Brendon Bass
Overwhelmed? Trouble saying "no" to people? Do you sometimes feel like you're making decisions based on other people's opinions/wants/needs/expectations over your own? Are your feelings and needs getting neglected? Or maybe talking about feelings is just really difficult for you, as it is for most people. It's common to avoid communication all together because it just feels like conflict. I am an openly a queer person, running a private practice since 2021, but practicing therapy full-time since 2018. I focus on trauma work, anxiety, shame, identity exploration, and boundaries/setting limits! When I say trauma work, sometimes people always assume the most extreme - but with all clients I find it beneficial to reflect on impactful or very painful past experiences and how it shapes our relationships and present-day life. I can offer you a better understanding and education of your body's nervous system, because the mind and body are connected, and trauma is held within our bodies. My goal is to work with you on improving self-awareness, understanding your automatic reactions, and having direct coping tools based on your specific experiences and mental health symptoms, so you can enjoy the present and feel more free and in control. I’ll help you identify your unmet needs and your emotions, and practice better communication and conflict-resolution often, too. However as educational, direct, and action-oriented I try to be, I also work from a place of compassion. Therapy is very vulnerable! I am ultimately giving you the space and time to get any current worries off your mind, and I try to always work from a place of patience, empathy, and flexibility, too. I've been in the client's chair many times, and I know exactly how important it is to feel free to talk without being judged.
First session
Our first session is usually reviewing over main highlights from the intake paperwork; discussing your primary concern, goals, heightened symptoms, clarity on certain questions, understanding your daily life, and building a general direction forward. I’d also say it’s very flexible; sometimes there is a primary topic we spend a lot of time talking about on the first day, and we may keep it candid and talk about that! I’ll meet you where you’re at. Overall though, I usually go over the highlights and then offer what therapy would look like going forward after the initial intake questions are done; what experiences and relationships we may unpack more, tools we will explore (grounding, education, role-playing conversations, etc), as well as building rapport and comfort. We will develop a treatment plan. Usually within the first couple sessions, clients are nervous, so this first session is also helpful in building trust and comfort.
Strengths
I combine directness, education, and turning insight into action-oriented commitments, with patience, flexibility, and kindness. I want to answer the question “I think I understand why I feel bad, but what do I do?” A lot of the time, we end up breaking down small steps/goals to face our fears, experiment, and take meaningful risks, in order to invite big change.
Ideal clients
Ideal clients I work best with are people exploring life outside of expectations; exploring identity outside of our career role, gender, cultural and social expectations, fear-based, etc. I explore past painful experiences, your role in relationships, expectations pressured onto you, in order to help you find resilience, new meaningful experiences, take risks, community, connection, strength, learn self-compassion, and openness and clarity of your own needs and emotions. I want to create insight into actionable change, so I combine compassion and flexibility with creative brainstorming and psycho-education on trauma response and coping tools.
Treatment methods
Gender-affirming therapy
I do a lot of identity work, exploring what authenticity means for you (taking risks, experimenting, challenging social and cultural norms and expectations, exploring shame, finding community, etc). I can also write necessary letters after rapport is built for gender-affirming surgeries for trans or nonbinary clients.
Gestalt
I discuss unfinished business, parts of us we are ashamed of, lots of role-play to work through unfinished business and “draft” difficult conversations. I explore the role you play in relationships and unmet needs, and how we can heal.
Trauma-Focused CBT
I have certificates in trauma-informed care, 8 years of experience working with trauma clients and working through a trauma lens, combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) tools - meaning I help offer education on our past experiences and past pain, helping you understand your protective coping mechanisms, the role you play in relationships, unmet needs, identifying emotions, and with an emphasis on mindfulness, anxiety reduction, identifying and facing our barriers, and reframing thought patterns and perspective.
Compassion Focused
Since I openly discuss shame, fear, and painful past experiences - I try to always work from a place of patience, empathy, and flexibility as I've been in the client's chair and I know exactly how important it is to feel free to talk without being judged.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
LGBTQ
Man
Multiracial
Pacific Islander
Spiritual but not religious
White
Top specialties
Anxiety
LGBTQ
Trauma and PTSD
Other specialties
Anger Management
Coping Skills
Depression
Life Transitions
Men's Issues
Peer Relationships
Self Esteem
Sexual Abuse
Serves
Adults (18 to 64)
Gender-fluid
Individual Therapy
Man
Non-binary
Transgender
Woman
Doesn't specialize in
Child Parent Psychotherapy
Child or Adolescent
Christian Counseling
Couples Counseling
Couples Counseling
Couples Counseling
Eating Disorders
Family Therapy
Family Therapy
Foster Care/Adoption
Group Therapy
High Clinical Acuity
Hypnotherapy
Perinatal Mental Health
Postpartum
Sandplay
Sex Therapy
Sex Therapy
Structural Family Therapy
Women's Issues
Licensed in
FloridaLicense MH18157
New YorkLicense 012071