LaBrenda Thomas

LaBrenda Thomas is a licensed clinical social worker and licensed school social worker with more than 16 years of professional experience in mental health, social work practice, clinical supervision, school-based services, and social emotional learning. She holds a master’s degree in social work and a doctorate in behavioral health. She has five years of teaching experience and currently teaches master’s-level social work courses at Walden University.
At Walden, Dr. Thomas supports graduate social work students by connecting classroom learning to ethical, culturally responsive, and practical social work practice. Her teaching and professional interests include clinical practice, behavioral health, child and adolescent mental health, trauma-informed care, social emotional learning, and professional development for emerging social workers.
Dr. Thomas’s professional background includes providing therapy to children, adults, couples, and families; supervising developing clinicians; leading school-based social emotional learning initiatives; and supporting community-based mental health services.
Throughout her career, Dr. Thomas has worked to increase access to quality mental health care, strengthen emotionally safe learning environments, support clinician development, and promote whole-child approaches that benefit students, educators, families, and communities.