Brenda Wicks
Calm, practical guidance for families
- Credentials
- LMFT
- Experience
- 23 years
- Licensed in
- California
- Languages
- English
- Format
- Online sessions
About Brenda
Brenda Wicks is a licensed marriage and family therapist who helps parents and families facing stress, anxiety, grief, addiction, and relationship struggles. She brings 23 years of experience in mental health and focuses on practical support for everyday family challenges. Brenda speaks English and practices in California as CA LMFT 51256.
Her style is warm, supportive, and interactive. She aims to make sessions feel respectful and nonjudgmental. Conversations are tailored to each family's needs, and she avoids stigmatizing labels.
Background and approach
Brenda uses straightforward tools to address problems. She draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. She also uses Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills to help manage intense emotions.
Emotionally-Focused Therapy guides work on relationship dynamics and connection. Client-Centered Therapy keeps the family's priorities and goals at the center of planning. Mindfulness practices are used to reduce stress and improve focus in daily life.
With many years in diverse settings, Brenda has helped people dealing with parenting stress, blended family issues, communication problems, addiction, ADHD, and trauma-related concerns. She also has experience supporting victims of violent crimes and those coping with caregiver stress. Sessions can happen by video, phone, live chat, or text messaging.
Getting started involves a short matching questionnaire and scheduling through the Start Therapy button. Costs vary by location and use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How Brenda's Approaches Work Online
Client-Centered Therapy places the family's goals and priorities at the center. Sessions focus on listening, reflecting, and helping families decide what matters most. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and actions and teaches practical skills to change unhelpful patterns. DBT, or Dialectical Behavior Therapy, adds tools for tolerating strong emotions and improving relationships through skills like distress tolerance and mindfulness.Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss concerns, goals, and preferences with the family and together decide which methods to use. Treatment plans are adjusted over time based on what helps most, and the process is collaborative rather than one-size-fits-all.
Online therapy makes these approaches accessible through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These formats allow for flexible scheduling around family life and offer options for short check-ins or longer sessions. Many families find online sessions easier to fit into busy days while still getting consistent support and practical skills from a licensed professional.
Client-Centered Therapy
The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Concrete skills for riding out strong emotion, tolerating distress, and handling relationships without things escalating. The skills are practised in daily life, so between-session support by message or phone fits naturally.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Grief
Also works with
- 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
Next step
Talk to Brenda
- Takes a few minutes
- Nothing to set up just to look
- Stop at any point