Brittany Bate (she/her)

As a member of the LGB+ community myself, I have sought out further training and education in providing culturally-competent, affirming care with LGB/TGNC/+ populations. Additionally, as research indicates substance abuse, trauma, and co-occuring mental health disorders are higher within LGBTQ+ communities, I have also received specialized training in the areas of substance abuse, trauma, and anxiety/depression.

Throughout my training I have provided individual and group treatment relating to trauma-related disorders, grief, and loss, and consider it a privilege to be trusted with some of the most painful and vulnerable moments a person has experienced. I have utilized several different empirically-supported approaches, including Cognitive Processing Therapy and Trauma-Focused CBT.

I am a member of the the American Psychological Association Division 44 – Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. I have attended and continue to attend trainings relating to the provision of gender-affirming therapy and assessment and participate in a peer consultation group with several colleagues who have expertise in working with the TGNC+ community. I work with folx age 8 and up, as well as couples, and families.

I utilize an integrative approach to therapy, relying on empirically-supported principles to include Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Humanistic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy in achieving desired therapeutic outcomes. No one person is ever the same; thus, it is of utmost importance for myself and the client to work collaboratively and tirelessly to find the best treatment for them.

CBT is a short-term, goal-oriented psychotherapy treatment that takes a hands-on, practical approach to problem-solving. Its goal is to change patterns of thinking or behavior that are behind people's difficulties, and so change the way they feel. It is well validated in the literature as one of the most effective treatments for anxiety, depression, sleeping difficulties, relationship problems, and addiction.

DBT is a type of cognitive-based therapy shown in the research to be effective in treating a variety of disorders, including borderline personality disorder, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress responses, as well as addiction. It includes four main components (mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance). Each component includes a set of skills that I will teach the client to use and apply in their daily life

No two grief and loss journeys are the same. Still, as a person who has experienced significant and traumatic loss of a family member, I can at least begin to know where you may be coming from. We are in the same woods, even if we may be in different "necks," so to speak. In addition to the lived experience I bring to session, I have taken additional training on grief/loss work which further influences my therapeutic approach for both individual and group therapy services.