A Team of Trauma Recovery Professionals, Led by Brenda Glass

Brenda Glass, MSSA, LISW-S, is the founder and executive director of the Brenda Glass Trauma Center. Ms. Glass leads the Trauma Center staff in the delivery of all services.

She is a licensed clinical social worker (LISW-S) with extensive experience directing the delivery of trauma recovery services for people who have experienced violence. As a psychotherapist, spiritual advisor, and Sunday School and Bible Study teacher, Ms. Glass has devoted her time, efforts, and money to making a difference in the lives of others when no one else would lend a helping hand. She is dedicated to eliminating the antecedents of incarceration, homelessness, recurring acts of violence, and mental instability related to community and institutional dysfunction.

Ms. Glass specializes in trauma, cultural inclusivity, and innovative recovery practices for healing and thriving after trauma from violent crimes.

She has spent the past seventeen years working to help individuals and families recover from acts of violence and mental disturbance. She began her work in a local church in Cleveland, helping at risk young adults undergo behavioral changes that would lead to a change in beliefs about self and the future, to enhance their opportunities for success. Her work in the faith-based community continued from 2003 until 2016 when she shared her work and vision with the Crime Victims Unit of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. At the Attorney General’s recommendation, she agreed to replicate the program design into a community mental health agency.

The trauma recovery center Ms. Glass directed for three years became an integral part of efforts to help victims of violent crimes in Cleveland engage in a holistic approach to recovery that removed or minimized barriers that existed in the past. She currently provides trauma recovery services through an agency she founded with funding from the ADAMHS Board, again as a faith-based program.

As a psychotherapist who has been trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and EMDR, Ms. Glass consistently seeks training in the latest methods and modalities of work with persons who experience trauma, such as T.E.A.M. CBT developed by Dr. David Burns. Her training also includes Tele behavioral Health.

Ms. Glass is an advocate for all those who need a voice. She speaks out for justice through her membership with the Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice. She is a member of the Cuyahoga County Regional HIV Ryan White Planning Council and is co-chair on the Membership, Retention, and Marketing committee. Ms. Glass also is a member of the steering committee for the National Association of Trauma Recovery Centers which joins providers across the United States to develop standard practices to address the complex nature of trauma among people of color.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, she graduated from Ursuline College with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and obtained her Master of Science in Social Administration from Case Western Reserve University’s Mandel School of Social Administration one year later.

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Brenda Glass - MSSA, LISW-S, Founder and CEO

In 2023, Ms. Glass was a recipient of the Hidden Figure Award from the City of Cleveland.