ACT (pronounced as the word “act,” not the letters) is an action-oriented form of therapy. Its main goal isn’t to erase your difficult thoughts, anxiety, or trauma responses—because let’s face it, trying to force yourself to "think positive" usually backfires.

Instead, ACT teaches you psychological flexibility. It helps you change your relationship with your struggles. By learning to look at your thoughts rather than from them, you can choose how to react based on what actually matters to you, rather than letting anxiety or self-doubt make the rules.

Standard behavioral therapies can sometimes feel a lot like "compliance training" or learning how to mask better. ACT is different. It can be deeply validating for marginalized and neurodivergent brains because:

• It stops the shame spiral: Instead of pathologizing your ADHD brain, autistic burnout, or queer trauma, ACT views these internal experiences as valid responses to an unaccommodating world.

• It unmasks your true self: ACT helps you separate your intrinsic values from internalized capitalism ("my worth equals my productivity") or societal expectations.

• It accommodates brain texturing: It focuses on flexible, workable strategies rather than rigid rules.

Have you ever felt like you completely understand your trauma or anxiety on an intellectual level, but your body still reacts like you’re in danger? That’s because trauma, burnout, and deep-seated survival responses aren't stored in the logical, talking part of your brain—they are locked in the subcortical, emotional brain. If you are tired of talking in circles and want to heal at the root, Brainspotting is a gentle somatic tool that helps your brain and nervous system process what words cannot.

Brainspotting (BSP) is a brain-body therapy that locates points in your visual field to help access and process deeply stored trauma, emotional stress, and physical tension.

By finding a specific eye position (a "brainspot") that correlates with an emotional or physical sensation in your body, we can unlock your brain’s natural, innate ability to heal itself. Utilizing this approach has been deeply attached to my work in decolonizing mental health care. Where Western ideologies often focus on focusing solely on your cognition and continue to support us being disconnected from our bodies, brainspotting can help us reconnect to our full system of information and reduce the impacts of trauma.

Brainspotting bypasses the over-analytical mind entirely. It stops the loop of intellectualizing your feelings and goes straight to the source of the distress, making it highly effective for people who feel like they've hit a wall with standard therapy.

During brainspotting, you don't have to make eye contact with me, mask, or try to find the "right" words to explain your brain. Your eyes just rest on a specific point and we co-create an environment for your body and brain to process.

If you experience autistic burnout or ADHD overwhelm, your brain is already tired of thinking. Brainspotting allows your nervous system to do the heavy lifting without cognitive exhaustion. Many of my clients have found it helpful for focus and rest.

No. I am a private-pay provider.

Working within the traditional insurance system does not align with my commitment to decolonizing mental healthcare and actively resisting oppressive systems. The mainstream insurance industry relies on frameworks that often feel restrictive, pathologizing, and deeply impersonal.

By being a private-pay provider I do not have to add diagnoses to your permanent record and justify to insurance companies why your care is needed and important, no third-party access to your sessions and no limits on how we want to structure our sessions together.

I am happy to provide a monthly Superbill for potential out-of-network insurance reimbursement, but because I operate outside the mainstream insurance system:

• I do not speak with insurance companies, submit appeals, or participate in chart reviews.

• My documentation is written for our work, not corporate algorithms, and may not satisfy rigid insurance criteria.

• Insurance rarely covers multiple sessions per week.

• Verification of benefits is your responsibility, and reimbursement cannot be guaranteed. Brittany Ahern Nwachie, LCSW is not liable for denied claims.

Your care and privacy remain my sole priority over insurance company demands.

I am located in Orange County, California. I am authorized to offer Telehealth services throughout all of California, Arizona and Connecticut.

I do not offer in-person sessions at this time.

Research shows telehealth is just as effective as in-person therapy, and many clients prefer it for the added comfort, flexibility, and lack of a commute. If we ever determine that online therapy isn't the right fit for your needs, I will gladly help transition your care to a trusted local, in-person provider.

First sessions can feel intimidating, but you don't need to prepare a script or put on a mask. We’ll use this time to get to know each other, explore what you're carrying, and see how it feels to work together. We’ll look at the big picture of your life—head, body, and systemic context—and talk through how we can use practical tools like somatic healing, ACT, and Brainspotting to help you unhook from the noise. You set the pace; I’m here to walk alongside you.

Health care providers are legally mandated to provide patients an estimate of the bill for medical items and services. The Good Faith Estimate shows the costs of services that are reasonably expected for the expected services to address your mental health care needs. The estimate is based on the information known to us when we did the estimate. The estimate is NOT a bill.

The Good Faith Estimate does not include any unknown or unexpected costs that may arise during treatment. You could be charged more if complications or special circumstances occur. If this happens, federal law allows you to dispute (appeal) the bill.

If you are billed for more than your Good Faith Estimate, you have the right to dispute the bill.

You may also start a dispute resolution process with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). If you choose to use the dispute resolution process, you must start the dispute process within 120 calendar days (about 4 months) of the date on the original bill.

To learn more and get a form to start the process, go to:

www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call CMS at 1-800-985-3059.

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate or the dispute process, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call CMS at 1-800-985-3059 .

The Good Faith Estimate is not a contract. It does not obligate you to accept the services provided by your healthcare provider.