Therapists for college students near University of Pittsburgh

Hi! I'm from Pittsburgh and proud to be practicing in my home town. Therapy ranges from directive to less structured approaches. Directive approaches involve identifying a specific problem and starting interventions including skill building for the client. Less directive therapy involves self exploration and understanding our symptoms in an interpersonal context. These two approaches can be combined, tailored to the client. The client's responsibility is committing to therapy, and showing up weekly at the designated time, and engaging in the process. While the therapist is an expert in psychology, the client is an expect in themselves and is ultimately the source of change and improvement. I see myself as a guide, helping the client see things they may have missed or avoided, and making connections that wouldn't otherwise be obvious. The process is collaborative and frequently rewarding.

There is incredible knowledge and healing potential within each of us. My job as your therapist is to carry the flashlight as we explore your inner world together. I work with adults ages 18+ on a range of concerns, including depression, anxiety, trauma, neurodiversity, psychosis, gender and sexual identity, relationships and more. I offer therapy to individuals and couples. If you are searching for an accepting, supportive space where your concerns will be heard and never dismissed, I encourage you to schedule an appointment. As a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, I offer a safe, affirming space to people of all genders, sexualities and relationship styles. I specialize in helping queer, neurodivergent adults self-advocate, set boundaries and navigate adversity, trauma and life transitions. I have in-person openings in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood and virtually across PA. Reach out today to schedule a free, 15-minute consultation.

We are located a few blocks off campus and seek to provide prompt, professional psychotherapy for anxiety, depression, ADHD, and personal adjustment issues for students. Our counselors are psychologists and social workers with experience and compassion. We accept most major insurance providers.

My focus is to form caring and supportive relationships that are solution focused and trauma informed. I provide individual therapy and assessments. I utilize client centered modalities in the service of providing a safe environment in which clients can better understand themselves and their relationships in order to foster growth and success. I work with clients who have a range of backgrounds and disorders, including anxiety, depression, personality disorders, and other adjustment concerns. My clinical experience includes residential treatment and public and private school settings. Schachner Associates is unique because we offer the intimate atmosphere of a small private practice with clinicians from multiple backgrounds and specialties.

Welcome to the Awareness and Wellness Center (AWC)! My name is Amy Mintgomery and I am a professional counselor in Pennsylvania providing in-person and online counseling. I have been providing therapy services for adults struggling with a range of issues including substance use disorders, problems with self-esteem, anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, grief/loss, as well as anger/stress management problems and more. I have gained this experience working in a variety of therapeutic settings including long-term residential, inpatient and outpatient agencies. For 18 years I worked in the Student Life division of a local university. I worked primarily with student organizations in organizational development. I helped the young adult population of the university develop self-efficacy and to better manage stress. More recently I worked in both inpatient and outpatient settings for substance use and co-occurring disorders. In therapy, I use a person-centered approached utilizing cognitive-behavioral and solution-focused technique. My approach is to provide a soothing space and offer the environment you need to talk through life’s challenges. “Life on life’s terms” can be complicated and everyone needs a place to process difficulties. My hope is to be part of your “We” so that you have the professional support needed to begin to work through challenges and find solutions to better manage stress and the emotions connected to that stress.

The goal of Premier Psychotherapy is to create a place where anyone can relax and be fully self-expressed, without fear of judgment. Some area of expertise include: Complex Trauma, Anxiety, Depression, Trauma-Focused Play Therapy, Foster Care/Adoption, ADHD, LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Christian Counseling, Inner Child Work and more.

If life has been feeling stuck, confusing, or overwhelming, let’s slow things down together. I'm here to listen closely to your lived experience and the stories that have shaped it. My work is grounded in narrative therapy, which means we will pay attention to how problems have come to influence your life and how your preferred values and hopes might guide us forward. We'll stay close to what matters most to you, exploring what you want your life to stand for and supporting steps that move you closer to that direction, one conversation at a time. My approach is collaborative, with your voice guiding what feels most important. I ask questions that invite reflection and new possibilities, and I'm transparent about my thinking. If you want therapy that feels human, thoughtful, and respectful of your context, we may be a good fit. If you would like to see whether we fit, reach out through the contact options on this page. You can share a sentence or two about what you want help with, along with any scheduling needs. I'll respond with what I can offer and what next steps could look like.

I have spent the last 15 years working with clients across the lifespan with a variety of needs, specializing in life transitions, navigating change, personal growth and development, anxiety and depression, and helping clients to uncover the origin point or root cause of their symptoms, and heal from there. My background as an energy healing practitioner and mindfulness meditation teacher inform my multi-dimensional approach, which is grounded in presence, practicality, and play.

I am glad you are considering seeking therapy. I truly love what I do and feel honored to be part of my clients' journeys. I work with clients who have a wide range of concerns, including depression, anxiety, relationship issues, parenting struggles, career challenges, trauma, and grief. My counseling style is organic, conversational, warm, interactive, and at times even humorous. If you prefer to verbally process your thoughts and feelings, then we may be a great match. I strive to help my clients discover their own strength to overcome challenges. I am currently available on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday (no evening or weekend My approach combines cognitive-behavioral therapy, client-centered therapy, and solution-focused techniques. I will tailor our dialogue and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. I am also half American and half Japanese. If you are seeking counseling in Japanese, please do not hesitate to contact 日本語でカウンセリングが必要でしたら遠慮なくご連絡下さい。日本語でも英語でも大丈夫です。 I understand that choosing a therapist can be challenging and intimidating. I believe that each person should be in the driver’s seat of their own therapy experience, and your comfort is paramount. I hope I can assist you on this journey. The best way to reach me is by email, as I am often in and out of sessions.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

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.

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.

I am here to help you with struggles related to depression, anxiety, trauma, life transitions, stress, peer and relationships issues, family related stressors, and regulating mood instability. I have worked with individuals from diverse backgrounds and in diverse settings, including in clients homes and inpatient facilities. I use these past experiences to meet my clients where they are, understand their unique perspective, and form a meaningful relationship with them in which they feel heard and understood. My primary treatment modalities include CBT, DBT, MI, and narrative therapy. Meaning, I use practices science has shown to be effective, to help clients harness their motivation to change their thoughts and behaviors, improve their relationship skills, and reach their goals. My hope is that clients view themselves as empowered agents of change in their life. I'm dedicated to helping my clients discover their strengths and potential, fostering a sense of well-being and empowerment. I believe in my clients' inherent resilience and potential for growth. I'm here to provide the support and encouragement they need to overcome challenges and create a more fulfilling life.

I am pleased that you are here. I know it is not easy to take this first step, but I want you to know first and foremost, that I take great care and pride in creating a safe place for my clients to talk about their internal conflicts, interpersonal problems, traumas, and whatever is interfering with living a fuller, richer life. I bring to my clinical practice a great deal of skills coupled with passion to engage in a meaningful therapeutic relationship. I invite clients to increase their self-awareness while aspiring to high levels of wellness: biologically, psychologically, relationally, sexually and spiritually. I offer a safe space free of judgment, filled with compassion and kindness towards your own process. My theoretical orientation to counseling is rooted in humanistic theories with underlying existentialism and phenomenological philosophies. I firmly believe in the therapeutic alliance and its curative power, in addition to striving to look at all situations from a sex positive, non-shaming, and non-judgmental lens.

Maybe chronic stress, anxiety, or trauma has your nervous system stuck on high alert, so that even when life is relatively stable, you don't actually feel that way. Maybe your past experiences show up now as hypervigilance, tension, irritability, insomnia, or shutting down. Maybe you're managing burnout, depression, relationship struggles, or patterns you just can't seem to shake. Maybe you're tired of merely surviving and ready to actually feel different. With a background in social justice, many of my clients are queer, activists, neurodivergent, and others for whom identity/politics/systemic context are part of their story. We start by helping your body feel safer through various approaches such as biofeedback, breathwork/meditation, or the Safe and Sound Protocol so your nervous system doesn’t have to work so hard. From there, we look deeper at the patterns, relationships, and stories that shaped how you move through the world. We explore what matters to you at your own pace. Our work together isn't about fixing what's "wrong" with you. It's about understanding what has happened to you, how you've adapted, and finding out what is possible when we have more awareness and more options. My approach is a deeply relational one. You're the expert on your own life and I'm here to serve as a supporter and collaborator in the process.

I believe that the therapeutic relationship, the relationship between the therapist and the client, is the cornerstone of therapy and is an essential tool in working through interpersonal issues. I would provide a warm and safe environment in which to collaboratively address your concerns. Therapy would entail learning skills to more effectively cope with your stressors and exploring your understanding of yourself and underlying causes of your difficulties in order to enhance your quality of life. While this process can be challenging, it can also be meaningful and rewarding. I have experience working in community and academic settings with diverse adult populations experiencing a wide array of problems.

Do you struggle with self esteem, decision making, or just life in general? Are you ready to make a change? Often times our experiences can/have shape(d) who we’ve become. You may be in need of support and that’s ok. Congratulations to you for taking the first step in seeking support. My mission is to help make a difference in the lives of others one day at a time. As a certified Compassion Fatigue counselor, I can assist with emotional exhaustion. Life experiences can often leave us drained, stressed and or overwhelmed. Are you one who has always been there for others in their time of need? Who helps you? Do you have a healthy support system? The helper often gets neglected because they’re busy assisting others which can lead to Compassion Fatigue. Let me assist you.

25+ yrs of post-licensure experience. Co-owner of Existential-Dynamic Associates. I see counseling as a collaborative process designed to help you overcome problems & live more fully. I believe that seeing yourself & others with compassion & acceptance is a path to well-being & meaning. I have an engaging, experiential style. I also lecture domestically & internationally on anger management, mindful eating, & perfectionism. My approach to self-criticalness was validated by an independent research team. I am on the Advisory Board of The Mindfulness Project (London, UK).

I worked in university counseling centers for over 10 years before transitioning to full-time private practice, and really enjoy working with undergraduate and graduate students. College and graduate school is often a time to better understand and define who you are and what does and does not work for you and for promoting your wellbeing. As a psychologist, I work to help clients understand themselves better in the unique context and experiences of their own lives so as to figure out what each individual needs to be well, which may be very different than what you think you should need to be well. I also work to help clients not only manage their symptoms and distress, but also understand the root causes of their symptoms and distress. I believe that this deeper understanding can often lead to transformative healing.

At some point along the journey, our stories demand to be told. Whether through painful emotional and physical symptoms, relationship struggles, or other interruptive experiences, our lives catch up to us. They ask for our attention. Therapy is a place where, together, we can pay closer attention to your story and the person you are becoming. We are all always in process. I believe that we can experience true healing in a human encounter, and I strive to deeply listen to my clients, bringing curiosity and attention to the parts of you that may have gone unnoticed. Approach to Therapy My counseling approach is rooted in relational psychodynamic therapy, which focuses on patterns and themes from early childhood and how they show up in your life today. This approach also emphasizes the relationship between the therapist and client as a vehicle for healing and change. It’s important to find someone you feel comfortable with, and it may take you some time to discern the right fit. I respect the vulnerability and bravery required to step into this work, and aim to meet you with humility, curiosity, and a responsible awareness of my own intersecting identities. Each person brings unique concerns and needs, and I am committed to ongoing research and training to provide the best care I can. I draw from a variety of approaches, including attachment-based therapy, family systems work, liberation psychology, Internal Family Systems (informed, not certified), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Narrative-Focused Trauma Therapy. Background: I have worked with at-risk youth, college students, and folks from all walks of life in outpatient and community mental health settings. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Music and Theater, and a Master’s in Counseling Psychology with a Concentration in Trauma and Abuse from the Seattle School (2023). Outside of therapy, I enjoy lots of things, including yoga, performing arts, poetry, and being outside!