Anna Bankey, MSW, LICSW
Clinical Mental Health Therapist
Founder of Riverside Counseling in Brainerd Minnesota
I created Riverside Counseling to elevate the individual therapy experience—providing personalized, evidence-based care that goes beyond simply managing symptoms.
My goal is to create an exceptional experience for every client, build meaningful therapeutic relationships, and help people achieve real, lasting results in their lives.
My style of therapy is compassionate, direct, trauma-informed, and focused on creating real change.
I’m not here to judge your past, tell you how you should feel, or keep you stuck talking in circles.
I’m here to help you understand what’s happening, work through what’s keeping you stuck, and move toward the life you actually want.
My clinical work incorporates EMDR, somatic therapy, CBT, solution-focused therapy, psychodynamic and tailored to you—not a textbook version of you. I work with older kids, teens and adults in-person at my Brainerd office and telehealth with people across the state of Minnesota at this time. I am also being licensed in Florida, New York, Massachusetts, and Arizona.
My approach blends Integrative Depth-Oriented Therapy, brain–body integration, trauma processing and pattern reset work, active results-focused therapy, and experiential mind–body techniques to help you understand what’s beneath the surface, process what’s keeping you stuck, and turn insight into meaningful change.
I earned my Master of Clinical Social Work from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota in Minneapolis with Concentrations in Trauma, Addiction & Adolescent Psychotherapy, my Bachelor of Social Work from The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, and my Associate of Arts from Central Lakes College in Brainerd, MN.
I am an EMDR-trained and Brain Spotting trained clinician and am currently pursuing my doctorate degree in clinical counseling education.
My professional and wellness background has also given me a strong appreciation for the connection between the mind, body, and nervous system. I bring that perspective into the therapy room because healing isn't just about what happens in your head.
Therapy should feel like a place where you can show up exactly as you are—messy, overwhelmed, successful, exhausted, healing, figuring it out, or somewhere in between.
No judgment. No pretending.
No perfect version of you required.
Just you, your story, and a place to start.
It is my honor to do this work with the clients who choose me as their therapist.
My previous clinical therapist roles included Lakeview Behavioral Health, Crow Wing County Drug Court Team, Northern Pines Mental Health Center, Nexxus, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe – Four Winds Treatment Center, Lakes Country Counseling, Behavioral Health Associates in the Twin Cities, and Nystrom & Associates, where I provided mental health services across outpatient, residential, community, and specialty treatment settings.
My clinical and generalist practicum experiences included Greater Minnesota Family Services, RSI in Duluth, Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office – Jail Programs, and Bridges of Hope, where I gained valuable experience in mental health, community services, crisis intervention, and justice system settings.
Throughout my career, I have explored business, healthcare administration, anthropology, sociology, nursing, ayurvedic, and integrative wellness. My professional background includes natural health, fitness, yoga, massage therapy, bodywork, and the beauty and spa industries, where I operated successful wellness practices.
These experiences have shaped my belief that healing is not about reducing people to diagnoses or symptoms—it is about understanding the full story. True transformation begins when we honor the whole person: their life experiences, strengths, relationships, identities, and the environments that have shaped who they are.
I offer flexible in-person and virtual therapy options for individuals throughout Minnesota at Riverside Counseling. Weekly sessions are available for those ready to begin this journey of healing and growth.
I invite you to reach out and take the first step toward a healthier, more empowered future.
Text or call and leave a message at 218-450-8400 or send an email inquiry for the quickest response.
Anna Bankey, MSW, LICSW
Founder of Riverside Counseling
Integrative Psychotherapist for Self-Discovery & Transformation, Real Life Change & Breaking Old Patterns
Established March 2026
