Meet Anthony Barnes of Anthony Barnes, LCSW

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Barnes.

Hi Anthony, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started my professional career in health and fitness where I managed a big brand gym for about five years. I fell in love with fitness and even became a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor. These days, I coach Crossfit and compete in Crossfit competitions.

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I decided to pursue a career as a therapist after choosing to get sober in 2012. My life fell apart, but with the help of friends, family, and professionals, I got better. I was humbled and inspired by those that cared for me, and decided, “Hey, I want to do that!”

I went back to school and earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work. I also obtained a certificate from UCLA Extension in Substance Abuse Counseling. Since then, I’ve worked with children and families, severely mentally ill people, LGBTQ+ youth and adults, and those dealing with grief and substance use.

I have now been working as a therapist for seven years and my practice is focused on queer people and their partners, those in all types of relationships (ENM, kink, poly), and high-achieving individuals (entertainment professionals, creatives, and athletes). I am also currently working to become a certified sex therapist as this has always been an area of interest for me.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, not at all. It took me almost a decade to get where I am. I did not do well in my undergraduate career – mostly because I was drunk and sleeping through class – so, I had to take the GRE in order to apply for school. I took a prep class, took the test, and did well enough evidently to get into school. Then, it was two years of full-time school alongside rigorous internship placements. When I graduated, I decided to take a job with LA County working for child protective services. This was a really difficult job that I left just a few months ago after being there for seven years. I learned so much but was challenged by the population that agency serves and other bureaucratic hurdles that made doing good work really difficult. I was simultaneously working as a therapist part-time where I was trying to hone my skills and build a strong therapeutic foundation. I had some great mentors that helped me along the way, and once I collected all of my supervised hours, I took the licensing exam and passed. It was hours and hours of providing services, getting consultation from supervisors, studying nights and weekends for the exams and then navigating the challenges of being a business owner. There have been many obstacles, but each of them have taught me something really important in my overall development as a mental health professional.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am a psychotherapist in private practice serving the entire state of California. My practice is solely virtual which allows me to meet with clients while they are comfortable in their homes. I specialize in working with queer people where much of our work focuses on cultivating authenticity and a more peaceful inner world. I also work with couples/partners in all types of relationships including traditional monogamous relationships to non-monagamous, poly, and kink dynamics. Work with these folks focuses on building communication skills to support more intimate connection and effective repair when conflict arises. I also have a ton of experience working with high-achieving individuals including those in the entertainment industry, other creatives, and athletes.

My style is direct, collaborative, and grounded as we explore patterns like perfectionism, shame, burnout, and disconnection. Using Internal Family Systems, attachment-based work, and Gottman-informed tools, I help you understand the parts of yourself that protect, perform, or withdraw. Together, we build self-trust, emotional balance, and more connected relationships – whether you’re healing individually or strengthening your partnership.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
To trust my own instincts and to remember that I don’t have to have all the answers. For so long, I’ve felt like an imposter in this field. I was a fitness guy and then suddenly I was helping clients navigate really sensitive issues in their lives. I took this seriously and put a lot of pressure on myself to do a good job. Today, I still want to do a good job, but I’ve realized that being a good therapist doesn’t mean having all the answers. It means I am able to provide a space for my clients to feel safe enough to talk to me about the things they don’t share with anyone else in their lives. That’s the thing I love most about being a therapist, and it’s the thing that comes the most naturally to me. So, trusting my instincts has been a really important lesson in my journey as a therapist.

Pricing:

• $215/50min session (individuals)
• $250/50min session (couples/partners)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.anthonybarneslcsw.com

Image Credits
Maxwell Poth