the Salvation Army's Transitional
Living program. Jim was responsible for training families in job placement, life skills,
parenting, and helping them establish stable housing.
Florida Baptist Children's home-Day Treatment with mostly Oppositional Defiant teenagers and children with histories of
sexual abuse, physical abuse, and neglect.
Winter Haven Hospital's Behavior
Health Division (one of the best community mental health centers in the country) where he
was a clinician for 3 years working extensively with
ADHD children, oppositional children,
court referrals, parent training, anger management groups, social skills training, and
depressed children.
Later Jim was offered a promotion into administration as
Utilization Management Coordinator and managed the Behavioral Health Network
(BNET) for Polk, Highlands and Hardee County until November 2003. BNET is a program for
kids requiring intensive therapeutic services beyond the scope of
traditional outpatient therapies and has been quite successful at keeping
most of those enrolled out of residential or inpatient programs.
Total Life Counseling
Center since 1998 and now Jim West is the president/owner. Since 2003 Jim has expanded its staff and now has 3 offices in metro Orlando including Metro West,
Winter Park and Clermont. Additionally, Jim has always thought of creative
treatment approaches to reach those who might not respond to traditional
therapies.
Jim has a unique way of bonding with children and adolescents through
play therapy, Power Point presentations, interactive games, recreation therapy and staying
current with the constantly changing world of the adolescent. Jim also stays current with
adolescents through his 13 years experience in youth ministry in Orlando area churches.
Jim has been invited to provide
consultation to several private
and public schools in the state of Florida. Some local schools
include: Lake Highland Preparatory, First Academy,
Pinecastle
Christian Academy, Ocoee Elementary, Clarcona Elementary, Foundation
Academy, and more. His consultations include conflict
resolution, Accommodations for ADHD, character building, student retention,
and school improvement programs.
Jim has been invited to speak for private
school accreditation boards over the past 6 years including ACSI & FACCS.
He has spoken to thousands of teachers over the years and influenced private
schools to provide special programs for students with learning disabilities,
and accommodations for ADHD. His tapes at seminars are often the top
requested tapes.
Jim provides
retreats for schools as well to
help students resolve conflicts and repair past hurts.
Summer Camps
since 2004 incorporating a Challenge Ropes Course and Equestrian program has
helped students mature significantly, socially and emotionally, increase
confidence, become calmer, more compliant, improved leadership skills, and a
more positive influence on their peers.
Speaking Engagements: He is asked to speak
across the state of Florida to the following organizations to list a few:
Adrenaline: Youth Group of Horizons Community
Church-Gotha Florida
Jim also is a state approved Clinical Supervisor for
therapists completing their 2 year internship to become a Florida State
licensed counselor.
Community Involvement: Jim was
the producer of Sunday Night Live (Virginia) & Standing Room Only (a
Saturday Night Live type program for High School Students in Lakeland) as well
as Club 77. Club 77 was a Smoke Free Drug Free & Alcohol Free club for
High School and College age students. Sunday Night Live & Standing
Room Only were run by college students and the actors were teenagers
entertaining other teens. These programs have built incredible
self-confidence and developed talents and leadership skills for many
teens. Jim has kept in touch with some of the teens that were involved in
these programs and most are now adults involved in their community mentoring
adolescents in some way. Jim is in the process of developing similar
programs in Orlando.
Leadership
Social Skills
Support Group: Jim leads a social skills group for ages 7-11
and 12-15. This group is covers anger management, social skills, dealing with perceptions,
greeting people, starting conversation, resolving conflict, apologizing, etc. The group
utilizes interactive games focusing on building trust, focusing, not interrupting, etc.
The group also utilizes short Power Point presentations to maintain attention and focus.
The group also processes appropriate ways to express feelings of frustration or hurt.
School In-services/Consults:
Jim has been invited to speak all over the
state at private and public schools, as well as, teachers conferences in Florida
and Southern California on various topics. Click this
link to find out
more.
Please contact Jim below. If you provide us with your contact
information, your information will not be shared or sold and will be kept
confidential.
If you would like to share our program with others please Download and print
our
Staff Brochure to give to a
friend.
If you are unable to download this brochure please click
the "Get Adobe Reader" button below to obtain FREE Adobe Reader.
If you are still having difficulty, then please complete the "Comments or
Questions" form above with your fax number or address and we will fax or mail the packet.
