About Me
Why Did I Decide To Become A Therapist?
Early in my life, I learned just how powerful therapy can be for healing and facilitating change in ways that can actually alter the trajectory of a person’s life. As a first generation college student and closeted gay man my first year was fraught.
Looking back, I realized somewhere deep down that my challenges were not related to my abilities (or a lack thereof), but rather to the psychological and emotional stress of being a gay man. Each day was becoming more difficult and energy-consuming than the last. Acting on instinct, I found my way to the campus counseling center, with the insights and empathy from the therapist, I shared my story.
Lifting that burden through therapy and subsequent sessions proved invaluable as I experienced an immediate and dramatic improvement in academic performance. At the time, I was immersed in a Liberal Arts education, which consequently included Intro to Psych—a subject that resonated deeply within me.
Through that healing and my education in psychology, I was inspired to become the therapist I am today, proudly serving the LGBTQ community in Litchfield County, CT, and the greater NYC area.
A Little About My Practice Brian Norton Therapy & Executive Coaching, LLC
Through my experience as a gay man, I saw the importance of and need for gay-affirmative therapeutic care, which is why my practice focuses on working with the LGBTQ population.
While sexual identity is not always at the forefront, working with a gay therapist involves an intrinsic relational component that can make opening up and resolving issues easier. That’s probably because, historically, LGBTQ patients have felt a hetero-normative framework being applied to them in therapy, which in many cases (myself included) makes the individual feel worse.
After ten years in private practice and equipped with graduate training in career counseling, I began to notice a need for career counseling/executive coaching in my patients and the greater population. So, I pursued further training in career counseling and added this component to my practice.
By providing a combination of mental health and career-minded services, my patients are able to unburden themselves, heal their wounds, and realize their true potential. Oftentimes, people call saying they didn’t know someone like me existed—someone who could address both therapeutic and career issues.
So, it gives me great pleasure to fill that need and help my patients excel at being their best selves.
Why Is The Therapeutic Process So Efficacious?
It is my strong belief (an empirically validated belief) that the relationship or therapeutic alliance between patient and therapist is the ultimate catalyst for healing. Therapy is less about the training and orientation of the therapist and more about a having partner who works hard to understand and even empathize with patients.
Often, I find that people need and want to feel understood more than they seek specific strategies for coping or overcoming challenges. Real change cannot happen until we understand ourselves and feel understood and truly seen by someone—and that’s what I strive to do for all my patients.
I also believe that empathizing and relating to people is not solely based on shared identity—at times, therapy can be even more powerful when there are personal differences. However, my experience as both a gay man and a professional coupled with over 23 years of experience in psychotherapy and post-graduate training gives me insight into many of the problems and challenges that my patients face.
What Makes Me And My Practice Unique?
My practice offers online and in-person mental health counseling services that integrate a unique blend of psychotherapy and executive coaching into therapy. I enjoy working with the LGBTQ population, primarily drawing from Schema-informed therapy and psychodynamic therapy—two approaches that I have found most effective. I strive to operate from a place of cultural humility with all of my clients.
Ultimately, I use insight and understanding oneself on a deep level partnered with practical strategies to help my patients modify behaviors and achieve career fulfillment.
Patients and friends have told me that I am kind, easy to be around, and relatable. I am very consistent with my work and have repeatedly heard that my memory is like a "steel trap" because I remember so much about my patients and their lives. Conversely, I struggle to remember what I did last weekend.
I’ve Always Leaned Toward Helping Others
In the past, I’ve worked as a medical social worker, a counselor in a psychiatric treatment center, and a behavioral therapist for children on the autistic spectrum. As a clinician, a clinical supervisor, a psychometrician, and an evaluator, I’ve been honored to provide support and guidance for children and families who have experienced psychological trauma.
Through my work within the child welfare system, I was exposed to a wide and varied array of complex psychological and emotional problems that continue to inform my work. That experience has also afforded me training in a variety of treatment modalities, preparing me well for my work in private practice as a therapist and skillful diagnostician.
For over ten years, I’ve served as an adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Counseling Psychology at Columbia University. During the pandemic, I taught remotely for a while before classes returned in person. I concurrently consult for companies on a range of areas, including Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Business Partnerships, and Management Team Conflicts.
Recently, I relocated to a rural area in Connecticut where my Vizsla puppy keeps me active. I enjoy cooking, design, and as much exposure to the arts as possible—especially film, which is a big part of my life. On the creative side, I enjoy writing essays and short stories—and I hope to do more.
Brian Daniel Norton is a psychotherapist and executive/career coach serving patients in Litchfield County, CT, and the greater NYC area. He is the founder of Brian Norton Therapy & Executive Coaching, LLC in NYC, and works with a range of personal challenges, including anxiety, depression, trauma, gender identity, marriage problems, career transitions, addiction, and parenting issues. Brian also specializes in providing care to the LGBTQ population, addressing important topics like internalized homophobia, challenges with coming out, relationships, substance use, and family of origin issues.
Credentials
Master of Education, Counseling Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 2000
Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, Concentrations: Sociology & Social Work, Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ 1998
Adjunct Professor, Graduate School of Counseling Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University
Trained in Multi-systemic Therapy (MST)
Nationally Board Certified Counselor
Guest Lecturer, Rider University
Former Executive Board Member, Identity House
Licensed Mental Health Counselor, New York, # 004257-1
Licensed Professional Counselor, New Jersey, # 37PC00311400
Licensed Professional Counselor, Connecticut #005310
National Provider Identification (NPI) Number 1487858759
23 Years Post-Graduate Counseling Experience with children, adolescents, adults and families
15+ years private practice working with gay men
Member New York Mental Health Counselors Association
Malpractice insurance provided through Healthcare Service Providers Organization