Li Brookens, LCSW, CGP, WPATH GEI SOC8 Certified

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Li Brookens

★ Pronouns: they/them
★ Email: li@umbrellacollective.org
★ Phone: 303-717-4766
★ Insurances accepted: Private Pay. I provide Superbills for people seeking reimbursement for session cost.
★ Licensed for In-Person or Teletherapy: Colorado
★ Service Modalities: Individual, Family, Group
★ Scheduling Availability: Monday-Thursday 10-4, very limited availability

Title: Founder, Clinical Director in Boulder

Intersecting identities that inform my practice: I identify as a trans, nonbinary, white-assumed Latinx, able-bodied person.

Background & Approach: I founded the Umbrella Collective out of a personal and professional drive to visibly see more affirming AND knowledgeable therapists in the psychotherapy world. As someone who has both privileged and oppressed identities, navigating systems of oppression without a systems-oriented, liberation therapist or organization behind you can feel daunting, it did for me. 

I utilize multiple therapeutic approaches in my work with each of my clients and supervisees/consultees. As a supervisor/consultant and talk therapist, I am particularly concerned with working to understand what clients might experience as repetitive negative patterns and looking for ways to interrupt those patterns together. I stay highly client-centered and always want to know what is most helpful and effective, as well as what is not helpful or ineffective with each unique person I engage with in the work. Whether in an individual or group session, I am watching for somatic (body) signals that a person may be having an emotional experience and I help clients put words to that experience. 

Clients might describe my style as warm, engaging, analytical, and fun…yes, I said fun. I enjoy play in psychotherapy as a way of resilience building. If I can help my clients enjoy the pain points in their life more, then I trust the client is progressing. 

Theoretical & Clinical Orientation: My foundational clinical training is based on anti-oppressive psychodynamic psychotherapies from Smith College School for Social Work, and ongoing consultation with mentors embodying modern group psychodynamic therapy. Since graduating in 2011, I have pursued specialty areas of practice that include certifications in Group Psychotherapy and Clinical Hypnotherapy. Through hypnotherapy, I center the body in my work with people as intellectual understanding only gets us so far. The most transformational work that I have done both with my clients and personally has come from somatic (body) experiencing in individual sessions and experiential progressive processing in work within groups.

Licensure, Certifications, & Fellowships: 

  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker Colorado - (LCSW) CSW.09923331 

  • Certified Group Psychotherapist - (CGP, 55338) 

  • Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist - (Certified by The Wellness Institute, WA)

  • WPATH GEI SOC8 Certified Member - (Attended 50hrs of gender-specific training and passed certification exam per the World Professional Association for Transgender Health)

Education & Training: 

  • M.S.W. in Clinical Social Work, Smith College School for Social Work (2011)

  • B.S. in Psychology, University of Washington

Clinical Specializations: Gender, LGBTQIA+ Identities, Group Psychotherapy

Professional Service & Membership:

  • American Group Psychotherapy Association 

  • ​Diversity Equity and Inclusion Task Force Member (2019-present)

  • Special Interest Group GLBTQ Co-Chair (2019-2021)

  • National Association of Social Workers 

  • Colorado Society of Clinical Social Workers

  • ​Co-Chair Education Committee (2015-2018)

  • ​Community Service Award (2017)

  • World Professional Association for Transgender Health 

Outside of Work: I am a lifelong athlete, and I love being in the great outdoors – walking, hiking, paddle-boarding, skiing, etc. I have a wife, two kids, and a dog who lovingly occupy all my spare time!

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Umbrella Collective

Mission Statement:

We are a group of depth-oriented mental health therapists who strive to embody values of liberation, welcome and honor all parts of our humanity, deeply appreciate intersectionality and empower all people to tell their story and experience acceptance, belonging and more meaningful relationships with self and others.

Who We Are:

The Umbrella Collective was developed to be a group practice where clients can see themselves reflected in their therapists from an inclusive standpoint. We consist of a network of talk therapists who specialize in working with an intersectional lens, centering the margins in the therapeutic work. We offer many different psychotherapy modalities, including psychodynamic, somatic, EMDR, CBT, Hypnotherapy, and Substance Abuse treatment. We provide consultation to individuals, families, and groups. Umbrella Collective mental health professionals are passionate about social justice, dedicated to ongoing training and education in best practices for BIPOC, LGBTQ people, and people who experience life on the margins. We are skilled at working with you and your intersecting identities.

Nondiscrimination Policy:

The Umbrella Collective Inc and its mental health professionals offer services to all people regardless of their race, ethnicity, color, language, national origin, immigration status, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, socio-economic background and status, military status, marital and familial status, age, religion, body shape, size, and ability.