Benia Thomas, LCSW

Benia Thomas is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 12 years of clinical experience in New Jersey. She holds a Master of Social Work from Fordham University and a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Lehman College. Benia lists stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and family concerns, grief, trauma and LGBT-related issues among her primary areas of work.

Benia began her career in New York City foster care, working directly with children and families. She later provided individual counseling and psychoeducation groups for incarcerated women with severe mental illness. She has also served as a clinical supervisor for master-level social workers.

Her approach blends Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy. Sessions focus on concrete goals and practical steps, with attention to thoughts, behaviors, and present difficulties. Benia describes therapy as a cooperative process where clinician and client set clear targets for change.

Benia has over a decade of experience with LGBTQ+ concerns and notes that her identity as a lesbian informs her understanding of issues common in that community. She often works with adolescents and young adults and supports people dealing with codependency, abandonment, attachment, blended family dynamics, and parenting stresses.

In sessions she aims to be direct and encouraging while using practical techniques and occasional humor. She helps people clarify what matters to them, break down obstacles, and build everyday strategies that fit real life. To begin, clients complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session.

How Benia uses therapy approaches online