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My name is Brenda Brooks, and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based in Ventura County, California. I graduated from California Lutheran University with my Master's Degree in 2014. I have experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and families facing different life challenges and mental health illnesses ranging from anxiety, depression, ADHD, and trauma such as sexual abuse, physical/emotional abuse, and domestic violence.
My approach
I've been trained in CBT, trauma-focused CBT, and the Psycho-dynamic Approach and utilize the necessary interventions on a case-by-case basis with the understanding that everyone has different needs. I work collaboratively with my clients and frequently review treatment goals to ensure my clients are getting what they need from the therapeutic process.
My focus
I currently work with primarily adults and adolescents who have unresolved trauma, are facing life transitions, and are struggling with the effects of trans-generational trauma in their lives. This often presents itself in the form of Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Stress, and Self-esteem issues. My goal is not only to join you in your journey but to help you dive into the core of your problems so that we can, in a collaborative sense, explore and identify effective and valuable strategies to overcome those problems. Battling such issues can feel lonely and exhausting, but it doesn't have to be this way, and I want to join you in your journey of healing.
My communication style
My communication style is calm, curious, and empathetic. My goal is to listen without judgment and help my clients explore their thoughts and feelings in a safe space while also learning about themselves in the process. I believe that you are the expert in your life; hence, I follow your lead in the therapeutic process while providing guidance to self-discovery and positive change.
My journey to mental healthcare
I chose to become a therapist with the hope that I could make a difference in people's lives by helping them heal, grow, and live their lives joyfully and wholeheartedly. I take pride in helping others and have always found myself feeling other people's feelings and experiences very deeply, which has resulted in my own growth as a mental health professional. I look forward to our work together because I care and want to help.
My goals for you
My approach to goal setting is in a collaborative manner. I help my clients articulate what it is that they want to accomplish in their therapeutic process by defining measurable and attainable goals that will help improve their functioning whether it be in school, home, socially, work, etc. Over the course of our work together, we will review those goals and update them as needed while also tracking your progress on a week-to-week basis.
My first session with you
What you can expect from our first session together is me trying to understand why you're in therapy. The way I do this is by engaging my clients in a thorough assessment where I ask a lot of questions and get to know you. In this first session, my clients will also be getting to know me, and it is in this first session that we begin to establish rapport and begin to form a therapeutic relationship. The first session will also give me an idea of the therapeutic approach that will work best for you moving forward.
