About

Hi. I’m Brian Mason, an LCSW from Illinois. I provide talk therapy/counseling over the internet. Ideally, we would meet weekly for 45–50-minute sessions. Not quite a 60-minute hour, but that gives us time to run over if necessary. I’ve been working in mental health for a long time, most often with young people and their families. The struggles were about trauma, abuse, loss, depression, anxiety, ADD, family conflict, self-esteem, school issues, work issues, procrastination, anger and a little bit of substance use. I have worked in outpatient, intensive outpatient programs, partial hospitalization programs and residential programs. My style of work is to help you focus on the issues that are troubling you while providing an emotionally safe place to work through different problems, and, over time, help you heal inner conflicts to the point that they don’t intrude on everyday life (or their effects are considerably reduced). I am familiar with several different therapies like Cognitive Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness and Motivational Interviewing, but those are all add-ons to the basic process of creating a safe, nonjudgmental, healing, talking/listening relationship to work through the traumas and losses that affect us all. Choosing to do therapy is a big deal. It is a risk to reach out and trust someone you don’t know when you are hurting. However, we will go at your speed, based on your feelings of safety. Ideally, our therapeutic relationship will develop the necessary trust over time to work through some core issues. Life is rarely simple and so simple answers rarely work. Troubling events happen that overwhelm us. Frequently, there are biological/developmental/family factors which not only complicate the process, but require medication support. I am experienced in helping people work with their doctor to find and understand appropriate medication. I hope I can be of help. I wish you well as you seek a therapist and try to change your life.