My Story
A Licensed Professional Here to Guide You
As a counselor, I work from an integrative perspective with a solid foundation in humanism. I believe that clients should be met with empathy and unconditional positive regard and that when client and counselor have a positive therapeutic relationship, filled with acceptance and genuineness, therapy can be extremely effective. In session, I utilize active listening skills, validation, and understanding to better understand clients' worldviews while also helping them to gain insight into their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. By meeting clients where they are, I believe that I can aid them in creating meaning and building a stronger, healthier sense of self. In my work, it is imperative that I create an empathic attunement with my client to create a therapeutic environment that feels warm, and brave, to help them explore themselves, their circumstances, and where the therapeutic process can unfold. I also invite my clients to tell their stories as storytelling can be freeing, redemptive, cathartic, and can be a form of therapy all on its own.
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My formal training as a marriage, couple, and family therapist also aids me in working with and conceptualizing my clients as I often view clients' presenting problems as being bigger, or outside of, the individual. Systemic approaches to therapy encourage clients to examine their environments and how they can be contributing to the problem at hand. In treatment, I often work with clients on creating healthy boundaries with others, analyzing relational patterns within their families of origin, relationships, and close social networks, examining their role in different important relationships, and exploring their own attachment style as it pertains to them being in relationship with others.
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My Credentials
Experience You Can Count On
Briana Gaines is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of New Jersey and holds a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision. With a specialization in Marriage, Couples, and Family Therapy, she has practiced as an outpatient therapist and clinical case manager at a non-profit organization where she worked with underserved and underrepresented populations. Dr. Gaines is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), is trained in Gottman Method Couples Therapy (Level 1), and also works as a Clinical Assistant Professor for a R1 institution.
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Outside of her clinical roles and experience in the mental health field, Dr. Gaines has held various positions in higher education including Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the Thrive Program Coordinator for The Graduate School at James Madison University. Dr. Gaines also has experience developing and implementing collegiate course curricula. Dr. Gaines has served as a guest lecturer and invited speaker, conducted conference presentations at both the local and national levels, and continues to volunteer in professional organizations.
Dr. Gaines’ dissertation research was focused on the Black mother-daughter relationship, specifically the intergenerational lessons that are passed from mother to daughter. Other areas of research include trauma, particularly Race-Based Trauma, and historical trauma, as well as Black women in Counselor Education. As a researcher, Dr. Gaines holds a position that is both constructivist and advocacy-participatory and as a Black woman, she advocates for culturally relevant and equitable mental health interventions and treatment.
When she is not engaging in scholarship or service, she enjoys listening to true crime podcasts, practicing yoga, playing board games with her family, exploring new restaurants wih her partner, and cuddling with her dog.