PTC

Brett Stithem

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

***I AM NOT ABLE TO ACCEPT NEW CLIENTS AT THIS TIME*** I am a licensed clinical social worker in private practice. I work with individual adolescents and adults, ages 13 and up. When I am seeing a client under the age of 18, I require intermittent family sessions as well.

Services

Individual Therapy

Individual Therapy

My Approach

My fundamental belief about therapy, and relationships in general, is that we primarily wish to be seen, heard, and understood. This requires the development of mutual trust in order to provide a "safe enough" context to explore sometimes difficult dynamics and material. While we may come to therapy hoping for immediate relief or resolution, we ultimately benefit from the opportunity to listen to ourselves in a new way, and to begin to trust our own authority. I believe that psychotherapy offers a unique, sacred relationship in which we can experience and integrate the "good, bad, and ugly" parts of ourselves. The process of collaboratively making meaning of our thoughts, feelings, and experience allows us to feel more acceptable, lovable, and whole. I do not subscribe to a technical or scripted approach to therapy. My goal is to arrive at each session with an open, authentic presence, and to allow for each relationship to develop its own organic pace, language, and approach.

My Background

I have over 7 years of experience as a licensed therapist working with adults, adolescents, and families. I earned my master's degree in clinical social work from the University of Chicago in 2010. I lived in Chicago for the past 15 years, where I worked with vulnerable and underserved populations in various roles and settings, including inpatient and residential care, therapeutic school, outpatient counseling and community mental health, hospital emergency departments, and private practice. I also worked for the past 3 years in the country's top rated inpatient medical rehabilitation hospital, where I provided counseling to patients recovering from and adjusting to life changing injuries and illnesses. My training is primarily in psychodynamic, relational theories of intervention, but I integrate elements of family systems theory, CBT, and mindfulness practice when appropriate.