Today we’d like to introduce you to James Francis.
Hi James , it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born in Miami to Jamaican immigrants who taught me that anything is possible if you work hard, get an education, and maintain your faith. It was a long and winding journey. Initially, I pursued graphic design for my undergraduate degree at Florida Atlantic University, but found that my ultimate passion was to help others. The helping seeds were planted as I worked as a youth pastor in Miami, but I did not feel equipped. I had an insatiable hunger to learn more about counseling and the scripture, so I thought there would be no better place to enroll than a seminary. This would be the first time I had been away from home and had to learn who I was and what I stood for as a person. I also took several trips around the world, which gave me a better perspective of how much I really had and the importance of giving back.
I completed a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2011. I returned to Miami to become an assistant pastor and an in-home counselor for teens and families at a community counseling agency. But the long hours left me without a social life or control over my schedule. Even after receiving an Employee of the Year award, I knew I had outgrown this setting and I would need to work toward full licensure to one day have my own practice.
I found myself having to return to school to upgrade my degree because I did not have enough courses to meet the new state licensure requirements. I needed a new setting to work and continue my education. Outside of Kansas City, MO., I found a program that aligned faith in Jesus and clinical excellence to work with struggling teens and young adults. I made some of my best friends in life there and also fine-tuned my skills, abilities, and knowledge. Six years passed in the blink of an eye, and I shifted to counseling adults and couples in person and online. This would shape my foundation for understanding relationships, executing mastery as a clinician, accurate record-keeping, billing, and scheduling clients, which are still intact today.
In 2019, I was working as a mental health therapist, completing a Doctorate in Education, and volunteering with the youth and media departments at my church. Through a mutual friend, I met the woman of my dreams. As we prepared for my graduation two months prior to our wedding, we decided to move to Atlanta, the land of opportunity for some young couples.
In 2020, I found a role in a group practice with some of the best counselors in our field. After I completed my supervision requirements, I was eligible for professional licensure in Florida. This giant leap allowed me to launch my private practice in October 2022. I later became fully licensed as an LPC in Georgia the next year.
Today, I stand as the owner of a private practice mental health counseling business, Intentional Bridges. I am able to counsel adult individuals and couples online and through in-person intensives. I have the privilege of guiding people through mental, emotional, and spiritual transformations every day to become the person they desire to be. For that, I am immensely grateful.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Early in life, I learned to have a good attitude even during losses or when things did not turn out in my favor. It has not been an easy road. There were challenges at each step of the way. I had a supportive family, but no guidance when it came to my career. No one in my family does therapy, so I did not have a runway to know where I should go to school or what I should study. It was a miracle to attend graduate school without any savings or scholarships, and yet I graduated without taking loans.
At the community counseling agency, I had to see up to 20 families per week to make my base salary. Returning to school would not have been sustainable. I found an out-of-state opportunity where I knew no one, but eventually, I was able to thrive. I stayed anchored in my why so I would not forget who I was called to be along the way.
When it comes to professional licensure, each state has different standards. Therefore, each of the three times I changed state residences, I had to start over with supervision for my licensure! I graduated in 2011 and was not licensed until 2022! People who started a program after I graduated, finished their program, completed their supervision, and were able to start their own private practices or become supervisors before I had my professional license. Conversely, the experiences I gained from every obstacle I overcame make me a better resource for others and help me meet people where they are.
My wife and I got married and returned from our honeymoon a few days before the COVID-19 lockdown was issued in Georgia. We moved to Atlanta to build and be a part of a strong community, but that was not an option for many months.
In contrast, the pandemic enhanced my mastery of online counseling. I was allowed to teach the skills I learned to the team at my group practice, which made me and each therapist more accessible throughout the state.
We’ve been impressed with Intentional Bridges, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Intentional Bridges is an online mental health counseling, coaching, and consulting service.
I am fully licensed in Florida and Georgia and help adults identify and heal from negative core beliefs and trauma. I use a spiritual growth model to help individuals acknowledge their feelings, understand their behavior, explore childhood pain, and overcome trauma. I am known as a knowledgeable person who loves to smile and cares deeply enough to tell the hard truth.
One aspect of my practice that sets me apart is my ethnic heritage and cultural upbringing. As an American with Jamaican roots, I can relate to individuals from immigrant households, the Caribbean, and the African diaspora. I have specialized insight and culturally sensitive tools which converge at the intersection of theology, psychology, and ethnicity.
What I love about my work is meeting people where they are and moving them forward through emotional empowerment, grace, and building resilience that leads to wholeness. I help individuals and couples understand and overcome anxiety, anger, depression, dysfunctional patterns, past trauma, church hurt and abuse, racial distress, and life transitions. One central objective of my practice is to empower people to reclaim their story.
People are always worth investing in. There is immense value when people invest in mental health therapy. My brand of therapy helps individuals honor and make sense of the past, provide present-day relief and strength, and aid in the journey for future transformation.
Any big plans?
Every day I am thankful for all that I have but I still have a hunger to create a non-profit to help people prioritize their afterlife preparation. My father passed away in April 2025. It was an incredibly difficult time for the family because he did not make adequate preparations. I do not want anyone else to go through what my family had to endure. Therefore, I am creating programs and courses to guide individuals and families through this journey. I plan to develop online communities and in-person gatherings. I desire to travel around the nation helping families reconcile with each other, create generational wealth, and pass on their legacies to their loved ones.
Pricing:
- Individual Services – $160
- Couples Services – $180
- Premarital Services – $110
- EMDR Intensives: 3 + hours – starting at $500
- Marital/Infidelity Recovery Intensives: 3 + hours starting at $500
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.intentionalbridges.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjamesfrancislmhc/
