Brandi Watson, LCSW

Brandi Watson specializes in trauma-informed therapy with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. Her clinical work includes support for trauma and stress, anxiety, depression, parenting concerns, family conflict, relationship challenges, behavioral health concerns, substance use recovery, and life transitions. Her therapeutic approach is compassionate, collaborative, strengths-based, and grounded in evidence-based practices including CBT, DBT-informed skills, EMDR, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy, expressive arts techniques, and play-based interventions.

Professional Experience

Brandi has worked in the social work and behavioral health field for more than two decades, with clinical experience as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker since 2019. She currently provides part-time therapy through The Chesnut Group, where she works with children, teens, adults, couples, and families around a variety of clinical concerns.

In addition to her clinical practice, Brandi serves as the Assistant Director of Field Education and Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work at the University of Southern Indiana. In this role, she teaches master-level social work students, supports field education, mentors emerging professionals, develops community partnerships, and helps prepare future social workers for ethical and effective practice.

Brandi’s previous clinical roles include serving as a therapist at The Lampion Center, a health therapist at ECHO Community Healthcare, and a full-time therapist and later Clinical Manager at Southwestern Behavioral Healthcare. Across these positions, she has provided therapy to children, adults, families, and couples; facilitated therapeutic groups; supervised early-career clinicians; and provided training to other professionals on trauma-informed care, clinical decision-making, and child and family treatment models.

Earlier in her career, Brandi spent many years in advocacy, crisis response, outreach, and leadership roles supporting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. This work helped shape her strong commitment to trauma-informed care, client safety, empowerment, and community-based support.

Brandi has also presented locally and statewide on topics related to trauma, developmental trauma, family engagement, reflective supervision, trauma-informed teaching, resiliency, ethics, self-care, and treatment strategies. She remains actively involved in professional training, community partnerships, and efforts to improve access to quality care for children, adolescents, families, and underserved rural communities.

Services Provided

Brandi provides individual, couples, and family therapy for children, adolescents, and adults. Her areas of focus include trauma, stress, anxiety, depression, emotional regulation, parenting challenges, family conflict, relationship concerns, behavioral issues, substance use recovery, and support during major life changes.

She uses a flexible, client-centered approach that may include CBT, DBT-informed skills, EMDR, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy, expressive arts techniques, and play-based interventions. Brandi works to create a safe, supportive, and practical therapy space where clients can build insight, strengthen coping skills, improve relationships, and move toward healing and resilience.

In addition to direct therapy services, Brandi provides clinical supervision and mentorship to developing social workers and has experience training professionals in trauma-informed care, child and adolescent treatment models, and clinical practice skills.

Qualifications

School: University of Southern Indiana
Degrees:

• Bachelor of Science in Communications and Sociology, 1998

• Master of Social Work, 2017

• Doctoral Candidate, 2026

License:

• Licensed Social Worker, Indiana, 2017

• Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Indiana, 2019

Current Professional Roles:

• Assistant Field Director, University of Southern Indiana

• Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work, University of Southern Indiana

• Part-Time Therapist, The Chesnut Group

Specialized Training and Practice Areas:
EMDR, CBT, DBT-informed treatment, DBT-C, PCIT, expressive arts therapy, child-centered play therapy, trauma play therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy for individuals and couples, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Matrix Model materials, Seeking Safety, trauma-informed care, and clinical supervision.