01 · Who Brenda works with

Brenda works with stress, Anxiety, trauma and abuse and grief

Brenda lists 5 specialisms and 68 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Brenda chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Brenda's own words

What Brenda says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

I am currently working part time Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I am EST and usually work afternoons. I am a Licensed Professional counselor with over 15 years of experience as a therapist in a private practice and I am also a hypnosis coach. I have worked with a wide variety of clients, military, first responder, and other people from all walks of life. My clients were of various diagnosis: PTSD, Anxiety, Depression, ADHD, to name a few.

I have a gentle but warm counseling style. I believe in seeing the world from my clients eyes and then work on expanding the world view. I treat client with respect, compassion, and empathy. I have several therapeutic approaches such as cognitive-behavioral, rational emotive behavioral, mindfulness, and humanistic. I do not believe in the "cookie cutter" approach, I will get to know you and work with you on the approach the works best for you.

I believe therapy can be life changing for the better and it will be the best decision you can make, not just with me but any therapist. You are not alone and there are options to help better your mental health.

I would enjoy working with you!

Brenda Lauer, on the BetterHelp listing · read 7 Nov 2026

03 · How Brenda works

The 6 approaches Brenda lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Brenda lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Brenda's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Brenda runs a session.

Acceptance and Commitment TherapyACT

Rather than trying to argue a painful thought away, ACT works on loosening its grip and getting on with what matters to you anyway. Sessions spend real time naming your values, then building action around them while difficult feelings are still present.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Emotionally Focused TherapyEFT

Built for couples and rooted in attachment: the recurring argument is treated as a cycle two people are stuck in rather than as one person's fault. Sessions work to interrupt the cycle and get to what each person is actually asking for underneath it.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed

CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Brenda practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Brenda's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Brenda at this point.

2. Naming Brenda specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Brenda is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Brenda.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking Brenda

Built from what Brenda actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Brenda's - Brenda has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “With 15 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LPC

Licensed in

Missouri

Licence

MO LPC 2003002001

Licence number

2003002001

Licence expires

30 Jun 2027

NPI

1114077864

Years in practice

15

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Brenda's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 7 Nov 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Brenda. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.