Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooke Bralove.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
From a very early age, I learned to value mental health. Unlike many other families, my parents were supportive of therapy, and when I was struggling during elementary and middle school, they sent me to therapy, which was an extremely positive experience for me. I loved my first therapist and enjoyed going to talk to her. I quickly learned that actually opening up about your feelings makes everything feel a little less difficult. I’m very grateful to my parents who were so open minded at that time, because it really allowed me to value my own personal mental health and to value clear and open communication.
In college, I major in African-American studies and was incredibly interested in racial equality and assumed that I would go into policy work. After college, I lobbied Congress for low income housing policy, made a documentary film about three women living in public housing in Southeast Washington, DC, and worked hard to change the systems in place. Ultimately, I found that work more challenging and frustrating than I would have anticipated, so when I made the decision to go to Columbia University School of Social Work, I decided to pursue a clinical practice track.
My field placements while at Columbia focused primarily on providing play therapy to kids, which although I enjoyed, I decided that I preferred to work with adults and do talk therapy. Upon returning to DC, I worked for two years at the House of Ruth Domestic Violence Support Center, providing individual therapy for victims of domestic violence. That work taught me a lot about trauma, and I’m grateful for the experience since it led me to ultimately focus on trauma work in my private practice many years later.
From there, I got my independent clinical license and opened my private practice. For many years, I was a solo practitioner and thought that I would always remain on my own. But after the pandemic and seeing how many clients I had to turn away during that time, I decided to expand my practice and take on a few associates so we could provide more quality therapy in the DMV. I have absolutely loved taking on three new team members, all of whom are incredibly skilled clinicians. It’s wonderful to have more opportunities to discuss cases and learn from each other.
What ties us all together is that we each offer Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), which is a brief evidence-based treatment modality using rapid eye movement and voluntary image replacement to change away the brain stores distressing images and the corresponding negative sensations. I first learned about ART in 2017 after a very traumatic breakup in which no amount of talk therapy was helping me heal and move forward. After only two ART sessions I felt so much better and quickly realized I wanted to do this type of work as well. I’ve never looked back, and I’m so proud of our team as we are becoming known for rapid trauma resolution.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road to building a successful private practice has certainly had some challenges along the way. Learning how to manage the isolation that naturally occurs in private practice has been quite a learning curve. My relationships with other therapists are extremely important to me, so I try to meet with other clinicians on a regular basis. This is partly why I ended up building a group practice because I think all clinicians deserve a sense of community.
Another challenge for me has been on creating a good work life balance while raising two kids. As therapists, we absorb a lot of emotional content on a daily basis. Making sure that my caseload isn’t too big or that I don’t see too many clients in one day has been a difficult balancing act. I’ve also had to adjust to being diagnosed with a chronic illness 5 years ago, which limits me physically in terms of my ability to sit for so many hours each day. And this balancing act changes based on my own physical and mental health and the needs of my kids. I’ve just become an empty nester so I’ll be entering a new chapter of my career, and I’m very excited about what lies ahead for me!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am the owner of Brooke Bralove Psychotherapy, Inc. Inc. and have been in private practice in Bethesda, Maryland for 22 years. Including myself, we currently have four clinicians in the practice, and we specialize in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), trauma therapy, individual therapy for women, couples therapy, and sex therapy. What sets us apart from other practices is that each of us is trained in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART). We really want to be known in the DMV for accelerated trauma healing that requires very little talking, no re-traumatization, and provides lasting relief. Our clinicians are incredibly empathic, creative, and committed, so I’m confident we will continue to develop a strong reputation for fast trauma healing.
We also have two therapists who specialize in couples and sex therapy, and two therapists who provided ketamine assisted psychotherapy (KAP).
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I feel really blessed to have had wonderful mentors, supervisors, therapists, and clients along the way who have provided me with a tremendous amount of support, education, and guidance along the way. I specifically think my 20-year membership in the American Academy of Psychotherapists (AAP) has had a profound influence on me personally and professionally. AAP is a professional organization dedicated to the person of the therapist, so conferences and workshops focus on experiential, personal development and authentic engagement. Not only have I learned to be a better therapist there, but I have cultivated meaningful relationships with other therapists so I feel less isolated in the work.
I also feel incredibly grateful for my own personal therapists throughout my life, since much of my learning comes from being a client myself. I often say, “Don’t ever trust a therapist who doesn’t have a therapist,” as I believe we cannot do this work if we don’t understand ourselves fully and basically stay out of the way of the client’s healing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://brookebralove.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brookebralovepsychotherapy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brookebralovepsychotherapy
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@brookebralovepsychotherapy
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@bbralovepsychotherapy
