Brandon Berg LPC-A

My name is Brandon Berg (he/him), and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate (LPC-A) wth a Master’s in Counseling from Wake Forest University. I completed my practicum and internship at Daymark Recovery Services, working in both outpatient and inpatient (facility-based crisis) settings, where I provided individual and group counseling for Anger Management, Teen Issues, Substance Abuse Recovery, Mindfulness, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Grief and Loss, Relationships, and Gender/Sexual Orientation, to name a few. I also led creative groups that used music to help people tell their stories and define what it means to be a person.

Before counseling, I spent 15 years in 1:1 music instruction—an experience that naturally led me to this field. Both disciplines center on building trust, understanding individual needs, and supporting meaningful personal growth. My most worthwhile experiences as a teacher involved mentoring children, teens, and young adults looking for purpose or direction. Operating as a senior instructor, I was often placed with students who—for one reason or another—required an extra level of care, consideration, and a customized learning experience. As it turns out, many of these students represented various colors of neurodiversity, and I discovered a kinship with them, leading me to pursue both Autism and ADHD diagnoses for myself.

This being said, I am particularly interested in working with adult and young adult clients who are—or suspect they are—”neurodivergent.” Using this term to describe myself, I try to walk the fine line of using this label while challenging the implications and misunderstandings that come with it. Regardless, I have found that there remains a significant gap in support for these sensitive individuals who move through the world unrecognized because they “don’t look autistic” to others, while harboring a profound belief that they are indeed different. Many in this population face ongoing challenges navigating a world not designed for them, which can manifest as a persistent sense of brokenness rooted in misunderstanding. The truth is that, much like trees in a forest, everyone serves an important role in their community. That is, to hold up and be held up by others, and this can only be accomplished when we see ourselves as worthy of both.

I think it is important to acknowledge that I am a straight, cisgendered, white male, and that any one of these facets of my identity alone comes with immense privilege. However, one of my greatest privileges as both a teacher and clinician has been getting to hear and understand the experiences of those who represent the LGBTQ+ spectrum. In my experience, I have seen a significant overlap between those who represent neurodiversity and those who belong to the Queer community—all of whom fly in the face of cultural norms by simply being who they are. As both a person and a professional, I wholeheartedly believe three things: 1) that everyone and everything is connected, 2) that we are perennially in a state of becoming, and 3) that to accept the world as it is and to accept ourselves as we are one and the same. I believe this acceptance is the starting point for any meaningful change, be it individually, systemically, or anything in between.

Drawing from my own lived experience as a person with AuDHD, while also using evidence-based modalities such as ACT and DBT, I am committed to providing the kind of support I needed when I was younger and struggling to find my place in the world.