01 · Who Bryan works with

Bryan works with stress, Anxiety, grief and coping with life changes

Bryan lists 10 specialisms and 9 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Bryan chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Bryan's own words

What Bryan says about the work

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

Hi. My name is Bryan Busse and thank you for considering me for your counselor. People look to BetterHelp for many reasons and desire many different outcomes but one of the most important factors in successful counseling is establishing rapport and trust. It is with that in mind I share the following. I diligently work to build and maintain the kind of empathic relationship where you explore, work through, and resolve the issues that are important to you. As everyone is unique, I take an eclectic approach to counseling, using skills acquired from 28 years of licensure and a lifetime of personal experiences. If you’d like more specifics, continue reading, if not you can skip to the next to the last paragraph for important "housekeeping" information.

I hold a Master’s degree with honors from my graduate Counseling Psychology program. Interning exposed me to substance abuse and addiction therapy working in a methodone treatment center for opiate users and in a high school setting for adolescents who were experimenting. Those two programs led to interning at a county school for emotionally disturbed, at-risk youth and later practice with the same population for a county-mandated residential care program. Afterward, a professor contacted me to work with him in a neuropsychology practice treating traumatic brain injuries, brain disorders, dementia, and pain management. It was there I trained in neurofeedback and biofeedback which exposed and trained me in a more medical model of counseling in addition to utilizing psychology. Shortly thereafter I sat for the California State Board Exams and was fully licensed as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in 2004. I have worked in private practice and clinical settings but it was as a caregiver for, and survivor of, a family member with Alzheimer’s Disease dementia that inspired me to specialize in geriatric care. I have worked with hospice care, home health, personal assistant services, independent and assisted living communities, and memory care.

Personally, I am a father of one and stepfather to another, both adults now. I have been married and divorced as well as coming from a divorced family of origin. I am a survivor of a parent with life-limiting dementia and cancer as well as another with alcoholism, emphysema, and early childhood trauma. I have lived well and had to pick myself up from the floor and move forward at times. I’ve traveled the world, mostly to developing countries, and gained the insight, perspective, and respect that international travel affords. Lastly, I had a previous career in business and finance which grounds me in reality and solutions.

As I am new to the BetterHelp platform, I have purposely limited my availability to M - F in 45-minute time blocks during specific hours. Should you want to schedule other times or decrease your sessions to 30 minutes, please discuss that with me. I suggest a minimum of 1 scheduled video session per week but have found it more productive to schedule 2, especially as our relationship begins. Of course, our session frequency and duration will always be open to adjustments as needed. Feel free to reach out to me on the BetterHelp platform when issues arise that you think have some urgency. I do shelter time for my family and friends but will try to answer any communication within 12 to 24 hours unless I am away from internet connectivity. At those rare times, I ask for your patience and understanding. I will respond as soon as I am able. If an emergency arises, please call 988 or 911 for immediate help, and if possible, leave a message for me here on the BetterHelp platform as soon as you are able.

From these lenses, experiences, perspectives, and practicalities I can offer assistance. It is said, “The first step in problem resolution is recognition”. The second is reaching for help. You are already on your way. I look forward to our first session and those that follow.

Warm Professional Regards, Bryan Busse, LMFT

Bryan Busse, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Bryan works

The 8 approaches Bryan lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Bryan lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Bryan'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 Bryan 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.

Attachment-Based Therapy

Reads present-day relationship difficulty through the lens of how safety and closeness were learned early on. The therapeutic relationship itself is treated as part of the work, because it is where the pattern tends to show up first.

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.

The Gottman Method

A couples approach built on decades of observational research into what distinguishes relationships that last. Structured and assessment-led: it maps friendship, conflict and shared meaning, then works on the specific mechanics of how the two of you argue.

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.

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.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Bryan 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 Bryan'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 Bryan at this point.

2. Naming Bryan specifically

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

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 Bryan

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

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Attachment-Based 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 28 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

LMFT

Licensed in

California

Licence

CA LMFT 42542

Licence number

42542

Licence expires

31 Jul 2027

NPI

1174720478

Years in practice

28

Gender

Male

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Bryan'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 Bryan. 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.

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