Brenton Kirschner
M.MFT, LPC, LMFT
I work with adults and couples who are stuck in something they can see clearly and can't seem to change.
Most of my clients aren't new to this. They've read the books, they've done therapy before, they can describe their patterns with real accuracy — and they're still having the same argument, or ending up in the same place with a different person.
What I've found is that understanding a pattern and being able to interrupt it while it's happening are two very different capacities, and only one of them is built by explanation.
I'll ask what was actually going on in you in a specific moment, and I'll keep asking, and I'll be honest when I think something isn't working — together we will build a way forward.
Experience
2021- Present
Regroup Counseling Rogers, AR
Launched Regroup Counseling’s Rogers, AR location in 2021 and have successfully grown the clinic into a thriving practice of multiple therapists.
2017 - Present
Private Practice
Started my own private practice in 2017, growing into a specialized provider of evidence-based services for adults, couples, healthcare professionals, and adult attachment.
2013 - 2017
Residential Treatment Center
Provided specialized trauma and addiction therapy at Capstone Treatment Center, a 90-day intensive treatment program serving high-acuity cases. Delivered individualized care and led dynamic group sessions focused on emotional regulation, resilience, and recovery. Facilitated experiential healing through high and low ropes courses, fostering trust, confidence, and personal growth in a structured therapeutic environment.
Education
2011-2013—
Abilene Christian University, Masters of Marriage and Family Therapy
2006-2011— Harding University, B.A. Missions
My Approach
Mentalization-Based Treatment Trained with Prof. Anthony Bateman, MA, FRCPsych — Anna Freud Centre, London
MBT works on your ability to understand what's happening in your own mind and someone else's — especially in the moments when that ability disappears. Rather than analyzing patterns from a distance, we slow down specific interactions and look at what was actually going on, in you and in the other person. Bateman co-developed MBT with Peter Fonagy; training at this level is uncommon in the US.
The Gottman Method — Level 3 The Gottman Institute
A research-based approach to couples work built on four decades of studying real couples over time. We start with a structured assessment — questionnaires, a joint session, and individual sessions with each of you — so the work begins with information rather than guesswork. Level 3 is the most advanced training level before certification.
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy ACT Immersion — the course developed and taught by Steven C. Hayes, who originated ACT
ACT works on your relationship to your own thoughts and feelings rather than trying to eliminate them — so that anxiety, pain, or self-criticism can be present without deciding what you do. The work is ultimately about behavior: getting clear on what you want your life to be about, and building movement in that direction that doesn't wait for the discomfort to clear first.
Additional Trainings:
Reflective Functioning Trained with Howard Steele, PhD
The measurable capacity to understand behavior — yours and other people's — in terms of what's driving it underneath. Steele co-developed the field's primary measure of it.
Adult Attachment Interview trained with Howard Steele, PhD and Miriam Steele, PhD
A structured interview that examines how you talk about your early caregiving relationships. How the story is told turns out to predict adult relational functioning better than what happened in it — and it identifies earned security, the capacity people develop to become reliable partners despite difficult histories.
Narrative Therapy
Narrative Therapy is defined as a collaborative, strengths-based therapeutic approach that views problems as separate from the person and helps individuals re-author their life stories. It focuses on identifying and reshaping dominant narratives that may limit a person’s identity or well-being, encouraging clients to create alternative, empowering stories that reflect resilience, values, and preferred ways of living. My training in Narrative Therapy comes from The Vancouver School for Narrative Therapy.
EMDR II
An approach that uses bilateral stimulation and adaptive information processing techniques to restore neural integration of traumatic memory, reduce hyperarousal and avoidant responses embedded in early attachment and developmental experiences, and support emotional regulation and earned security across the lifespan.
Certified Trauma Therapist
A comprehensive certification program from Spirit2Spirit that equips clinicians with advanced skills in trauma assessment, experiential and holistic treatment modalities, and evidence-based interventions, including psychodrama, breathwork, adventure therapy, equine therapy, Internal Family Systems, and cognitive-behavioral approaches, supported by supervised practice to ensure effective application in clinical settings.
Seven Principles Workshop Leader
A workshop program based on Gottman research that teaches couples evidence-based strategies to improve communication, manage conflict, and strengthen emotional connection.