Brett Robertshaw

Hi, I’m Brett, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Maine. I’ve worked in the mental health field since 2017, and I bring a genuine, laid-back, and deeply attentive approach to therapy. I work well with people who need someone to really listen. My background includes trauma, life stressors, autism, and the ways family dynamics and larger systems can shape emotional well-being.

My own life experiences have deepened the way I show up in this work. I believe every person has inherent worth and often more potential than they can see in themselves at the moment. I pay close attention to patterns, power dynamics, cognitive distortions, and the ways people respond in relationships so I can tailor therapy to what will actually be useful for you. I’m also drawn to psychology, philosophy, and spirituality, and I can bring those perspectives into our work when they feel meaningful.

I try to lead with both heart and logic, and I take my role seriously by staying reflective, accountable, and responsive to the person in front of me. My goal is to help you feel heard, understood, and supported as you build more clarity, agency, and meaningful change in your life.

My approach to therapy is genuine, flexible, and shaped around the person in front of me. I tend to work in an eclectic way, which means I draw from both practical, evidence-based tools like DBT and CBT and deeper philosophical, existential, or spiritual exploration when that fits what you need. Some clients come to therapy looking for concrete coping skills to manage anxiety, trauma symptoms, or everyday stress, while others want space to better understand themselves, their patterns, and what gives their life meaning. Often, both are important.

I don’t believe therapy has to feel rigid or one-size-fits-all. I pay close attention to how you think, feel, respond, and relate, and I tailor my approach based on what seems most helpful for you. If you need grounding and structure, we can focus on practical tools. If you’re wrestling with deeper questions about identity, purpose, power, relationships, or the human experience, we can go there too. I believe real therapy often involves both insight and action—understanding what’s underneath the struggle while also building the skills to get through it.

In our first session, you can expect a laid-back, nonjudgmental space where you don’t have to have everything figured out. I’ll spend time getting to know what brought you in, how things have been affecting you, and what you’d like to feel different moving forward. At the core of my work is the belief that every person has inherent worth and more potential than they may be able to see in the moment, so my goal is to help you feel understood, not analyzed or pushed.

I listen closely for patterns, strengths, and what may be keeping you stuck, and when it feels safe and appropriate, I may gently challenge some of those patterns to help you build more clarity and agency in your life. Depending on what you need, we might begin with practical tools to help you feel more grounded, or we may start exploring some of the deeper emotional, relational, philosophical, or spiritual parts of what you’re carrying. My hope is that you leave our first session feeling heard, a little more clear, and with a better sense of how we can work together.