Brandon Alford, LMSW

About me

Engaging in therapy means establishing a partnership that is safely challenging, radically accepting, warmly affirming, and life changing. My practice is rooted in radical empathy, affirmation, safety, warmth, reflection, and the dynamic exchange between client and therapist. Utilizing DBT, CBT, REBT, Gestalt Therapy, Mindfulness, and other strategies, I work with clients to help them construct their best selves, while considering their greater socioemotional environments and contexts. The client is the true architect of this process, and I approach therapy with this as a leading principle.

I base my practice on the importance of the therapeutic alliance, and I employ warmth, radical empathy, radical acceptance, and a wide range of therapeutic techniques to provide my clients with the safe, reflective, productive, and dynamic space necessary to facilitate real change. Deeply rooted in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, I also integrate elements of Gestalt Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, Structural Family Therapy, and other modalities that engage the person in their environment. I have extensive training and competency working with individuals with diverse SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression), and I provide training and support on cultural competency with this population to partners across the state.

I am a native Arkansan, and earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work (BSW) from the University of Arkansas. I then earned my Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) from the University of Michigan, and have remained in Michigan ever since. I try to make it home as often as I can to enjoy the beauty of the Ozarks, and am learning to enjoy the beauty, diversity, and energy of Michigan as well!

Professional experience

Additional areas of focus: Addictions, Trauma and abuse, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Anger management, Self esteem, Career difficulties, Bipolar disorder, Depression, Coping with life changes, Compassion fatigue, ADHD, Attachment issues, BDSM, Kink, Alternative Sex Culture, Blended Family Issues, Body image, Caregiver issues and stress, Co-morbidity, Codependency, Commitment Issues, Communication problems, Control issues, Divorce and separation, Family Problems, Forgiveness, Gender Dysphoria, Guilt and shame, Impulsivity, Isolation / loneliness, Jealousy, Life purpose, Men's issues, Midlife crisis, Military and Veterans Issues, Mood disorders , Personality Disorders, Polyamory / Nonmonogamous Relationships, Prejudice and Discrimination, Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling), Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Self-love, Sexuality, Social anxiety and phobia, Workplace issues, Young Adult Issues

Clinical approaches: Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy

License information

MI LMSW 6801097541