LMFT, 21 years of experience
New to Grow
Hello! I’m Brenda De Monge, a passionate Marriage and Family Therapist. I'm currently in my fourth year of doctoral studies in Psychology at Southern California Health Science, formerly Reiss-Davis Graduate Institute, specializing in trauma and neurobiology. With over 21 years of experience, I take pride in providing trauma-informed care, meeting my clients where they are, and supporting them in reaching their goals. I use these treatment methods: • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). I have used CBT in my practice to help clients challenge recurring thoughts and manage their anxiety. We’ll work with CBT to understand how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact with each other. Then apply that knowledge to change your thinking patterns, which will help you live a less anxious and stressful life. • Trauma-Focused CBT is a short-term therapy designed for children ages 3-18 who experienced various types of traumas, including physical, emotional, & sexual abuse. When working with young children, the parents/caregivers are key, as they provide ongoing support. By attending sessions, parents will gain a deeper understanding of the root causes of the issues. Over the past 20 years, I have worked with families using this model, & it has been helpful to them. • Seeking Safety is a treatment approach I have used with clients for more than 15 years. It assists individuals dealing with trauma & addiction by emphasizing safety and coping skills. • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) has proven to be a helpful approach in easing obsessive thoughts, reducing intrusive memories, & empowering clients to stay calm while learning ways to handle future challenges and symptoms. Since 2019, I’ve supported children, teens, & adults in managing their post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, & panic disorder through EMDR. In addition, I’ve helped clients with war-related trauma & child sexual assault.
In our first session, I am excited to get to know you better. As your therapist, I warmly invite you to share about yourself and what you hope to gain from our time together. I’ll also tell you a little about my background so we can build a connection. We'll go over some forms you’ve filled out, like the PHQ-9 and GAD-7, which help us keep track of your progress with depression and anxiety. If you have symptoms of PTSD, we’ll use a different checklist. Each session, I’ll ask what you’d like to focus on—because your comfort matters most, and you’re always in control of what you share. Together, we will set your treatment goals, and I am here to support you every step of your journey.
All of us have strengths and challenges. One of my greatest strengths as a psychotherapist is listening to my clients and being non-judgmental. At the same time,
I offer supportive therapy services to clients dealing with a range of experiences such as anxiety, depression, domestic violence, child sexual abuse, assault, and trauma-related conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder and panic attacks. I’ve had the pleasure of working with clients as young as 3 years old and as inspiring as those in their 80s.
I began working with children and their families who faced different types of abuse. Using this approach helped them cope, learn new skills, and handle their symptoms.
When providing therapeutic interventions, I meet the clients where they are. This means that I look for the most effective treatment skills for you, whether now or in the future. As a clinician, I utilize the necessary tools to help you improve and achieve your therapeutic goals. This approach works well when working with clients from diverse backgrounds.