Her intelligence, caring, honesty and attitude is perfect for me
Benia Thomas, LCSW
Experienced mental health professional
Provides online counseling through BetterHelp
At a glance
Benia is an experienced, licensed Mental Health Professional who specializes in affordable online therapy offered through our partner, BetterHelp.
- 5.0 stars
- Clients are very satisfied with Benia. View 11 reviews
- Speaks English
- Offers Telehealth visits
- Licensed in New York
Recent reviews
Benia is an intelligent and empathetic therapist whose gentle approach helps me to take inventory of the great and not-so-great in my life in a nonjudgmental way so that I can take action.
More about Benia
- 12 years' experience
- Female
- LCSW
Benia Thomas is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who received her Master of Social Work degree from Fordham University in New York with an emphasis in children, youth, and families. Benia completed her bachelor’s degree in Social Work at Lehman College, Bronx, NY.
Benia began her career working with children and families in the New York City foster care system. She went on to work with incarcerated women with severe mental illness, facilitating personal empowerment and psychoeducation groups and providing individual counseling. In addition, she was a clinical supervisor, in which she provided clinical supervision for Master level Social Workers.
Her areas of expertise include, stress, anxiety and depression, grief and loss, family/relationship issues, personal growth, and LGBTQ+ related issues. She especially enjoys working with adolescents and young adults. As a lesbian who has been working with the LGBTQ+ community on a professional basis for over ten years. This background provides me with unique expertise on issues that tend to be a part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender experience.
Benia believes that healing is a collaborative endeavor that requires honest caring without judgment, and cooperatively assists her clients in clarifying their goals for treatment. Rather than adopting one methodology for all individuals and issues, she draws from a variety of methods to create a tailored approach for each individual and situation. As a therapist, she is warm, open, encouraging, and direct. Benia considers herself an active therapist, combining experience, education, creativity, and sense of humor with a down-to-earth, realistic approach to counseling.
Your story, your pain, and your collection of struggles are unique to you. There is no one size fits all approach to therapy. Together, we will spend time understanding exactly what you are experiencing and why, so that when you start making changes that improve your life, they will stick.
Specialties
Stress
Anxiety
LGBT
Relationship issues
Family conflicts
Depression
Trauma and abuse
Grief
Intimacy-related issues
Parenting issues
Anger management
Self esteem
Career difficulties
Coping with life changes
Compassion fatigue
Abandonment
Adoption and foster care
Attachment issues
Blended family issues
Body image
Caregiver issues and stress
Codependency
Commitment issues
Communication problems
Control issues
Divorce and separation
Domestic violence
Emptiness
Family problems
Forgiveness
Gender dysphoria
Guilt and shame
HIV / AIDS
Impulsivity
Isolation / loneliness
Jealousy
Life purpose
Money and financial issues
Mood disorders
Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
Post-traumatic stress
Prejudice and discrimination
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Self-harm
Self-love
Sexuality
Social anxiety and phobia
Women's issues
Workplace issues
Young adult issues
Treatment Approaches
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
Licenses
Benia Thomas's National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1275084410.
- LCSW · New York · 087655 · Expires April 2027
About online counseling
- Affordable.
- Pay a low flat fee.
- Convenient.
- Do it at your own time and at your own pace. Communicate whenever you feel it's needed.
- Available now.
- There is no waiting list and no calls to make. Simply fill out a short questionnaire and send your first message.
Online counseling allows you to receive care from a mental health practitioner via phone, video chat, or instant messaging. It is convenient for those who may have trouble getting to or would prefer not to have in-person therapy appointments. Starting at $65 per week, online counseling is generally more affordable than in-person counseling. A study by researchers at University of California, Berkeley found that online counseling can be just as effective as face-to-face therapy while being more convenient, affordable, and accessible.
Reviews for Benia Thomas
All reviews have been submitted by clients after seeing the provider.
Overall rating:
Her intelligence, caring, honesty and attitude is perfect for me
Benia is an intelligent and empathetic therapist whose gentle approach helps me to take inventory of the great and not-so-great in my life in a nonjudgmental way so that I can take action.
Benia is one of the most compassionate and honest therapists around. Her approach really pushed me to be introspective and critical but also taught me self-compassion and boundary-building. She keeps it real, but also meets you where you are and I think that’s what makes her such an incredible therapist.
Benia is so wonderful. She's helped me more in a couple sessions than my old therapist did in six months. She listens and points things out that hadn't occurred to me, and she encourages me to do concrete things to protect my peace which can be hard but way more helpful than someone just telling me what I want to hear. I'd probably still be stuck in the same unhealthy patterns if not for Benia. She's honest, down to earth, and compassionate, and I am so grateful to her.
I appreciate Benia’s style, she asks helpful questions to keep me on track and tells me I have all the answers, which builds my confidence when I do figure out what’s going on for me.
Overall thankful the support.
Benia is so supportive and understanding. She creates a very open and comfortable environment that makes it easy to speak to her. I love her honesty and straightforwardness, which helps really put things into perspective. I would recommend her to everyone.
Benia Thomas was kind and had a lot of patience with me so I could open up about my problems on my own time. Unfortunately, I'll have to switch to a different program to find one that can be covered by insurance.
She has been very accommodating and I appreciate that so much.
Benia Thomas has been there for me in every way she can be. She offers advice and support on the topics at the forefront of my mind.
Benia really helped me with some of the issues I was facing by putting things in to perspectives I hadn't thought of before. Our sessions motivated me to work past the issues so I could be more productive in things I wanted to do to keep myself healthy physically and mentally. I'm looking forward to continue sessions with Benia.
Frequently asked questions
Does Benia Thomas offer telehealth visits?
Yes. Benia Thomas works with clients by exchanging messages, chatting live, speaking over the phone, or video conferencing based on what works for the client at that particular time.
What language(s) does Benia Thomas speak?
Benia Thomas speaks English.
How many years of experience does Benia Thomas have?
Benia Thomas has 12 years of experience.
Where is Benia Thomas licensed to practice?
Benia Thomas is licensed to practice in New York.
Does Benia Thomas accept clients outside of the United States?
No, Benia Thomas does not accept clients outside of the United States.
Is online therapy as effective as in-person therapy?
Numerous studies support the effectiveness of online platforms in facilitating life changes. For instance, research published by JMIR Publications, conducted by teams from the University of Berkeley, UCSF, and SF General Hospital, found that "users of BetterHelp experienced significantly reduced depression symptom severity after engaging with the platform."
What treatment approaches does Benia Thomas offer?
Benia Thomas offers clients Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy.
How can I communicate with Benia Thomas?
Benia Thomas can be engaged in any one of four ways: (1) Exchanging messages, (2) chatting live, (3) speaking over the phone, or (4) video conferencing. You can use different ways at different times as you wish, based on your needs, availability, and convenience.
How do I get started with Benia Thomas?
Just tap the CHAT NOW button or tap here: A new window will open and you'll be directed to a simple form that will help start the conversation. Please note: It can take up to a few days to be matched to a therapist.
Mental health conditions are real, common, and treatable.
And recovery is possible.
When you tap CHAT NOW a new window will open and you'll be directed to a simple form that will help start the conversation. Please note: It can take up to a few days to be matched to a therapist.