Brian Gong, LMHC, CAP

Brian is a licensed psychotherapist specializing in treating trauma and addictions (they go hand in hand). He’s spent his career working in and around the addiction and recovery field and has dedicated himself to helping individuals and families achieve lasting recovery. For years he worked as a primary therapist at a residential treatment facility world-renowned for its clinical excellence in treating addictions and other behavioral disorders and focusing on the various underlying traumas and often complex emotional issues. He understands the importance of validation and considers himself to be kind, nonjudgmental, and compassionate yet is also honest and non-enabling in his approach. He believes there are many paths to personal growth and recovery and that everyone can have the opportunity to live a healthy, productive life. He would love the opportunity to help you “dig deep”, get past your past, change unhealthy patterns, and create a life worth living.

As a Certified Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapist and EMDRIA Approved Consultant, Brian has extensive training and experience working with clients using this powerful psychotherapy approach. He practices EMDR therapy as a primary treatment modality addressing trauma and a variety of other psychological issues. As an Approved Consultant in EMDR, he can provide consultation to new therapists looking to complete their basic training requirements, enhance their EMDR skills, or become certified through EMDRIA (see page on EMDR for more general information about the therapy approach, and EMDR Consultation if you are a therapist looking for consultation).

He is also intensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and has experience working with individuals who have a particularly high degree of emotionality and vulnerability. He participated in a post-graduate internship at a residential DBT-informed treatment facility with a mindfulness and skills training group.

Brian has presented on the topic of trauma and has formal training in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Psychodynamic Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Mindfulness, grief counseling, psychological first aid (PFA), as well as in psychodrama and experiential techniques.

He was raised in the Maryland suburbs, loves food, and is an avid runner having completed several marathons. He has two dogs and in 2020 recruited one of them to become a therapy dog for his practice (he is working on getting the other one ready as well – they have to earn their kibble!). With his own personal journey in recovery, he is extremely passionate about counseling and looks forward to the chance to work with you!

Brian’s Clinical Interests

• Providing therapy for therapists / help for helpers (a personal passion of Brian’s!)
• PTSD, complex trauma, acute traumatization including very recent traumatic events
• Perfectionism and “unrelenting standards”
• Toxic shame
• Family of origin work
• Addictions, recovery, and working with families of people struggling with addictive disorders

Licenses, Certifications, and Special Training:

• Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), State of Florida, MH 14460
• Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), State of Maryland, LC7820
• Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, LMHC10000579
• Certified Addiction Professional (CAP), Florida Certification Board, ADC-012822-2016
• Certification in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, EMDR International Association
• EMDRIA Approved Consultant (EAC), EMDR International Association
• Intensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Lane Pederson and Associates, LLC
• Formal training in psychodrama and experiential therapy at the Psychodrama Institute of South Florida
• SMART Recovery® approved meeting facilitator, SMART Recovery
• Advanced training in complex trauma and dissociative disorders, International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation
• Countless EMDR specialty trainings…

Professional Association Affiliations:

• American Counseling Association (ACA)
• EMDR International Association (EMDRIA)
• Trauma Recovery, EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Programs (Trauma Recovery/HAP)
• International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS)
• International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISST-D)
• National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)

Podcast

Click here to listen to Brian’s recent guest appearance on the Good Counsel Podcast where he discusses Trauma, EMDR, and the spirit of volunteering.

Workshops

Brian facilitates continuing education workshops for mental health clinicians. Here Brian did a presentation titled, Navigating the Maze of Trauma: A Map for Healing Along the Road to Recovery, which was the first use of the auditorium at Caron’s brand new Keele Center here in Delray Beach in June of 2023. 

Here, Brian presented a workshop on family recovery at the East Coast Symposium for Addictive Disorders in November of 2023 in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. The title of this was, A Trauma Informed Approach to Family Recovery: More Than Just Al-Anon.

Here is Brian presenting at the Cape Cod Symposium on Addictive Disorders in Hyannis, MA in September of 2024:

Media:

• WLRN (our local NPR station) story on the new mass shooting hotline launched in Broward County, FL
• NowThis segment (or Facebook version) on Parkland recovery efforts following March suicides
• CBS 12 article on Parkland recovery efforts
• VoyageMIA feature
• CanvasRebel feature

Check out some of Brian’s Blog articles:

• Treating Depression with EMDR
• The Pain of Pet Loss: Some Thoughts on Grieving
• Feeling Feelings in Trauma Therapy: Do I Have To???
• Treating Social Anxiety with EMDR
  
• Plant Therapy: How Greenery Helps with Mental health!
  
• Healing the Self, Healing the Relationship: The Powerful Role of Individual Trauma Therapy
  
• The Weight of Empathy: Navigating an Overdeveloped Sense of Responsibility for Others’ Emotions
• What is Family of Origin Work in Therapy?
• How can EMDR Help with my Anxiety???
• Trauma in the Digital Age: Finding Safety Amidst the Storm of Social Media and News
• Learning How to Take Your “Mask” Off in Therapy: A Timely Halloween Reflection 🎭
• Group EMDR Protocols: From Shared Trauma to Collective Recovery
• National Suicide Prevention Month (September, 2023)
• Recapping the EMDR International Association 2023 Conference in Washington, DC
• Finding Harmony Within: Working with Parts in Therapy
  
• Treating Grief and Loss with EMDR
• Treating Anger with EMDR
• Trauma Therapy – How Fast Should We Go??
  
• Why Proper Assessment and Preparation is Important in Trauma Therapy
  
• Using EMDR to Treat Panic Attacks (and Panic Disorder) 
• EMDR in the Treatment of Substance Use and Addiction
• 6 Things to Look for in an Addiction Therapist
• 3 Essential Things to Look for in a Trauma Therapist
• Family Involvement in SUD Treatment: More than Just Al-Anon
• EMDR in the Treatment of Body Image Issues (Body Dysmorphia)
• The Cumulative Nature of Trauma (Using a Semi-Truck Metaphor)
• What Politicians Could Learn from the Recovery Community
• How do I Know if I Need Trauma Therapy? A Common Question from Parkland Shooting Survivors
• Common Traumatic Stress Reactions in Parkland Shooting Survivors

Please visit my Psychology Today profile

Work with Brian Virtually!