Cheryl Bierbaum LCSW

Anxiety is loud and exhausting — but here's what most people don't know: it's actually your brain's protective mechanism working overtime. It's not broken, it's just misfiring. I help adults understand exactly what's happening neurologically when anxiety takes over, then use practical CBT and neuroplasticity tools to retrain those protective responses so they work for you instead of against you. You have far more authority over anxious thoughts than anxiety wants you to believe.

Burnout isn't just being tired — it's what happens when you've given everything to everyone else and have nothing left for yourself. You may feel emotionally flat, disconnected, or like you're just going through the motions. I help you identify what's depleting you, rebuild sustainable boundaries, and reconnect with a sense of purpose and energy that actually lasts.

Depression has a way of making everything feel permanent — the heaviness, the disconnection, the loss of joy in things that used to matter. I work with adults to understand the brain patterns underneath depression and build a practical path back to energy, motivation, and genuine hope. You don't have to just wait for it to lift.

Depression has a way of making everything feel permanent — the heaviness, the disconnection, the loss of joy in things that used to matter. I work with adults to understand the brain patterns underneath depression and build a practical path back to energy, motivation, and genuine hope. You don't have to just wait for it to lift.

CBT is the foundation of how I work. It's a practical, research-backed approach that helps you identify the thought patterns driving your anxiety, depression, or burnout — and systematically replace them with responses that are more accurate and more helpful. We don't just talk about your thoughts, we actively rewire them. Most clients start noticing real shifts within the first few sessions.

ACT teaches you to stop fighting your thoughts and feelings and start moving toward the life you actually want despite them. Rather than trying to eliminate anxiety or difficult emotions, we work on loosening their grip so they no longer control your choices. It's a powerful complement to CBT — especially for clients who feel stuck in cycles they can't think their way out of.

Change is hard — especially when part of you wants things to be different and part of you is comfortable with how things are. Motivational Interviewing helps resolve that inner tension by exploring your own values, goals, and reasons for change rather than being told what to do. I use it to help clients move from stuck and ambivalent to genuinely ready and motivated to do the work.