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Brenda Hanson

Therapist · Kansas

Brenda Hanson, LSCSW, LISW

Hopeful guidance for everyday challenges

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  • Focus on thoughts and habits
  • Practical coping skills
  • Nonjudgmental listening

About Brenda

Brenda Hanson is a Kansas-based licensed social worker who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, and life transitions. She writes plainly and listens carefully to what each person brings. Many clients seek her help for trauma, grief, relationship concerns, and struggles with sleep, eating, or addictive behaviors.

With 41 years of practice, Brenda uses clear, hands-on methods to support emotional healing and personal growth. She focuses on everyday thoughts and habits to help people notice what’s getting in the way and try practical alternatives. Sessions emphasize building coping skills, improving communication, and increasing self-compassion.

Brenda draws from several therapeutic approaches and matches them to each person’s needs. She works with acceptance-based ideas, cognitive strategies, and attachment-focused ways of understanding relationship patterns. She also uses client-centered techniques to keep the work grounded in each person’s experience.

Her background includes long clinical experience with issues such as bipolar disorder, ADHD, caregiving stress, and challenges connected to aging and chronic illness. She also supports people dealing with abandonment, codependency, body image, and intimacy-related concerns. This breadth helps her tailor sessions to fit real-life problems.

Brenda aims for a respectful, steady style that helps clients make small, usable changes. She encourages practical steps people can take between sessions and works alongside them to clarify goals and measure progress. To begin, readers should confirm current session options before scheduling.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Also works with

AddictionsLGBTRelationship issuesFamily conflictsIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemBipolar disorderCoping with life changesCoachingCompassion fatigueADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAging and geriatric issuesAttachment issuesBlended family issuesBody imageCancerCaregiver issues and stressChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCodependencyCommunication problemsControl issuesDependent personalityDivorce and separationEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily problemsForgivenessGuilt and shameHospice and end-of-life counselingImpulsivityInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMidlife crisisMoney and financial issuesMood disordersObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksPersonality disordersPhobiasPost-traumatic stressSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-loveSocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingSolution-Focused TherapySomatic TherapyInternal Family SystemsSystemic Therapy

Experience

41+ years

Credentials

Kansas, Iowa

Languages

English

How specific approaches guide online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) invites people to notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choose actions that match their values. It can be helpful for anxiety, depression, and coping with life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying patterns in thinking and behavior and trying small experiments to change them; this is useful for stress, sleep and eating challenges, and mood concerns. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early and current relationship patterns shape emotional responses and communication, which can help with intimacy issues and recurring relationship problems.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with the client about goals and preferences and suggest strategies that fit daily life. Sessions are collaborative - clients and therapist check what helps and adjust the plan together.

Session formats are not listed in the biography, so confirm current online options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It also lets people practice new skills in real-world routines and bring those experiences back to session for discussion and refinement.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does Brenda commonly address?

She works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and grief, addictions, relationship and intimacy-related issues, and a range of life changes.

How would you describe her therapeutic style?

Her style is compassionate and straightforward, using client-centered conversation and practical exercises to change unhelpful thoughts and habits.

How much clinical experience does she bring?

She has 41 years of experience working with emotional and behavioral concerns across many life stages.

What are her credentials and where is she based?

She holds KS LSCSW and IA LISW credentials and maintains a practice in Kansas.

In which languages can sessions be held?

Sessions are offered in English.

Are international clients accepted?

International clients are not currently accepted.

How are fees or cost handled?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

What is the process to start working together?

Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to the therapist's availability.

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