Therapist Benia Thomas Photo

Benia Thomas, LCSW

Stress, Anxiety LGBTQ+ Relationships Family conflicts Depression
Video Phone Live Chat Messaging

About me

Benia Thomas is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who received her Master of Social Work degree from Fordham University in New York with an emphasis in children, youth, and families. Benia completed her bachelor’s degree in Social Work at Lehman College, Bronx, NY.

Benia began her career working with children and families in the New York City foster care system. She went on to work with incarcerated women with severe mental illness, facilitating personal empowerment and psychoeducation groups and providing individual counseling. In addition, she was a clinical supervisor, in which she provided clinical supervision for Master level Social Workers.

Her areas of expertise include, stress, anxiety and depression, grief and loss, family/relationship issues, personal growth, and LGBTQ+ related issues. She especially enjoys working with adolescents and young adults. As a lesbian who has been working with the LGBTQ+ community on a professional basis for over ten years. This background provides me with unique expertise on issues that tend to be a part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender experience.

Benia believes that healing is a collaborative endeavor that requires honest caring without judgment, and cooperatively assists her clients in clarifying their goals for treatment. Rather than adopting one methodology for all individuals and issues, she draws from a variety of methods to create a tailored approach for each individual and situation. As a therapist, she is warm, open, encouraging, and direct. Benia considers herself an active therapist, combining experience, education, creativity, and sense of humor with a down-to-earth, realistic approach to counseling.

Your story, your pain, and your collection of struggles are unique to you. There is no one size fits all approach to therapy. Together, we will spend time understanding exactly what you are experiencing and why, so that when you start making changes that improve your life, they will stick.

Professional experience

12yrs in practice
Stress, Anxiety LGBTQ+ Relationships Family conflicts Depression

Additional areas of focus: Trauma and abuse, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Parenting issues, Anger management, Self esteem, Career difficulties, Coping with life changes, Compassion fatigue, Abandonment, Adoption and Foster Care, Attachment issues, Blended Family Issues, Body image, Caregiver issues and stress, Codependency, Commitment Issues, Communication problems, Control issues, Divorce and separation, Domestic Violence, Emptiness, Family Problems, Forgiveness, Gender Dysphoria, Guilt and shame, HIV / AIDS, Impulsivity, Isolation / loneliness, Jealousy, Life purpose, Money and financial issues, Mood disorders , Polyamory / Nonmonogamous Relationships, Post-traumatic stress, Prejudice and Discrimination, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Self-Harm, Self-love, Sexuality, Social anxiety and phobia, Women's issues, Workplace issues, Young Adult Issues

Clinical approaches: Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy

Services offered

Video
Phone
Live Chat
Messaging

License information

NJ LCSW 44SC06278100

NY LCSW 087655

Reviews

These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Benia Thomas. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.

Her intelligence, caring, honesty and attitude is perfect for me

Written on Mar 19, 2023 after therapy with Benia for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, and trauma and abuse

Benia is an intelligent and empathetic therapist whose gentle approach helps me to take inventory of the great and not-so-great in my life in a nonjudgmental way so that I can take action.

Written on Nov 19, 2021 after therapy with Benia for 3 weeks on issues concerning relationship issues, and self esteem

Benia is one of the most compassionate and honest therapists around. Her approach really pushed me to be introspective and critical but also taught me self-compassion and boundary-building. She keeps it real, but also meets you where you are and I think that’s what makes her such an incredible therapist.

Written on Sep 01, 2021 after therapy with Benia for 3 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, lgbt, relationship issues, grief, sleeping disorders, self esteem, coping with life changes, and compassion fatigue

Benia is so wonderful. She's helped me more in a couple sessions than my old therapist did in six months. She listens and points things out that hadn't occurred to me, and she encourages me to do concrete things to protect my peace which can be hard but way more helpful than someone just telling me what I want to hear. I'd probably still be stuck in the same unhealthy patterns if not for Benia. She's honest, down to earth, and compassionate, and I am so grateful to her.

Written on Jul 22, 2021 after therapy with Benia for 3 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, grief, and coping with life changes

I appreciate Benia’s style, she asks helpful questions to keep me on track and tells me I have all the answers, which builds my confidence when I do figure out what’s going on for me.

Written on Jul 12, 2021 after therapy with Benia for 1 month on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, and self esteem

Overall thankful the support.

Written on Jun 29, 2021 after therapy with Benia for 1 month on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, grief, self esteem, career difficulties, and coping with life changes