Gabrielle Brainard’s path to working with people seemed meant to be. As a resident of a small town in western New York State, she grew up in Arkansas and spent some time in New York before starting her advanced education in Maryland. However, it was in Baltimore, where her aunt was a psychiatric nurse in a behavioral health hospital, that she was exposed to therapy.

After getting her Bachelor’s in Sociology and Law Enforcement at Towson University and studying abroad in London, she continued her education, earning a Master of Social Work degree at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford in Pennsylvania. Now she spends most of her days utilizing her training as an LCSW, MSW, and trauma counselor working with young people at an alternative education high school and providing counseling services to adults via telehealth.

“Social workers are knowledgeable and helpful in many areas—medical, school, home, and family. It’s a versatile field and is person-centered,” she says, also emphasizing how telehealth opens up a spectrum of treatment options for people in small, rural towns. “Living in a rural area, transportation tends to be a huge barrier, as is having limited resources. Telehealth opens up opportunities for individuals to receive treatment from the privacy and comfort of their own homes.”

As a mother of three, Gabrielle has a passion for travelling. Growing up, she visited all 50 states with her mother and now is building a ‘travel bucket list’ which includes Iceland and New Zealand.Close