Therapists for college students near University of Pittsburgh

At Strong Foundations, we understand that finding the right mental health provider can be a daunting task. Please see our website for a full list of services we offer and description of our counselors. As a practice, our highest priority is providing supportive, personalized, and effective care to every individual and family. We offer individual therapy, neuropsychological testing, family & marital therapy. We use evidence-based treatment methods, including CBT, DBT, ACT, Motivational Interviewing, and PCIT. Our therapists offer daytime, evening, and some weekend hours to accommodate busy schedules. Sessions can be scheduled in person or virtually. Please call (412) 368-2211 to schedule an appointment or contact us via email: support@sfpgh.com

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.

We all want to be happy. We may feel stuck or face challenges. Getting support from someone on the outside, in the counseling or psychology field, can help you gain a new perspective. You can learn to make better choices, feel less anxious and feel more optimistic; find peace in the day-to-day. In my practice, I see adults, children, adolescents, couples, and families, and here’s a little bit about how I work: I work in the here-and-now and have background training in Gestalt theory and utilize a variety of psychotherapy techniques. I take a creative and practical approach to counseling that allows you to understand more quickly what drives you and helps you identify new and better ways of living. Quieting the “noise” that distracts you will help so you can focus your energy on what’s meaningful and fulfilling. I earned my masters in Counseling Psychology from Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA in 2007 and went on to complete the necessary 3+ years of post-graduate training to qualify for a psychotherapy license in the state of PA. I am paneled with many of the major commercial insurance plans as well as several employee assistance programs. During my 17 years experience as a counselor and research clinician, I was trained to utilize several semi-structured interviewing tools such as KSADS, SCID, and ISCA-D. I have published social psychology testing materials at the University of Pittsburgh while working on several major nationally-funded depression and anxiety studies under Doctors Birmaher, Axelson, and Kovacs. In 2010, I spent a year as a volunteer with the Good Grief Center of Pittsburgh where I had extensive training in grief counseling.In addition to my clinical skills, I hold a substance abuse education/SAP certification from UPMC. In addition to my clinical skills, I hold a substance abuse education/SAP certification from UPMC. Both my creative approach to counseling as well as my comprehensive diagnostic experience help formulate a plan of action that can help put you on the path to recovery. A Unique Approach Therapy should be as unique you are. We don’t wear the same clothes or read the same books. People respond differently to different types of interventions, so I always tailor treatment to respond to the your specific needs and situation. My goal is to leave you with strategies, communication skills, and new ways of thinking. Research shows that cultivating skills learned in therapy help people manage anxiety more easily and thrive their lives. I help people with a variety of issues, and I have particular expertise in: Depression and Anxiety Grief Overcoming Creative and Emotional Blocks Career and Life Transitions Child and Adolescent Therapy/IEP and School Consultation Experience Substance Abuse/Anger Management Life Coaching/Stress Management Couples Counseling Panic Disorders/Phobias OCD PTSD

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.

I believe therapy works best as a collaborative relationship rooted in compassion and respect. My goal is to provide a safe and supportive environment to encourage personal insight and provide skills to help you navigate challenges and enhance your overall well-being.

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.

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.

I work with students who have experienced traumas and are finding it difficult to sleep or function in school as a result of stress or anxiety. I also work with students who feel uneasy in social situations, or have expectations of themselves that are difficult to maintain. Reach out and talk with me about how I can help.

People come to therapy for many different reasons, but, at the core, they are looking for understanding, relief, or growth. Maybe you’re trying to understand why you feel the way you do, or you find yourself caught in the same difficult thoughts again and again. Perhaps you’ve noticed patterns of behavior that seem to work against your own well-being. You might be facing a life transition—chosen or not—and are feeling anxious about what’s next. Or maybe you just feel stuck. Therapy offers a space to slow down and make sense of what’s happening. Together, we can clarify your current experience, explore how you got here, and begin to shape a healthier, more fulfilling path forward.

I often work with individuals in recovery, teens, college students, young adults, and more. I work with LGBTQIA+ individuals focusing on self-discovery, empowerment, and identity exploration. I also work with individuals struggling with religious trauma or spiritual concerns.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

My practice is a soft place for high-achieving and creative women to finally let go of the 'shoulds.' Together, we create a gentle space to breathe, slow down, and untangle the things that are keeping you from feeling truly connected to yourself. We’ll do more than just recap your week. I blend talk therapy with Gestalt and expressive arts to help you bridge the gap between your thoughts and feelings. We might explore an emotion through imagery or notice how a memory feels in your body. It’s a creative, collaborative process to help you feel at home in your own skin. No art skills required. I value authenticity, warmth, and honest feedback. My clients often tell me they feel “more like themselves” after our work together. If that sounds like something you're looking for, I’d love to connect.

Barbara is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) who received her Master's Degree from Slippery Rock University in Psychology. She has over 25 years of experience in providing mental health counseling to adults, couples and families. Barbara provides individual, family and couples counseling that specializes in mental health counseling. Areas of focus include: anxiety, depression, life transition issues, conflict resolution, stress management, loss & bereavement issues, self-esteem issues, emotional regulation issues, and communication issues. Her counseling approach is eclectic in nature and adjusted to meet the existing needs of the client in relationship to their own individual developmental needs. Barbara utilizes treatment modalities such as: Cognitive Therapy, Existential Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solution Focused Therapy, Reality Therapy and Developmental Psychology. In addition, Barbara is also a certified addiction and co-occurring disorders therapist.

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.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Our aim is to create a collaborative, person-centered healing relationship with clients. The dynamic of this co-created space is one where you can explore and find your unique tools, techniques, and strengths to empower your authentic self, as well as your understanding of the world around us. Our intention in all levels of our work is to decolonize the therapeutic space. We are LGBTQIA2S+ affirming and sex-positive. We are dedicated to the continuous engagement--both professionally and personally--that this requires. Most of us identify as queer and/or neurodivergent, and several of us also live with chronic illnesses. We believe that clients have the right to interview their clinicians and choose someone they can ask questions to and get honest answers!

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.

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 founded Tranquil Trails with a vision to create a therapeutic space where young adults entering the "real" world feel safe to bring their whole selves into the room—without fear of judgment or dismissal, using unconditional positive regard and holistic therapy that encompass an individual and does not place people into boxes or make assumptions. I believe that when we as therapists approach our work with the vulnerability, compassion, and transparency of our humanness, we invite our clients to do the same. At Tranquil Trails, we specialize in working with youth and adults—as they navigate the ebbs and flows of transitional age, complicated by economic hardship, daily reminders of systemic oppression, access to violent videos occurring in real time across the world, AI and misinformation, fear of rights being taken away or have been, frequent complicated family histories with psychosocial stressors daily. And on top of that many of our clients are in college, graduate school, medical school or pursuing an academic career. We invite our clients into the process of collaborative treatment planning, using their own words to create positive and achievable goals. We notice when something is different and we highlight it. We teach them that to see the positives in oneself is to go against the grain of all we have been taught as members of the system. Overachieve, don’t rest, never stop producing, never slow down. We are missing out on life, and the ability to sit with emotions. The ability to notice any positive emotions at all. Our vision at Tranquil Trails is to create a compassionate, inclusive, and supportive community where individuals feel empowered to take charge of their mental health journey. We aim to foster a world where mental health struggles are not only normalized but seen as a trait of humanness, and where healing, personal growth, and resilience are accessible to all. We envision a future where every client, regardless of background or limitations, has the tools, support, and confidence to craft a life that works for them. Through authenticity, collaboration, and evidence-based care, we strive to break the stigma around mental health and create lasting positive change in the lives of those we serve.

I enjoy working with people who are experiencing difficulty managing their emotions, and feel a loss of control or direction in their lives. If anger, depression, mood swings, anxiety, or past traumas are making life and your relationships with others problematic, I want to help! My approach to therapy is relaxed and down-to-earth. I will collaborate with you, in a respectful, nonjudgemental, and supportive manner. By increasing self-awareness, you will be better able to understand the barriers keeping you from happiness, and our work together will help you to develop your strengths, coping skills, and confidence.