Brian Olden, LCSW

Brian Olden is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 45 years of clinical experience in California. He brings a steady, straightforward style and focuses on helping people move forward when life feels stuck. He speaks English and draws on a long career supporting people through many kinds of struggles.

He helps clients address relationship strain, trauma and abuse, anxiety, depression, and stress. He also supports people coping with grief, parenting pressures, sleep problems, anger, and career concerns. Additional focus areas include caregiving stress, blended family issues, chronic illness, adoption and foster care concerns, and men's issues.

Brian uses several therapeutic approaches to match different needs. He relies on cognitive behavioral techniques to identify patterns of thinking and change unhelpful behaviors. He also uses client-centered methods that prioritize the person's goals and emotions. For trauma work he incorporates EMDR and emotionally-focused ideas when appropriate.

Sessions are collaborative and goal-focused. Brian works with each person to set clear, practical steps. He helps people recognize strengths they already have and builds strategies around those strengths.

He is experienced with life transitions such as relationship changes, job shifts, and caregiving roles. His background includes work with military-related trauma and sexual trauma, and he is attentive to cultural differences from time spent living overseas.

People who want direct, experienced guidance and practical tools may find his approach helpful. Brian aims to help clients make steady progress toward the goals they set together.

Approaches that translate well to online therapy

Brian frequently uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice thinking patterns and try new behaviors; this approach works well for anxiety, depression, stress, and sleep problems. Client-Centered Therapy is another common thread in his work, focusing on the person's goals and feelings so the session follows the client's priorities. He also applies Emotionally-Focused Therapy to help with relationship and intimacy-related issues by identifying and shifting emotional responses.

Choosing the right approach is part of the first sessions. The therapist and client work together to pick methods that fit the client's goals, history, and comfort level. That collaborative decision helps tailor sessions whether the focus is trauma processing, coping skills, or relationship repair.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility. Video calls let people see nonverbal cues and have longer, deeper conversations. Phone sessions can fit a short break at work or require less bandwidth. Live chat and text-based messaging allow for frequent check-ins, brief coaching, or continuing work between longer sessions. These options make it easier to schedule consistent care and keep momentum toward goals.