01 · Who Brian works with

Brian works with stress, Anxiety, addictions and trauma and abuse

Brian lists 13 specialisms and 19 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Brian chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Brian's own words

What Brian says about the work

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

If you're reading this, then there is a good chance that you may be struggling or hurting (or trying to help someone who is). I'm sorry that you are in that space and I will do my absolute best to support you (and walk beside you) in your journey.

I am a firm believer in being open and forth coming. If something doesn't work for you - tell me and we can work to solve it. I appreciate a therapeutic relationship built on trust and honesty. If either one of us is lost, confused or concerned, then we discuss it and figure it out.

A little bit about me (just so folks know that I'm both a genuine person and that I have the experience and knowledge to do this work): I graduated from Temple University with my Master's Degree in Social work. I studied cognitive behavioral therapy, addiction counseling, rational emotive behavioral therapy, EMDR, motivational interviewing, and most importantly I studied Gestalt Therapy at the Gestalt Institute of Philadelphia for three years. (I'm also happy to give you a somewhat concise description of Gestalt Therapy because it is a bit ambiguous.) I teach part time at both Rutgers University and Camden County College. I have extensive experience providing trauma counseling (both individual and group) to survivors of sexual assault from multiple backgrounds.

I value my family and the awesome relationships I have with my friends and support people in my life. I have done a significant amount of work on my healing from trauma, and I use my experience not a measure of comparison but rather as a source of internal strength. I am proud of my well-earned accomplishments, and I work hard to learn from the things that I have screwed up (there’s plenty of them). I live in New Jersey, enjoy the outdoors, running, cycling, pina coladas and getting caught in the rain (I also tend to have a sarcastic sense of humor).

One caveat is that as a social worker and a therapist: I fall very far to the side that I believe that our society has oppressed and harmed many groups of individuals. I believe that it is our responsibility not just as individuals but also as therapists to actively support those who have been harmed by racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, ableism and anti-Semitism. So while I believe that providing culturally responsive care is essential, I go beyond that to see part of my responsibility is to work to undo that harm that has been done.

Finally, I encourage you to contact me to find out more about me before you make your decision. I am happy to answer questions you may have and give you an opportunity to find out more about me to make sure I am the right person for you.

Brian Colangelo (He/Him/His)

Brian Colangelo, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Brian works

The 7 approaches Brian lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Brian lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Brian'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 Brian runs a session.

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.

Eye Movement Desensitisation and ReprocessingEMDR

A structured trauma protocol in which you hold a distressing memory in mind while following a repeated side-to-side cue. The mechanism is still debated; the outcome data in post-traumatic stress is strong enough that it appears in national treatment guidelines.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Works on the assumption that current patterns - in relationships, at work, in how you treat yourself - have a history, and that seeing the history loosens the pattern. Less structured than CBT, usually longer, and more interested in what comes up unbidden than in a weekly agenda.

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.

Also listed

• Somatic Therapy

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Brian 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 Brian'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 Brian at this point.

2. Naming Brian specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Brian 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 Brian.

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 Brian

Built from what Brian actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Brian's - Brian 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

LCSW

Licensed in

New Jersey

Licence

NJ LCSW 44SC05390100

Licence number

44SC05390100

Licence expires

31 Aug 2028

NPI

1114169794

Years in practice

15

Gender

Male

Languages

English

International clients

Accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Brian'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 9 Oct 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 Brian. 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.