Professional Background
Brandy Chalmers is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, and Registered Play Therapist who has been fostering growth and change in individuals, couples and families throughout her career. Brandy’s passion originated in working with children and families through complex trauma, bereavement, and high conflict divorce. However, overtime, Brandy found that her work providing play therapy to children was merely scratching the surface of healing families and pivoted towards working with young adults with complex trauma, addictions, anxiety, mood disorders, codependency, personality disorders, eating disorders, and other ailments that originated in their childhood experiences in efforts to break the cycle of generational trauma and help future generations heal and recover. Brandy has a niche in providing care to survivors of suicide through their complex grief and trauma that follows an unimaginable loss.
Brandy’s expertise does not end there. Brandy is highly experienced in working with individuals experiencing distress from stress, burnout, low self-esteem, imposter syndrome, and transitions that bring ambiguity. Brandy also enjoys walking alongside women throughout their pregnancy and postpartum journey. Brandy positions herself as an ally for quality maternal mental healthcare. Additionally, Brandy is the spouse of a retired service member and has years of experience working with military members and their families through the many transitions they face. Brandy previously provided professional development training focused on the social and emotional experiences of the military child, worldwide, and provided subject matter expertise on television scripts, such as for the PBS show, Arthur, that covered the experiences of the military child.
In her therapeutic practice, Brandy utilizes a person-centered approach built on unconditional positive regard, genuineness, and empathy. Brandy has found that these three core conditions within treatment, along with the therapeutic alliance, are central to fostering change. With specialized training in trauma-informed care, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, and somatic therapy, Brandy utilizes evidenced based treatment with her clients. Additionally, Brandy pulls from her training and expertise as a play therapist to utilize components of creative modalities such as art, music, yoga and sand tray therapy to help clients heal.
Brandy is also an experienced leader in the digital mental health space who has built her career around building accessible mental healthcare for all. Brandy considers herself an advocate for quality mental healthcare that is accessible to all. Additionally, Brandy serves as a faculty member, at ACU Online, teaching courses rooted in psychology, human development, families in society, and therapeutic play. She has built collegiate course curriculum as a subject matter expert in family resource management and therapeutic play.
Brandy has a wide array of interests and works diligently to help individuals, couples, and families who cross her path.
Professional Affiliations
- American Counseling Association
- Chi Sigma Iota
- Texas Counseling Association
- Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society
- Texas Play Therapy Association
- Postpartum International
Online Publications
Seven Starling
