My background:
Hi! My name is Bria Servoss (she/her). I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Certified Sex Therapy Informed Professional (CSTIP), and Mental Health Consultant (MHC) in Madison, WI who hails from the woods, lakes, & rivers of “up-north” and city streets of Chicago, IL. I have my Bachelor’s in Psychology (honors; minor in Women’s & Gender Studies) from Roosevelt University in Chicago and my Master’s in Counseling from University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.
I have continued my education, getting ongoing trainings as a Certified Sex Therapy-Informed Professional. I value demystifying sexuality, finding empowerment through understanding and talking about it, and considering how sexuality informs and is integrated into our lives and partnerships. While not strictly sex-focused, non-traditional relationships can reflect new and empowered ideas about partnership dynamics, like those included under the Ethical Non-Monogamy (ENM) umbrella. I am proud to work with clients in these oft-misunderstood and overlooked relationship structures.
I live near a marsh of wild things with my blended family of mostly-domesticated humans & animals. I am from Gen-X, which just means I eschew labels. If pressed, I will tell you I am a queer, agnostic, spiritual philosopher. I love playing & listening to music, exploring the mystical & natural world and that which is strange & curious, finding connections & freedoms that do not seem obvious at face-value, and discovering new things about all the stuff I love.
You can hear a bit of me here during a chat I was invited to have with Jeremy Schumacher, fellow therapist and host of the podcast Your Therapist Needs Therapy (September 2024).
I specialize in:
•couples & open relationships (polyamory, ethical non-monogamy)
•perimenopausal life shifts
•life during/after divorce or large break-up
•women’s & LBGTQ+ issues
•shame & sexuality
•emotional & psychological abuse recovery
•step-parenting struggles
•late-diagnosis ADHD
•trauma
I STAND WITH IMMIGRANTS, BLACK, BROWN, & INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, and the LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY.
My approach:
My style as a clinician is conversational & direct, existential & feminist, and a bit tarot-inspired & Jungian. I find that my strengths as a therapist exist in linking various parts of your experience to who you are now, and within the larger picture of your life. I work with you to develop realistic ways to move towards healing - whatever “healing” means to you - and I consider this work a calling and an honor.
Like everyone, I’m constantly educated simply through living - a humbling process which is certainly not simple, but has offered me insight and (thankfully) some wisdom. I have activist/ally roots, starting from a young age, and value the empowerment which comes from empowering others. I bring all of this to my shared sessions with you. That said, I also have a sense of humor. There is an alchemy that occurs when we find the light in the darkness - life requires levity.
Techniques
Some techniques I use are based in existential-humanistic therapy, feminist therapy, Imago Dialogue, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and the Socratic Method.
Credential Certifications
•Currently working towards becoming certified as a Women’s Mental Health Specialist (Autumn 2026)!
•Certified Sex Therapy-Informed Professional (CSTIP) (July 2024, July 2026)
•Level 1 Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy (August 2024)
•Cognitive Processing Therapy Certification (CPT) (August 2021)