Chacko (James) Vadayil Varkey, PACFA
12 years in practice
Chacko (James) Vadayil Varkey is a PACFA clinical psychotherapist who draws on 12 years of professional experience.
License and registration
- PACFA
- 23563 · expires June 2026
- Years in practice
- 12
- Languages
- English, Hindi, Malayalam
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the registration with the body that granted it.
About Chacko
Chacko (James) Vadayil Varkey is a PACFA clinical psychotherapist who draws on 12 years of professional experience. He combines psychotherapy with insights from theology, criminology, psychology and family law to help people facing stress, anxiety, relationship strain and trauma. He offers direct, person-focused support in English, Hindi and Malayalam.
His work is practical and grounded. Sessions focus on what is happening now and what a person wants to change. He uses approaches such as existential therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and attachment-based methods to help people make sense of difficult feelings and decisions.
Background and approach
James has worked with people from many cultural and spiritual backgrounds. He has experience with depression, complex trauma, attachment issues and personality-related concerns. He also supports people coping with adoption and foster care matters, abandonment and body-image struggles.
He uses techniques drawn from cognitive behavioural therapy, client-centred work and emotion-focused ideas when they fit the person’s goals. Conversations may include values clarification, behaviour experiments and skills for managing intense emotions. Getting started involves a simple matching process and scheduling.
The first sessions typically focus on what feels most urgent and on building a clear plan together. James aims to keep sessions direct, respectful and easy to understand.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Chacko lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Depression
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Hearing impaired
- HIV / AIDS
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Traumatic brain injury
- Young adult issues
Approaches Chacko names
- Existential Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Gottman Method
- Imago Relationship Therapy
- Jungian Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
Therapeutic approaches you can access online
Existential therapy invites people to consider meaning, freedom and responsibility in their lives. It often helps when someone is facing big life questions, identity shifts or a sense of emptiness by focusing on what matters to them. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches practical skills to notice thoughts and feelings without struggling with them and to commit to actions that match personal values; it is useful for anxiety, avoidance and motivation problems.Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships shape current ways of connecting and reacting. It can help people understand patterns in relationships and try new ways of relating that feel safer and more satisfying. James will work with each person to decide which approach or combination fits best, based on their goals and preferences. He treats this as a collaborative process where the client’s experience guides adjustments to the plan.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging, giving flexibility to choose what fits day-to-day life. Video is useful for deeper conversations and non-verbal cues, phone calls can work when bandwidth is limited, and chat or messaging can suit brief check-ins or those who prefer writing. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, family and other commitments while keeping the focus on progress and practical next steps.
We will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you. It does not change what you pay or the order of the listings.
Questions people ask
What kinds of concerns does this therapist help with?
He supports people with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship strain, trauma and abuse. Additional focus areas include attachment issues, body image and adoption or foster care related matters.
What is the therapist's general approach in sessions?
The approach is practical and person-centred, combining existential questions with techniques from ACT and CBT. Conversations tend to focus on values, coping skills and clearer decision-making.
What experience does the therapist have?
He has 12 years of professional experience across psychotherapy, theology, criminology, psychology and family law. That background informs a broad clinical perspective.
What credentials and location are listed for this therapist?
He is credentialed with the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) and practises in Australia.
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English, Hindi and Malayalam.
What session formats are available?
Sessions can be conducted via video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging depending on the person’s preference.
How does cost and payment work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin therapy with this practitioner?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, then schedule according to the therapist’s availability.
Is this your profile?
Ask us to correct details or take the page down.
Contact us