About Benia
Benia Thomas is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who blends practical therapy with a warm, straightforward style. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and relationship or family concerns. Benia uses plain language and direct guidance so parents and adults can quickly get to the issues that matter.
Benia trained with a Master of Social Work from Fordham University and began her career in the New York City foster care system.
How Benia works
She later worked with incarcerated women with severe mental illness, ran psychoeducation groups, and provided individual counseling. She has also supervised master level social workers in clinical roles. Her practice pays close attention to LGBTQ concerns, and she brings over a decade of professional experience working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender clients.
She especially enjoys working with adolescents and young adults and draws on that background when supporting identity, intimacy, and coming-of-age issues. Benia uses a mix of methods rather than a single fixed model. She draws from client-centered work, cognitive behavioral techniques, mindfulness, and solution-focused ideas to fit each person’s needs.
Sessions aim to clarify goals and build practical tools for everyday life. Clients can expect a therapist who is open, encouraging, and direct. Benia emphasizes collaboration - she helps people understand what they are experiencing and supports step-by-step change that lasts.
Benia lists 4 ways of working on the entry:
What Benia works with
The areas below are the ones Benia selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Impulsivity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Parenting issues
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | LCSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 12 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | New Jersey |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Approaches and Online Options for Everyday Concerns
Benia commonly uses client-centered therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in online sessions. Client-centered therapy centers the conversation on the person’s experience, so the therapist reflects and helps clients name feelings and goals. CBT focuses on the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches practical strategies to change patterns that cause distress.She frames the choice of approach as a shared decision. The therapist will work with each person to identify goals, try methods that match those goals, and adjust as needed. That collaborative process helps ensure the methods used fit the client’s needs and preferences.
Online therapy options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video calls allow face-to-face interaction for longer sessions, while phone sessions can suit shorter check-ins or times with lower bandwidth. Live chat and text-based messaging are useful for brief updates, ongoing check-ins, and flexible scheduling during busy days. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into school, work, or family routines without traveling to an office.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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