New to Grow
Christopher C. Harris is a Researcher, Practitoner, and Educator in Social Science and Social Service from The City of Detroit. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor with experience working as a Clinical Therapist in residential and community-based care. Chris was also one semester shy of obtaining a Bachelors of Social Work from Wayne State University. The focus of his career is to support the Whole Health of individuals and improving relational health dynamics in homes and working environments, in support of the Social Determinants of Health in communities across America. Christopher has created an innovative interdisciplinary social service and social science model to health and human services called The CCH Approach. The CCH Approach supports individuals, families, and organizations with Learning through Psychoeducation, Healing through Trauma Rectification, and Growth through Life Skills Acquisition and Development. The CCH Approach integrates his private passion for learning, his personal experience overcoming complex trauma, and his professional acumen with 15 years of study and work experience within the fields of Psychology, Social Work, and Clinical Counseling.
I serve people through the integration of my private passion for learning, my lived experiences having survived and thrived life-threatening complex trauma & co-occuring disorders, & my professional acumen, with 15 years of study, training, & work experience in social science and social service. What you can expect from the first session is a warm and welcoming approach that builds the foundation for the psychological and emotional safety you will receive throughout our work together. You can also expect to receive a whole health focus that seeks to better understand your physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual wellness. Then we will work to specify the goals you hope to achieve through clinical counseling, and once we are clear on those goals, we will work together to develop a treatment plan that delicately but deliberately moves you in that direction.
My greatest strengths were summarized by one of my favorite reviews from a successful client: “Christopher Harris is the greatest counselor I have ever had. His unique combination of analytical and emotional counseling is exactly what I needed. Half of my session feels like a college lecture from a professor and I learn amazing skills, concepts, and philosophies. The other half is emotional enough to the point where I feel I am able to let things go and continue growing as a person.”
I love working with people who are motivated and prepared to create their highest quality of life. Whether you are experienced in participating in therapy, or you’re new to the process, I enjoy supporting people through the counseling relationship. I help with learning through psycho education, healing through trauma rectification, and growth through life skills acquisition and development. I am also a relational health specialist that helps people improve the quality of their professional, personal, and private relationships.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I utilize assessments and interventions in CBT to support patient’s as they work to understand and discern between the thoughts and feelings of their internal environment, and help to develop appropriate behavioral patterns to produce healthy outcomes for their external environment, including relationships and career development.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
I utilize skills in DBT to help patient’s understand and discern between realities that they must accept and those that can be changed. Realities that must be accepted will guide our treatment toward identiying and implementing healthy coping skills. Those that can be changed will see us focusing on behavioral modification as the goal. I also provide support based on the four pillars of DBT: Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotional Regulation, and Distress Tolerance.
Positive Psychology
The foundation of my work is rooted in Positive Psychology. I help patient’s to identify and focus on their strengths as we work to reduce or eliminate their challenges. I support them to develop narratives of themself that are strengths-based, and do not center on the deficits they perceive or experience.