Brian Crites, LMFT Staff Therapist/Intake Coordinator

707-545-4600 ext. 8

I graduated from Sonoma State University with a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology, with an emphasis on Clinical Mental Health Counseling, in spring of 2014, and completed licensure as Marriage and Family Therapist in 2016. Before joining the Santa Rosa Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, I worked for a variety of agencies, including High Schools, behavioral intervention agencies, and residential treatment programs. It was my experience in these positions that led me to seek out a career as a CBT clinician.

I am attracted to CBT because of its practical application in treatment settings, and its status as an Evidence Based Treatment. As opposed to other forms of psychotherapy, I have seen that CBT gives clients concrete tools for reducing their symptoms through a goal-oriented and systematic approach to the therapy, while simultaneously allowing for a warm and caring relationship between the therapist and client. I find CBT particularly useful because it allows for relatively short-term treatment, and provides lasting change in the client’s life.

I started my work at The Santa Rosa Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in 2014 as an intern in the center’s intensive training program. During my 2 ½ years in the program I received extensive training and experience in the treatment of all anxiety disorders, including Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and specific phobias, as well as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Insomnia, and Habit Disorders, including skin picking and Trichotillomania. I also received advanced training in helping parents manage their young children’s energetic and disruptive behaviors using Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). After successfully completing the training program I was excited to have the opportunity to stay on as a licensed staff therapist for the following 4 years. Between 2020 and early 2022 I took an opportunity to pursue work as a generalist clinician at Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa in the Child Psychiatry department. Though I continued to enjoy working as a therapist with Kaiser, I realized quickly that my clinical passion remains as a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist and as such, I am excited to be returning to SRCBT in April 2022. I continue to consult regularly with experts in the field and attend trainings in the application and use of CBT as often as possible, to continue my education, and ability to provide the best service possible to my clients.

I am a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and The Northern California Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Network and am committed to continuing my professional development through attendance at trainings and workshops offered by professional therapist organizations.