About Brenda
Brenda Wicks is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) based in California with 23 years of clinical experience. She focuses on everyday struggles like stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and ADHD. Brenda also supports people facing addiction, career changes, relationship strain, and parenting challenges.
Her tone is warm and direct, aimed at helping people take manageable steps forward. Brenda uses a supportive, interactive style in sessions. She listens closely and helps clients set clear goals.
Background and approach
Conversations are practical and focused on skills people can use between appointments. Her work draws on several approaches including client-centered listening, cognitive behavioral techniques, and dialectical behavior strategies. She blends these methods to match each person's needs rather than using one fixed method.
Brenda has long experience helping people cope with trauma, anger, attachment and abandonment issues, and compassion fatigue. She also supports those dealing with body image, codependency, caregiver stress, and problems tied to blended family dynamics. Sessions may involve learning new ways to manage emotions, practicing mindfulness, and building communication skills.
Brenda aims to create a respectful space where people feel heard and can try new coping tools. She helps clients move from feeling stuck to taking concrete steps toward change.
Approaches that guide online sessions
Client-centered work focuses on listening and understanding what matters most to the client. The therapist follows the client's lead and helps people clarify goals and values, which can be useful for relationship strain, self-esteem, and parenting stress.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and actions. Clients learn concrete tools to test unhelpful thoughts and change behaviors, a good fit for anxiety, depression, and ADHD-related challenges.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) adds skills for managing intense emotions and improving relationships. It teaches distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and clearer communication techniques that help with anger, impulsivity, and mood swings.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Brenda will help figure out which methods fit each person's needs, goals, and preferences. She adapts techniques over time, so therapy stays focused and relevant as goals change.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is useful for in-depth sessions that need face-to-face interaction. Phone sessions can fit into a work break or be used when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and messaging work well for short check-ins, skill practice, or ongoing support between longer sessions. These options make it easier to keep consistent care while fitting therapy into a busy life.
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Grief
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 23 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English
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