Dr. Aaron P. Brinen

Dr. Aaron P. Brinen Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Dr. Aaron P. Brinen, Psychologist, Nashville, TN.

This summer, I had the opportunity to present a webinar with Mad In America —an organization that continues to challenge...
04/07/2026

This summer, I had the opportunity to present a webinar with Mad In America —an organization that continues to challenge us to think more deeply, critically, and compassionately about mental health care. Their work emphasizes the importance of lived experience and rethinking traditional approaches to psychiatry, which I greatly respect. And they’ve released it on YouTube!

This conversation was especially meaningful to me. It was a chance to share ideas about recovery, psychotherapy, and what it really looks like to help people build meaningful lives—even in the presence of serious mental health challenges.

If you're a clinician, someone with lived experience, or simply interested in a more nuanced perspective on mental health, I’d encourage you to check out the webinar here:
👉 https://youtu.be/mRq9a07HYbE?si=h5kfIR-P8XpifGpg

If you find it helpful, I’d also love for you to explore more content on my YouTube channel (RecoverWithCBT), where I focus on practical, recovery-oriented strategies.

And if you haven’t yet, consider picking up a copy of Living Well with Psychosis Guilford Press . My hope in writing it was to provide both clinicians and individuals with tools that support real-world recovery and a more hopeful path forward.

Grateful for opportunities like this—and for the ongoing conversations that help move our field forward.

Many people who experience psychosis have difficulties with motivation and connection (commonly referred to as “negative symptoms”) that make them the least ...

I’m excited to share that I am now licensed as a Clinical Psychologist in the state of New Jersey!I’m grateful for the o...
04/03/2026

I’m excited to share that I am now licensed as a Clinical Psychologist in the state of New Jersey!

I’m grateful for the opportunity to expand my work and begin serving individuals in New Jersey. I currently have availability for referrals and would be honored to support those seeking evidence-based, recovery-oriented care.

In addition to New Jersey, I am also licensed in New York. I also participate in PSYPACT (the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact), which allows me to provide telehealth services to clients in 43 participating states—helping increase access to care across state lines.

I’m deeply thankful for the continued support of my private practice—from colleagues, referral partners, and the individuals and families I’ve had the privilege to work with. Your trust means everything.

If you or someone you know could benefit from services, feel free to reach out or connect.

Recoverwithcbt.com

Gateway to Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy (CT-R) for Psychosis

When I wrote Guilford Press Living Well with Psychosis, my goal was simple: to create something practical, hopeful, and ...
04/02/2026

When I wrote Guilford Press Living Well with Psychosis, my goal was simple: to create something practical, hopeful, and genuinely useful—something that could help people move beyond just managing symptoms and toward building a life that feels worth living.

Seeing how readers have experienced it has been deeply encouraging. One reviewer wrote:
“I wish this book had been available when I really needed it… a person… can truly be the captain of their own ship.”

Another shared how much they appreciated having clear, actionable steps they could actually apply in their daily life.

If you’re someone living with psychosis, supporting a loved one, or working as a clinician, I hope this book can be a steady, respectful guide—one that reminds you that progress is possible, and that a meaningful life is within reach.

Thank you to everyone who has read it, shared it, and used it in their work. It truly means a lot.

https://a.co/d/0bOhsev2

Leading psychologist Aaron P. Brinen busts myths and helps you build the life you want in this empowering book. Dr. Brinen provides step-by-step guidance for becoming a strong self-advocate, navigating treatment options, managing symptoms that cause distress, and coping with stigma. Learn crucia...

Many of us have heard the advice:“Just take a deep breath.”But interestingly, the way most people take a “deep breath” a...
03/27/2026

Many of us have heard the advice:
“Just take a deep breath.”

But interestingly, the way most people take a “deep breath” actually activates the fight-or-flight response rather than calming it.

In a new video, I walk through a simple breathing technique that helps regulate the nervous system by slowing the breath instead of deepening it.

It’s easy to practice, easy to use during stressful moments, and subtle enough that you can do it in meetings, before difficult conversations, or when your mind starts racing.

Sometimes the most powerful tools are also the simplest ones.

If you work in mental health, support someone experiencing anxiety, or just want a practical technique to reset your nervous system, I hope this is helpful.

Watch here:
Why “Take a Deep Breath” Is Bad Advice (Do This Technique Instead)

Do you ever feel like your nervous system is dialed up to 11? Your heart is racing, your mind is spinning, and people tell you to “just take a deep breath.”B...

Today’s Clinical Bites is all about something I hear constantly in supervision:“How do I turn a simple interaction into ...
03/25/2026

Today’s Clinical Bites is all about something I hear constantly in supervision:

“How do I turn a simple interaction into meaningful therapeutic change?”

In this video, I break down a 5-step process for transforming everyday activities—like going for a walk or sharing coffee—into powerful behavioral experiments that drive cognitive restructuring.

This is a core principle in recovery-oriented cognitive therapy:
👉 We don’t just engage—we create learning.

When we consistently help individuals test and update their beliefs through experience, we move from connection to transformation.

If you’re a clinician, I think this will resonate with your day-to-day work.

🎥 Watch here: https://youtu.be/qNH0wCoSs_M?si=XXBvB4dBIeFQe6OG

Curious—how do you currently turn activities into learning opportunities in your sessions?

Are you a therapist who’s ever had a great session—but struggled to turn it into real learning?In this Clinical Bites episode, Dr. Aaron Brinen breaks down a...

Mental health providers — we need to talk about how we talk about families.In my work as a trainer, supervisor, and clin...
03/20/2026

Mental health providers — we need to talk about how we talk about families.

In my work as a trainer, supervisor, and clinician, I frequently hear families described as “codependent,” “enmeshed,” or “enabling.”

These constructs have clinical meaning. But they are often overgeneralized — and when used carelessly, they can alienate the very people we need as partners in serious mental illness treatment.

Families don’t go to graduate school for psychosis or schizophrenia. They are thrust into crisis after terrifying phone calls and expected to navigate systems they don’t understand.

When we reduce them to labels, collaboration suffers.

In my newest video, I explore:
• Why these labels are often misapplied
• The empathy gap between providers and families
• How fear and love drive protective behavior
• A more collaborative path forward

If you work in behavioral health, I’d genuinely value your thoughts.

Watch here: The Harm of Labeling Families in Psychosis Treatment
https://youtu.be/zJ6-u_beIEk

Let’s raise the standard for how we partner with families.

— Aaron Brinen

Are families really “codependent,” “enmeshed,” or “enabling”… or are they terrified and trying to protect someone they love?In this video, Aaron Brinen—train...

I’m excited to share a new paper from our team on a question that has been bothering me for years:Can psychotherapy be i...
03/17/2026

I’m excited to share a new paper from our team on a question that has been bothering me for years:

Can psychotherapy be integrated directly into routine psychiatry medication visits for people with psychosis?

Historically, psychiatrists were trained to provide both psychotherapy and medication treatment. But over the past several decades, psychotherapy within medication visits has steadily declined.

Yet patients consistently report that they want more than medication monitoring during these appointments.

In this study, named IMPACT (Increasing Medication Check Participation Through Applying CT-R), our team developed and tested a program integrating a version of CBTp in medication management checks. The goal was to integrate Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy (CT-R) into standard 30-minute medication management appointments for individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

This was a feasibility and acceptability trial conducted in an academic outpatient psychiatry clinic.

Some encouraging findings:

• No participants who began the program dropped out during the year
• CT-R techniques were used in 74% of medication visits
• Appointment attendance and no-show rates remained stable
• We observed large improvements in symptoms and social functioning and moderate improvements in beliefs about recovery (note: the study was not powered for this purpose)

Although this was a small exploratory trial, the results suggest that psychotherapy can be systematically integrated into medication management visits in a way that is feasible for clinicians and acceptable to patients.

If replicated in a randomized controlled trial, this model could represent a practical way to expand access to evidence-based psychotherapy for individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders—especially given the ongoing shortage of trained providers.

I’m deeply grateful to my collaborators and mentors who helped bring this project to life. Julia Sheffield, PhD, Stephan Heckers, Lauren Hall, Ali Sloan, Cheryl Cobb, Maja Skikic, Kimberly Hsiung, and Ryan Michael Cassidy, M.D., Ph.D.

Looking forward to the next step: testing this approach in a larger controlled trial.



Provision of psychotherapy during medication management checks has decreased, despite its benefits. The authors evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of integrating recovery-oriented cognitive therapy (CT-R) into psychiatric medication management ...

I’m excited to share that I am now licensed as a psychologist in the state of New York! This milestone means I’m now abl...
03/16/2026

I’m excited to share that I am now licensed as a psychologist in the state of New York!

This milestone means I’m now able to provide telehealth services to individuals in New York, expanding the reach of my private practice and allowing me to connect with and support more people in their recovery journeys.

I’m deeply grateful to the many colleagues, mentors, friends, and clients who have supported my work and believed in the mission of this practice. Your trusting me with referrals means so much! Your encouragement and collaboration have made this possible.

My practice focuses on helping individuals move toward meaningful recovery using evidence-based, cognitive-behavioral approaches. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to serve individuals and families across New York.

Thank you to everyone who has supported the growth of this practice.

Learn more:

Gateway to Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy (CT-R) for Psychosis

Many people I work with struggle with a mind that just won’t turn off.Worry about the future. Fear of being judged. Diff...
03/13/2026

Many people I work with struggle with a mind that just won’t turn off.

Worry about the future. Fear of being judged. Difficulty falling asleep. Sometimes even distressing voices.

In a new video, I walk through a simple grounding exercise using the five senses that can help bring attention back to the present moment.

It’s a technique I learned while working on a clinical trial years ago, and I still recommend it regularly.

In the video I cover:
• How the exercise works
• A common mistake people make
• A simplified version that can be used anywhere

If you’re interested in practical psychological tools that people can use in everyday life, I hope you find it helpful.
Guilford Press

Do you ever feel like your mind just won’t turn off?Maybe you’re: • Overthinking • Worried about what others think • Struggling to fall asleep • Feeling over...

One of the most common things I hear in supervision or consultation is:“I don’t understand why my client keeps doing tha...
03/11/2026

One of the most common things I hear in supervision or consultation is:

“I don’t understand why my client keeps doing that.”

When that happens, the answer usually isn’t a new intervention.

It’s better understanding.

In the newest episode of Dr. Brinen’s Clinical Bites, I walk through one of the most useful tools in cognitive behavioral therapy:

Chain Analysis (Functional Analysis).

This simple framework helps clinicians:

• Understand the sequence behind behavior
• uncover thoughts, emotions, and triggers
• build stronger case conceptualizations
• collaborate with clients instead of guessing interventions

It’s also something many clients deeply appreciate—because the process shows them they are truly being listened to.

If you train clinicians, supervise therapists, or practice CBT, I hope this walkthrough is useful.
Guilford Press

Have you ever found yourself asking in session: “Why does my client keep doing that?”You’re not alone. Many clinicians hit moments where the behavior doesn’t...

Working with individuals experiencing psychosis, one of the most common challenges families and providers face is social...
03/06/2026

Working with individuals experiencing psychosis, one of the most common challenges families and providers face is social withdrawal.

A loved one may spend most of their time in their room, disengaged from family, activities, and life outside that space. It can be incredibly frustrating and heartbreaking for the people who care about them.

In a previous video, I discussed a simple engagement strategy sometimes called the “Ring and Run” technique—a way of inviting connection without placing pressure on the individual.

But an important insight came from viewers Ian Bye and Paul Hutton:

This approach only works if we are consistent and persistent.

Just like in physical therapy, change rarely happens after a single attempt. It happens through repeated, low-pressure invitations to engage.

In this follow-up video I talk about:
• Why consistency matters when someone is withdrawn
• How to recognize the small “sparks” of engagement
• Why persistence—not perfection—is often the key ingredient
• How providers in hospitals and team-based care can use this same approach

Often the most effective clinicians and caregivers aren’t the ones with the most complex techniques.

They’re the ones who keep showing up.

If you’re interested, you can watch the video here:
https://youtu.be/BvOlJTa3uzA?si=krOLv9xYBLLL2nJv

And I’m curious for my colleagues and families here:

What small strategies have helped you break through isolation and reconnect with someone you care about?
Guilford Press

When a loved one with psychosis or schizophrenia isolates in their room, families often feel anxious, frustrated, and powerless. You try talking, asking how ...

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