Brenda Stewart, MA, LMHC, LPC, NCC
Brenda Stewart, MA, LMHC, LPC, NCC, is a licensed mental health counselor and founder of Wellspring Therapy Associates, where she empowers individuals and teams through counseling, coaching, and behavioral health innovation. Her work focuses on supporting clients through eating disorder recovery, trauma, and nervous-system stabilization, using EMDR-informed and DBT-informed approaches. Brenda combines her clinical expertise with a passion for helping high-functioning, high-achieving women via retreats, group programs, and online courses.
Her career in mental health was inspired by her own healing journey, which included overcoming trauma and an eating disorder. Prior to becoming a therapist, she gained extensive experience in hospital admissions, outpatient services, insurance, and employee benefits, learning to simplify complex systems and meet people where they are. This foundation informs her practice philosophy: listening with empathy, communicating with clarity, and leading with integrity to create safe spaces for growth and recovery.
Brenda holds a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Regent University and is a certified EMDR therapist. Beyond her private practice, she contributes to professional education, mentors new clinicians, and supports nonprofits such as Village of Hope Uganda and RAFA Counseling Center. Known for her dedication, clarity, and compassionate approach, Brenda continues to innovate in behavioral health while helping others achieve meaningful, lasting change.
• EMDR Certified Therapist™
• Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor
• Nationally Certified Counselor
• Everything DiSC Workplace® Certification - Online
• Regent University- M.A.
• Liberty University- B.S.
• Outstanding Graduate 2016
• Chi Sigma Iota
• Mental Health Counselor of Central Florida
• American Counseling Association
• Village of Hope Uganda
• RAFA Counseling Center
• The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my passion for guiding and supporting others, inspired by the therapists who helped me through my own recovery and motivated me to offer that same hope and healing to my clients.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received is to always work hard and stay committed to your goals.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think my biggest piece of advice would be to know your limits so you can sustain in the field long-term and not burn out. Many people get into the mental health counseling field because they have a deep sense of caring, are intuitive, are sensitive, and highly compassionate, which makes them great at what they do, yet it also, if you don't have good boundaries, if you don't have good support systems in place for yourself, it can be very draining, and it can be easy to experience burnout. So really setting yourself up for success and having things that offset the heaviness of the career field that can be life-giving to you. You need to know, like, okay, how many clients can I see at a certain specialization and still feel like I have things to give in the other parts of my life. Make sure that you have a community and can fill your cup.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think when you're in private practice, it can feel very lonely, and so having connections with others is critical. Compassion fatigue or burnout, the risk of that is a challenge. And then I think, you know, I'm a cash-paid practice, but overall in the field, what I hear is just the level of insurance reimbursement, or insurance kind of approving or not approving people's care, and so it can interfere with really giving clients what they need if it's not approved of. That's why I've opted out of insurance, so I can really provide the quality and length of care that people need to really thrive and heal.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My faith is a big one. Integrity is a big one, and I look at authenticity as hand-in-hand with integrity. And trust would be the third. I started out as an elementary education major, and I've always been passionate about helping others.