Clinical Team
Brenna Fitzgerald
Training: University at Buffalo School of Social Work (advanced-year MSW candidate), University of Arizona (Master of Fine Arts), Cornell University (Bachelor of Arts in History, minor in Asian studies)
Brenna (she/her) is in her advanced year at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work. She also holds an MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of Arizona, is a certified Holistic Health Coach, and has nearly 20 years of experience teaching restorative yoga and meditation to clients with disordered eating, substance use, and complex trauma. Brenna has a background in social justice education and has lived and worked in many different countries with people of diverse cultural backgrounds. For the past six years, she has served as a personal growth coach for college-bound adolescents from China, supporting them in stress management, anxiety, emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, goal setting, and career exploration. Brenna recently served as an intern at Tompkins County Mental Health, where she facilitated treatment groups for folks healing from trauma and in recovery from substance use.
Her areas of clinical focus center on supporting adult and adolescent clients navigating anxiety, depression, substance use, disordered eating, neurodiversity challenges, complex PTSD, grief, and various life transitions. Brenna adopts a trauma-informed, person-centered, empowerment-based approach to psychotherapy that focuses on clients’ strengths and resilience. She draws on mindfulness and somatic practices as well as evidence-based modalities such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy. Brenna offers a compassionate, calm, and encouraging energy in supporting her clients as they make changes to improve their well-being, cultivate healthy relationships, find meaning and purpose, and live in alignment with their values. In her personal time, she enjoys yoga, writing, making collage art, being in nature, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family.
Areas of Expertise: Depression, Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Eating Disorders, Substance-Related Disorders, Post-traumatic Stress Disorders, Grief and Loss, Cross-cultural counseling