This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whatever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
-Rumi
Are you someone who is struggling with managing the overwhelm of day to day life? Wishing that things could be different, but not having the knowledge or tools to make change. Perhaps you are a parent looking to understand how your own upbringing influences how you show up for your children. Maybe you are looking to feel more connected in your relationships and are having difficulty breaking free from the cycles that no longer serve you or identifying what these cycles are. Maybe you have suffered trauma in your life and that is keeping you from being fully present, embodied and unable to claim the space that you deserve.
I will be open and supportive to partner with you to heal. I will create a space to begin to understand the things that happened to you as part of your story and not what defines you. We are all healing and growing and it is a privilege to walk with you on this journey. Using a trauma-informed, person-centered, anti-oppressive framework we will do the work.
In this ever changing world it is crucial to make time to understand and care for yourself. I would love to walk with you on this path. I am here to laugh, cry, scream and do the messy work of life. I offer virtual sessions to make it as easy as possible. Please contact me for a free consultation.
About Me
I am a licensed clinical social worker specializing in working with adults and young people diagnosed with depression, anxiety and PTSD. As well as those going through life transitions who are in need of support.
I graduated from Columbia School of social work in May of 2009 after serving two years in the Peace Corps in Kingston, Jamaica. My time there working with youth who were separated from their families inspired me to go back to school to pursue my master’s degree in social work. After graduating from Columbia, I worked at Jewish Child Care Association in Mental Health and Preventive Services, with children and families with complex mental health and case management needs. I was a supervisor in a preventive program working to stabilize families and avoid out of home placement. I then became a therapist for children in treatment family foster care, working with children with extensive trauma histories. I approached each of these clients with a trauma informed lens. I worked as the Director of the Children’s Program at Sanctuary for Family treating children and families who are survivors of gender based violence, as well as individuals who have been bought and sold in the commercial sex industry. I am an expert at working with families who have suffered both acute and chronic trauma.
Through all of this work I have become painfully aware of the structural racism that impacts our society. I have worked to understand my own power and privilege as a white woman and have made it a priority to work from an anti oppressive, anti racist lens with all of the clients that I serve.
I aim to foster an open and supportive environment where all people can heal from trauma. I use a strengths based, client centered, trauma informed approach to meet clients where they are and begin their journey to healing. We are all healing and growing every day and I will be a partner in this journey. You are the experts of your own lives, I will walk with you.
I am licensed clinical social worker with over a decade of experience. I live with my husband and two children and being a parent has been my greatest teacher.
My Approach
I am trained in psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, dialectical behavioral, internal family systems, and other supportive healing modalities (mindfulness and yoga).
I tailor the treatment offered to each individual’s unique needs believing that there is no one size fits all model of treatment.
Services
Individual Therapy
for Adults & Adolescents
I work with individual adults and adolescents in either brief or long term ongoing therapy depending on the needs of the client.
Clinical Supervision
I absolutely love providing clinical supervision. I work hard to provide a safe space for clinicians to discuss how the current situation is affecting them on a personal level and how this impacts their practice. I find it to be a critical component of developing in this field. I provide space for you to blow off steam, learn new skills, recognize your own biases and help to reduce burnout.
Group Therapy
Groups offer a supportive space to feel seen and heard, as an adjunct to individual therapy or for stand alone support. Check back for group offerings.
Grief Counseling
“Grief is visceral, not reasonable: the howling at the center of grief is raw and real. It is love in its most wild form.”
― Megan Devine, It's OK That You're Not OK
The death of a loved one changes you. Each person's journey is unique, there is no one way to grieve, there is no timeline. You may feel that your world no longer has a true north, you may feel numb, you may feel things no longer make sense, or you may feel none of these things. I will sit with you and bear witness to how you are experiencing your unique loss and the ways your world has changed. We will work together to learn to live in this changed landscape. I will listen and support you as you navigate what healing looks like for you. I will offer you practical tools to cope with your grief as you begin to orient yourself to the world without your person in it. I am a certified grief counselor, and I have also experienced deep grief. The deep knowing that comes with losing a person you love has changed me and the way I do this work. I hope I have the opportunity to sit with you wherever you are in your grief journey.
Parent Coaching
Parent coaching is a process where one or both parents, or any primary caregiver, meet with me to foster goal achievement related to parenting. I teach parents skills and strategies that create more connection and cooperation and provide accountability and support to integrate these new skills. During these coaching sessions we also look at the ways in which you were parented, your beliefs about parenting and the places that you are triggered by your children and why. This is a non judgmental space, where we talk openly about the ups and downs of being a parent and also the stress or strain it can cause on a partnership.
Team Building Facilitation
Based off of my many years managing teams I have developed a skill set to foster communication, positive engagement, trust, and respect between the team members. I feel lit up when I am able to engage in this work as a positive team environment can make all the difference in how someone feels in the rest of their life.
I work to help the team understand one another and how they can bring their most authentic selves to the work place. I will work collaboratively with you to tailor the team building activities to your unique needs and desires.
Fee & Insurance Information
I am an out-of-network provider and do not participate in any insurance plans. My clients are charged for their sessions once the session is over. Many of my clients obtain reimbursement for a substantial portion of my fees through their insurance plan’s out of network benefits. I will supply the necessary documents for reimbursement filings and will help clients to navigate this process.
Contact
Brooke Dumain, LCSW
Westport, CT
Brooklyn, NY
(203) 665-8767
Please do not hesitate to email or call for information, to set up a phone consultation, or to schedule an appointment.
I would be happy to speak with you.
