Brett Brightwell, LMFT

I decided to become a therapist after noticing my growing interest in relationships of all kinds throughout my childhood and young adult life, and how drawn I was to talking with others about their lives, struggles, happiness, and anything in between. I did my first science fair project in the 7th grade, on the study of addiction and genetics using data from a psychiatric facility, where I would volunteer in my youth. My connection to therapy also stemmed from my constant interest in reading articles and published materials on all kinds of subjects related to counseling, relationships, and psychology, outside of any work or schooling. I also studied Autism/ASD as an undergraduate student and then worked as a teacher with students who were ages 2 to 15, as well as their families. I became very invested in understanding and implementing different teaching work with all members of the families with whom I worked. I eventually realized that I wanted to work with individual adults and couples through counseling and went to graduate school for that Master’s degree, and then followed it up by working in private practice. In my time doing this work, I have never regretted the decision to pursue this career and find it extremely fulfilling.