Benia Thomas, LCSW

Benia Thomas is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 12 years of practice experience based in New Jersey. She trained at Fordham University, earning a Master of Social Work with an emphasis on children, youth, and families, after completing a bachelor’s in Social Work at Lehman College. Benia lists stress, anxiety, depression, grief, family and relationship concerns, parenting, trauma and abuse, and LGBT-related issues among her core areas of work.

She began her career in New York City’s foster care system, working directly with children and families. Later roles included counseling incarcerated women with severe mental illness, running psychoeducation and personal empowerment groups, and providing individual therapy. She has also supervised master-level social workers in a clinical capacity.

Benia uses a mix of methods rather than one fixed model. She draws from client-centered approaches, cognitive behavioral ideas, mindfulness, and solution-focused techniques. Sessions involve active collaboration to clarify goals and practical steps for change.

Her background includes over a decade of practice with LGBTQ+ communities and experience supporting adolescents and young adults. She notes lived experience as a lesbian alongside her professional work, and highlights issues that often arise for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

Her style is direct and down-to-earth. Conversations tend to be straightforward, with an emphasis on understanding the problem, setting clear goals, and developing manageable strategies that fit day-to-day life.

How her approaches translate to online sessions