Allison Jeanette Briggs, Licensed Professional Counselor and founder of Being Real, PLLC, offers a distinct approach to trauma therapy that centers on the emotional realities of women recovering from codependency and childhood emotional neglect. With over twenty years of experience spanning education, mental health, and advocacy—including service as a Peace Corps volunteer—Briggs blends clinical expertise with soulful storytelling to support women in reclaiming their emotional truth and setting boundaries.
Her therapeutic platform, On Being Real, combines trauma modalities such as Brainspotting, EMDR, and somatic work to address the complex layers of psychological wounds. Briggs is widely recognized for her work in helping clients break generational patterns that perpetuate silence, compliance, and self-erasure. She challenges conventional therapy narratives by presenting healing as a non-linear, often uncomfortable process that demands courage and honesty.
Briggs’s practice focuses on women who have historically been praised for being “nice”—agreeable and accommodating—while carrying the emotional burden of those around them. She stresses the difference between “nice” and “kind,” noting that kindness is not synonymous with weakness or compliance. “When women are criticized for not being ‘nice enough,’ what’s really being said is, ‘That wasn’t weak enough,’” Briggs explains. “Kindness is about being strong enough to speak up and speak out, because you care—getting loud and honest in the face of cruelty, disrespect, and hate despite any discomfort or pushback one might experience.”
Her approach invites women to acknowledge and express anger, establish boundaries, and embrace the parts of themselves that were long told to be silent. “No one tells you that being true to who you are will cost you friends and family,” Briggs says. “But if you lose them, they never loved you for who you were. They loved you for who they needed you to be.” This perspective underlines the emotional cost of breaking free from codependency, illuminating the solitude and resilience required in this journey.
Briggs’s forthcoming memoir, On Being Real: Healing the Codependent Heart of a Woman, integrates her life growing up, with her own insights into recovery from codependency, as well as cultural critique to offer a nuanced narrative of healing and reclamation. Her writing has appeared in notable publications including Elephant Journal, The Mighty, and Medium, where she presents trauma recovery with clinical depth and spiritual honesty. Her voice stands out in the mental health field for its willingness to confront the messy and raw aspects of healing rather than presenting a sanitized or overly simplified view.
Being Real, PLLC, has garnered attention not only for its therapeutic innovation but also for Briggs’s advocacy for women’s emotional empowerment. Her work is sought after for media features, particularly on topics related to trauma healing, relational boundaries, and women’s empowerment.
Briggs distinguishes herself by refusing to offer surface-level advice or performative empathy. Instead, she reaches the invisible parts of women who have been conditioned to put others’ needs above their own. Her approach does not seek to “fix” clients but to help them remember their intrinsic worth before societal pressures dictated self-sacrifice. This therapeutic philosophy reflects a broader cultural shift toward recognizing the cost of emotional labor historically expected of women.
Her therapeutic and literary contributions offer a timely voice for those navigating the complexities of codependency, emotional neglect, and reclaiming one’s identity. Briggs’s work demonstrates that true healing is neither polite nor palatable but involves embracing discomfort and cultivating strength through vulnerability. This approach resonates deeply with women who have long felt unseen or unheard.
Briggs’s online presence through platforms like TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and her websiteon-being-real.comprovides accessible resources for those seeking guidance on emotional recovery and personal growth. Her growing following reflects the need for authentic conversations about trauma and the courage required to speak one’s truth.
Being Real, PLLC, invites a reconsideration of what it means to heal from trauma in a culture that often values compliance and fitting in over authenticity. Allison Briggs’s work embodies a commitment to dismantling myths around politeness and compliance as measures of worth, encouraging women to embrace their voices—even when it means confronting discomfort, loss, or resistance.
For those seeking a therapeutic experience that honors complexity and invites deep emotional reclamation, Briggs offers a unique and powerful path forward. Her work is a testament to the resilience required to break free from inherited patterns and to live more fully in one’s own truth.
