Alyssa M. Brown, LCSW

My name is Alyssa Brown I identify as black, queer, neurodivergent femme (she/they pronouns).  I have worked in the mental health field for 20+ years and have offered support to people at all stages of life.  I earned my BSW from the University of New Hampshire (2002) and my MSW from New York University(2006).  I grew up in New Hampshire and have lived and worked in Maryland, Delaware, New York City and of course here in Vermont.  I am currently running my private practice where I offer therapy to individuals, couples and families who hold historically marginalized identities.  I also support agencies and organizations in creating decolonized, anti-racist, anti-hierarchical workplaces.  I feel truly honored that people trust me with their stories and I hope that I can offer support and a safe environment to reveal one’s authentic self.

Most of my clinical work has been focused on treating people who experience marginalization  and I have found that my decolonized and liberatory approach to therapy and mental health has reframed my work in fundamental ways.   I have training in Somatic Abolitionism, DBT and EMDR and my sessions often incorporate parts work.  I mainly work with people who have experienced trauma and the effects of trauma to help with processing those experiences and moving through survival mode.  Racial trauma and generational trauma are also areas of expertise and I have developed processes in working with those experiences of trauma while acknowledging the context of our current lived experiences.  My clients find validation in having a provider who understands and acknowledges the difficulties that arise from experiencing marginalization. With our rapidly changing and shifting world it is important to have a provider that acknowledges the times we are living in to support those of us most affected by these changes. So many of us are struggling to navigate the vast changes in the world around us in addition to typical day to day concerns.

I am thrilled to offer my services to the Middlebury community and am excited to learn more about the students and staff.  I look forward to sitting down with you and working through the aspects of your life you are finding challenging.  Together, we will sort through those challenges and magnify your strengths.  We will also identify and build skills that will increase your already present resiliency and empower you to manage those challenging experiences.  I hope my clients find therapy with me to be a safe, nurturing, productive experience.

In my free time, I find so much joy in being with my two children and our very moody cat.  I enjoy taking long walks in the woods and reading and writing fiction and poetry. I love to dance and am also an artist and enjoy exploring art and painting as a liberatory practice.