About Us
Dr. Brian Barkett
Founder & President, Better Minds Group
Dr. Brian Barkett helps individuals heal from the impact of traumatic experiences. These memories are chemically encoded in the brain and body, often leading to high threat perception, disturbing intrusive thoughts, and impulsive overreactions. Dr. Barkett emphasizes that these challenges are issues of neurology, not character – a perspective that provides a freeing context for understanding your problems and how we go about retraining your brain back to balance and greater peace. With over a decade of service on the Mental Health and Recovery Board for Licking and Knox Counties, Dr. Barkett is a deeply rooted advocate for community wellness.
- Dr. Barkett is an active member of the American Psychological Association and the Ohio
Psychological Association.
Liz Hartz, MSW, LISW-S, ATR-BC
Board-Certified Art Therapist & Clinical Social Worker
Liz brings a heartfelt presence and deep listening in addressing your concerns and creating solutions. She
supports you in cultivating resilience, building stronger mental health, and more skillfully managing problems of daily living. By blending clinical social work expertise with the option to incorporate art therapy, she helps adults navigate life’s challenges including trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, and major transitions.
BOOK YOUR SESSION NOW
Healing begins with one simple step, choosing to care for your mental health. At Better Minds Group, we’re here with compassion, understanding, and professional care. Whether you seek clarity, peace, or growth, our therapists will guide you toward lasting balance.
Begin Your Journey
Niki Brown, MSW, LISW
Licensed Independent Social Worker
Niki is a compassionate clinician who focuses on our innate
capacity for self-healing. She believes that the client is the voice of authority on their own feelings, thoughts, and experiences. She approaches each session by supporting clients and providing a unique space where they can tap into their inner wisdom and foster emotional resilience. Through the integrated lens of the mind, body, and spirit, she brings a holistic approach to therapy integrating evidenced-based somatic regulation and contemplative practices. Her therapeutic approach includes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Holistic approaches including meditation, mindfulness, and grounding. Niki prioritizes authenticity. She creates a safe space for people to openly process grief, trauma, and interpersonal struggles. Byengaging in Introspection, clients are able to develop a deeper sense of self and restore balance to their life.
Tricia Hufford
Masters Degree in Social Work
Tricia Hufford, with a Masters degree in Social Work, and 30 years experience at the Woodlands, has spent her professional life serving the mental health needs of Licking County. Tricia specializes in helping first responders (her husband is a firefighter), their families, as well as victims of abuse, domestic violence, and trauma. Tricia blends her social work expertise and clinical skills to deeply listen, so you feel deeply understood (maybe for the first time in your life). Together, you will learn to better manage life’s often contradictory challenges. Tricia’s therapeutic approach combines Eye Movement
Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy (DBT). She creates a safe space for you to explore your negative
impulses and rebuild a greater sense of well-being. As a graduate of Granville High School and an Ohio University alumni, Tricia is incredibly committed to her community. By the way, her
baked goods are to die for.
Maureen "Reen" Barkett
Operations Manager, Better Minds Group
As the office manager you will find Reen helping clients by taking calls, answering insurance questions, scheduling, troubleshooting, administering biofeedback, and directing clients on our business specialties. She brings a wealth of corporate expertise to Better Minds Group, and transitioned to the team in 2016 to oversee the operational side of the enterprise. Formerly a CPA with a background in Big Six
public accounting and Fortune 500 companies, she leverages her financial acumen to ensure the organization runs seamlessly. Having traded the corporate world for the family enterprise, Reen ensures that while the clinical team focuses on healing, the business operations remain strong and sustainable.