Profile / United States
Leah Brooks, LCSW
California
LCSW - Anxiety and Trauma focus
See online therapy options- CBT and ACT methods
- Trauma processing tools
- Sexuality and identity topics
About Leah
Leah Brooks is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in California with 11 years of experience. She focuses on stress, anxiety, LGBTQ matters, trauma and abuse, self-esteem, and depression. Leah uses clear, practical strategies to address everyday problems and emotional pain.
Her work blends cognitive behavioral ideas with acceptance-based and mindfulness practices. She talks through thoughts and habits with clients, pointing out patterns that keep problems going. Sessions also draw on trauma-focused work when needed, using techniques to help process upsetting memories and reactions.
Leah pays attention to relationships and identity issues that affect mental health. She helps people facing body image concerns, sexuality questions, and issues around kink or nontraditional sexual cultures. Communication problems and social anxiety are common topics in her sessions.
She also offers focused support for first responders and veterans, addressing stress linked to service and exposure to difficult events. Smoking and vaping cessation, coping with isolation, and rebuilding self-love after shame or guilt are other areas she addresses.
Leah describes therapy as a step-by-step process. She helps people set small, manageable goals and practices new skills between sessions. The aim is to change how daily thoughts and actions add up so life feels more livable over time.
How her approaches translate to online work
Leah combines Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy alongside EMDR-informed trauma work. CBT focuses on noticing automatic thoughts and testing them with practical exercises. It is useful for anxiety, social fear, and mood problems. ACT emphasizes values and accepting difficult feelings while committing to small actions that matter. EMDR-informed methods aim to reduce the impact of traumatic memories through structured processing.Choosing the right approach is part of the first few sessions. Leah collaborates with clients to match methods to their goals, symptoms, and day-to-day constraints. She may start with behavioral experiments from CBT, add mindfulness or ACT tools, and use trauma-focused work when appropriate.
Confirm the exact online session formats before booking since the profile does not list formats. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a workday, reduce travel time, or allow shorter check-ins when needed. They also let people use approaches like homework-based CBT and mindfulness practice in their usual environments, helping skills transfer to daily life.
Areas of expertise
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
11+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address most often?
She commonly works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, self-esteem issues, depression, and LGBTQ-related concerns.
How does she use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
She uses CBT to identify unhelpful thoughts and habits and to practice alternative responses through short exercises and between-session work.
What is her professional background?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 11 years of professional experience working in mental health settings.
Where is she licensed to practice?
She holds an LCSW credential in California and practices under that license in the state.
Which languages does she offer sessions in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the United States work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are sessions scheduled and what formats are used?
Please confirm current session format options before booking; the profile does not list formats explicitly.
How are fees and payments handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe, use the crisis numbers.