Bryan Busse

Bryan Busse is a California-based Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (CA LMFT 42542) with 28 years of clinical experience who works with stress, anxiety, grief, coping with life changes, compassion fatigue, ADHD, addictions, relationship and family concerns, parenting issues, and depression. He emphasizes building and maintaining an empathic therapeutic relationship that helps people explore, work through, and resolve the issues that matter most to them. He takes an eclectic approach, drawing on skills developed over decades of practice and a lifetime of personal experience.

He earned a Master’s degree with honors in Counseling Psychology. Early internships exposed him to substance use and addiction work at a methadone treatment center for opiate users and to adolescent services in a high school setting. Those placements led to work in a county school for emotionally disturbed, at-risk youth and later in a county-mandated residential care program for the same population. He then joined a neuropsychology practice treating traumatic brain injuries, brain disorders, dementia, and pain management, where he trained in neurofeedback and biofeedback and became familiar with a more medical model of care. He completed the California State Board examinations and became fully licensed as an LMFT in 2004. His experience includes private practice and clinical settings, and his role as caregiver for, and survivor of, a family member with Alzheimer’s disease motivated a focus on geriatric care. He has worked with hospice care, home health, personal assistant services, independent and assisted living communities, and memory care.

On a personal level, he is a father of one and a stepfather to another, both adults. He has been married and divorced and grew up in a divorced family of origin. He is a survivor of caring for a parent with life-limiting dementia and cancer and of having another parent who struggled with alcoholism, emphysema, and early childhood trauma. He has traveled widely, primarily to developing countries, and previously worked in business and finance, experience that informs a practical, solutions-oriented perspective.

As he is new to the BetterHelp platform, his current availability is limited to Monday through Friday in 45-minute time blocks during specified hours. Clients who need different times or shorter 30-minute sessions are invited to discuss those options. He typically recommends a minimum of one scheduled video session per week and often finds two sessions more productive, especially when starting a therapeutic relationship; session frequency and duration remain flexible and can be adjusted as needed. He asks that clients reach out on the BetterHelp platform when issues arise that feel urgent. He reserves time for family and friends but will generally reply to communications within 12 to 24 hours unless away from internet access, in which case he will respond as soon as possible. In the event of an emergency, clients should call 988 or 911 for immediate help and, if possible, leave a message for him on the BetterHelp platform when they are able.

From his clinical training, professional roles, caregiver experience, and practical background, Bryan Busse offers assistance aimed at recognition and resolution of problems. He encourages taking the step to reach out for help and looks forward to the first session and those that follow.