Therapists for college students near University of Pittsburgh

I have been in private practice for the past approximately 30 years working primarily with adults/young adults. Although I have considerable experience with what may be described as more serious anxiety and depressive disorders, my practice more typically has consisted of individuals/couples/students interested in working on quality of life, relationship and general adjustment issues.

We are an inclusive private mental health therapy practice offering in-person therapy sessions in Lancaster, Hershey, York, Lebanon, State College, and Pittsburgh. We also offer online therapy to people aged six and older across Pennsylvania. Our experienced team of about 65 licensed therapists provides a safe place to receive professional counseling services. We tailor therapy to meet your needs, goals, and individual characteristics. We also offer lower-cost (self-pay) intern therapy anywhere in PA. Inquire to learn more. You can chat live with our in-house scheduling team during our administrative hours on our website: Monday 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Tuesday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Therapy should provide a safe space free from judgment where you can seek support, be genuine, feel heard and grow into the person you want to be. In sessions, we will work together to identify your unique abilities, strengths and successes. We will explore how to use those strengths and abilities to process past events, feel better, achieve your goals and live a life that feels meaningful to you. My integrative approach is strengths based and person centered with elements of evidence based approaches including CBT, DBT, narrative therapy, and EMDR. I have extensive experience working with adolescents, teens and young adults who are dealing with anxiety, ADHD, executive functioning challenges, depression, parenting issues, life transitions, effects of trauma and relationship struggles. I am trained in EMDR via EMDR Consulting, an EMDR International Association Approved Training Provider. I look forward to meeting with you!

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor who has expertise in working with children, adolescents, and young adults. I provide individual therapy to those who want to enjoy life and get to know themselves better in the process. Through my experience, I have learned the value of an interactive and collaborative environment to best support my client’s growth and development. I take a client-centered and strength-based approach to treatment. I utilize various therapeutic interventions based on the individual client’s needs and interests. This includes cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, play, art, music, and writing.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

It can be difficult to navigate finding mental health care, but you’ve made it this far. I view my role as holding a warm space for us to explore what is working and not working for you in your life. Most of us weren’t taught how to experience our emotions mindfully and respond with intention. It makes sense that many of us struggle with responding to our emotions compassionately. I may help you identify, understand, and accept difficult internal experiences while taking meaningful action in your life. My experiences range from outpatient care to more intensive eating disorder partial hospitalization. I seek to help you feel empowered to move through the world in your body as it is in this moment. Whether or not you’re struggling with your relationship with food or your body, I find self-compassion an important tool in promoting mental health. One of the ways change happens is by doing something differently than you’ve done before. I encourage you to make small changes in between sessions as we work together. The therapy process can be a challenging yet rewarding experience. I'd be honored to be a part of it with you.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Looking for support, problem solving, coping skills, or an opportunity to talk through what is not working? My goal is to create a working relationship that feels comfortable and hopeful. It takes courage to share personal information with someone new. Individuals and families are facing a lot of stress and difficulties which makes psychotherapy incredibly important. My work with clients has them feeling respected and involved in their own treatment goals. The clients I serve range in age from teens through adulthood. Young adults/college age are often a large part of my practice as well. Change takes time and the therapy process is based upon trust, comfort and consistency. Progress can occur and is to be expected with shared treatment goals and ongoing communication. Please feel free to reach out to me with questions about the process or for more details about my specialities and approach to care. Let's find out if I am a good match for your needs with an initial call.

I am a licensed clinical social worker in private practice and have worked with a wide range of clients over my career, from teenage years all the way through late adulthood. I specifically specialize in Women's Health, where I help those struggling with PMDD, hormone related mood/anxiety issues as well as perinatal mental health, infertility and loss. In addition to this specialty, I very much enjoy working with college-aged individuals navigating depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, OCD, trauma and grief and loss. College can be a time of growth for many and also a time of major transition and change. I would be privledged to work together with you to help navigate this time in your life.

Are you trying to navigate life's many challenges in a more flexible, aware, and skillful way? Let's collaborate to change patterns that aren't working for you. Respecting that you are the expert on your life and goals, I will integrate my training and experiences to support you in growth. Individuals often work with me to shift patterns of anxiety or depressed mood, to reclaim the energy wasted on perfectionism or overly harsh self-criticism, to reduce procrastination and improve effectiveness, to make progress on health goals, to improve the quality of their relationships, and to manage stress more efficiently. I also specialize in perinatal mental health (pregnancy, post-partum, fertility, loss) and in working with parents of children of all ages. Most people I work with choose online therapy, and some meet with me in the office. As a member of PSYPACT I can often continue to work with you online while you visit home or work/study outside of PA. (For participating states: https://psypact.org/page/psypactmap)

College is a time of frequent change, new experiences, identity-exploration, and uncertainty; juggling academic demands with everything else can prove daunting. If you're feeling that something needs a change, therapy might be the missing ingredient to achieving psychological wellness. Hi! I'm Em! I previously worked in Seton Hill University's Counseling Center, providing individual therapy to college students for a wide variety of issues, including anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, LGBTQIA+ issues, relationship and interpersonal problems, grief, trauma, academic stress, adjustment to college, and identity exploration. My approach is relaxed, conversational, and at times fun! I am non-judgmental, welcoming, and I collaborate with you to create a personalized treatment plan. I blend traditional talk therapy (where we explore your thoughts and feelings to increase insight) and skill building (where we practice techniques to soothe and minimize distress.) You'll find me at Elements Counseling & Wellness Spa in the east end of Pittsburgh. We're a 15-20 minute drive from most of Pittsburgh's universities, but I also offer telehealth sessions. I have weekend and evening availability. Let's connect!

I am an LGBTQ-competent therapist working with adolescents (16+), college students, and young adults who experience stress and worry, feel down or hopeless, who struggle to focus in school or employment, and/or who are exploring their gender and sexual identities. I empower my patients to identify their own goals and intentions in therapy that support their values. Some examples include: improving ability to cope with anxiety; learning to set and communicate boundaries; managing difficult emotions; and creating structure and habits that optimize success in school or employment. I use evidenced-based methods including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy-informed skills, Motivational Interviewing, and mindfulness-based interventions. I will invite your feedback on which interventions you find most helpful and adapt sessions accordingly. Engaging in therapy, especially as a young person, takes great bravery and vulnerability. I hope to provide a welcoming and calming environment to support you through meeting your goals. I see patients virtually and in person.

Do you feel isolated, like you just can’t really seem to connect with others in a meaningful way? Is life starting to become boringly repetitive with no end in sight? Are you drinking or using other drugs more than you are comfortable and worry you might have a problem? Maybe you chronically feel depressed, anxious, or that your mood is just all over the place for no obvious reason? Are you experiencing distressing memories, thoughts, and strong feelings without having a sense of control over them? I can help you by developing healthy self-resourcing tools to manage your thoughts, feelings, and distress experiences. I work with individuals by offering a healthy, nonjudgmental, encouraging, and collaborative relationship that promote your strengths through a process of discovery, acceptance, growth, and becoming. I believe every person has an inherent potential for growth. I work diligently with you as a collaborator to help you harness this potential through support, encouragement, and, at times, even challenging you. I work with adults of all ages, gender identities, races, sexual orientations and economic/ethnic backgrounds to treat a wide range of problems like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, chronic anger management issues, addiction, PTSD, and a variety of other behavior conditions. I practice eclectically with a strong emphasis on Person-Centered Therapy and Gestalt Therapy. I am trained in a variety of techniques including Motivational Interviewing and EMDR.

Struggling with your mental health? Try therapy tailored to your needs. Feeling disconnected in an increasingly distracted world? Not prioritizing your mental well-being? Tranquil Trails specializes in "adult youth", (gen Z & millennial issues), LGBTQIA+, neurodiversity, boundaries in relationships, addictive behaviors, and cultural and societal issues.

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers Training and professional background: I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Art History from Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana, graduating in May of 2014. In the Fall of 2012, I received training as a victims’ advocate and crisis line operator at the Family Justice Center in South Bend. For the rest of my time as an undergraduate, I continued volunteering for the FJC, focusing on taking crisis calls, yet unaware of the skills I was building in attending to each caller’s concerns. I utilized my training again during grad school to volunteer for Crisis Text Line, where I honed my skills in crisis management and planning. In December of 2018, I graduated with my Master of Science in Education from Duquesne University, specializing in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Duquesne’s program is CACREP accredited and meets all standards and requirements as an institution for counselor education. I received my license November of 2023. Theoretical orientation and approach to counseling: My clinical approach is rooted in two orientations: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Narrative Therapy. I also draw heavily from the Humanistic-Existentialist perspectives of Psychology and philosophy in helping my clients better understand their feelings, goals, and experiences. My clinical practice embodies the spirit of meeting clients where they are. I enter each session with one objective: a readiness to talk and warmly receive. Client rights and responsibilities: As my client, I encourage you to ask questions and raise concerns about anything, especially my credentials and qualifications, the progress of our work together and its cost, my therapeutic approach, or anything else that concerns you. I take my role seriously as a helper and strongly believe that healthy relationships, especially therapeutic, require communication, consistency, and warmth. Therapeutically, we might be a good fit if: -- You are ready to make new moves in your life and relationships – So many of us know what must be done to address problematic behavior or to build better habits. What might be lacking is an awareness of the theory or tools to support those efforts. I am equipped to teach you how to individualize widely known coping skills, if you are ready to prioritize your mental health treatment. -- You are a creative person – The scaffolding or foundation you need to accomplish your long-term goals comes from your ability to generate creative solutions—no matter the medium! Your unique skills and worldviews can enrich to the work we do in the room. This takes the form of interesting, billowing conversation, not traditional art therapy. -- You are looking for a space to feel seen and heard – I take great pride in my ability to attend to the emotional needs of my clients. A dedicated space where the floor cedes to you, a conversation that is focused with warm curiosity on you, that is quickly becoming a rarity in our social interactions. While attentiveness is one of my biggest strengths to offer, I find being a witness to my clients’ concerns and vulnerabilities the greatest honor and reward in this field; we are the most human in these moments. It sets the stage for therapeutic collaboration and honors our innate drive to identify and hold our emotions without urgency or shame.

Thank you for taking the time to look at my page. I commend you for taking the first step in exploring a therapist in the Pittsburgh area. My approach to counseling is grounded in empathy, compassion, and trust. I want our time together to be a collaborative process built on respect, understanding, non-judgment, and genuineness. There are points in everyone’s lives that may become unmanageable due to transitions, conflicts or a realization that may require the assistance of a therapist to help the client navigate forward in their journey. Counseling can be a valuable resource with lifelong tools to resolve past and present issues in people’s lives. I extend this invitation to you. My goal is to create a space for safety and empowerment. I am passionate about providing a collaborative therapeutic journey together. You are the expert of your life and your experiences, and it would be a privilege to go on this journey of growth and exploration with you. I believe learning and growing are constants in life. We can learn and grow from not only obstacles and challenges in life, but also successes and achievements, and therapy is a place to explore and process these parts of us. I value awareness and self-compassion, and I am drawn to find the deeper meaning of our behaviors and actions. My goal is to support you in living your life from a place of authenticity and self-understanding. I have a holistic perspective and I believe in the interdependence of the body, mind, and spirit. A person-centered and psychodynamic approach is what I bring to my work with individuals. My style pulls from different theories and practices of counseling. I want to meet you where you are, and I realize that one type of counseling does not fit everyone. You are unique and we will work together to find what works best for you!

Are you not where you want to be or struggling to be happy with where you are in life? Did you plan for things to be different at this moment in your journey through life? Most individuals go through this at some point in their lifetime and I'm here to help you navigate your journey to the path you want to be on. I have worked with diverse clientele for my background and with individuals who experience depression, anxiety, stress management, addiction, chronic pain, trauma and life transitions. The different therapeutic modalities I utilize include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Motivational Interviewing. I work to create a safe place that empowers clients to be their authentic selves while feeling seen and heard. I believe that my job as a therapist is to meet each individual where they are and to get them where they want to be.

I believe you have the power to create and live a life that feels fulfilling to you. I would be thrilled to partner and work with you to create and nurture an existence that is authentic, while navigating the challenges of existing within our society. Together, we'll place emphasis on your positive traits and behaviors to enhance your ability to use your personal instincts. Through therapy, you will be empowered to cultivate your inner wisdom, growth, healing, and fulfillment.

At Creating Connections Counseling, we believe that anyone can benefit from counseling. If you find yourself struggling with the challenges of life, counseling services can help you to clarify your thoughts and emotions and put them in proper context to guide you forward. Counseling can be a vehicle to finding or maintaining healthy relationships, uncovering hidden passions, managing symptoms of mental illness, and establishing life goals for those who feel stuck. Our team of licensed clinicians in the Pittsburgh region are available to guide you through the journey of self-examination and personal growth that all people deserve. Creating Connections Counseling is a safe space where all are welcome. We believe in the intrinsic value of all human beings and are here to serve all who seek our help.

Our practice provides psychoanalytic psychotherapy. A psychoanalytic approach to treatment offers a comprehensive and nuanced framework for addressing trauma, anxiety, depression, identity struggles, self-esteem, and a sense of self. If advisable, we can also provide careful expert medication management that is informed by our therapeutic work together. Our approach facilitates an environment where people are able to communicate their thoughts, feelings, and wishes in a setting that is inherently collaborative, caring, and non-judgemental. A strong therapeutic relationship is the most powerful means of treatment and developing this alliance is an essential priority for me.