Therapists for college students near 15213

Hello. I have been in Private Practice for over 25 years. I have also worked in college counseling centers. My first task is to listen and fully understand the individuals that I work with. Then, we collaboratively identify skills and solutions to improve the situation. We heal old wounds and work through issues so that you can feel more at peace and reach your fullest potential.

Hi! I’m Tori I’ve been working in the mental health field for 10 years, gaining experience in a variety of settings, and I’ve found my passion in helping adolescents, young adults, and adults navigate the ups and downs of life. This time in life is full of growth, change, and self-discovery—exciting, but also intimidating. I love supporting my clients through managing anxiety, depression, stress, and interpersonal challenges, and helping them build the skills to thrive. I take a laid-back approach to therapy, aiming to create a space where you feel safe, supported, and genuinely understood. Humor is a big part of my style—life is tough enough, so I believe therapy should have some light moments. That said, I know when to be serious, and I’ll be right there with you as we work through whatever’s on your mind. I’m here for people from all walks of life, and I’m a strong ally of the LGBTQIA+ community. My approach combines Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help you develop practical tools for managing emotions, improving relationships, and making real, lasting changes in your life. In our work together, you’ll gain valuable insight into your thought patterns, learn skills to cope with stress, and build the resilience to live more authentically and mindfully. Outside of therapy, you’ll probably find me spending time with loved ones, catching concerts, watching horror movies, or taking walks. I’d be honored to walk alongside you on your journey to greater well-being. Reach out if you’d like to learn more or get started!

I work with athletes, performers, and professionals to improve focus, confidence, and emotional agency under pressure. I will support you in attaining mindful engagement and psychological flow in your daily life. If you’re looking to navigate an important career transition, improve relationship patterns, or heal after a breakup, I’m also here to help. Regardless of your circumstances, you deserve to experience life to its fullest potential. My style is practical, collaborative, and tailored to your specific needs. Whether you are preparing for a critical moment, navigating a high-pressure or professional transition, working through relationship challenges, or trying to break through a plateau, I will help you gain the insight and skills needed to overcome barriers that may be holding you back. Over time, my goal is to help you stay present under stress, recover more quickly from setbacks, and respond to situations with clarity and control rather than force or self-criticism. I bring over a decade of experience as a psychologist, academic instructor, training director, and clinical supervisor. I look forward to serving you. Education and Career I am a licensed psychologist and a founding co-owner of Avellar Warden Psychological Associates, PLLC. I earned my Ph.D. in Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and completed my doctoral and post-doctoral residencies respectively at the University of Delaware and University of Wisconsin-Madison. I am a licensed psychologist in PA, NY, and a certified member of The Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT), which allows me to work with clients in almost every state within the U.S.

I work toward internal and external hope, while also acknowledging the difficult realities and stressors that uniquely affect individuals and relationships. I use art therapy, client-centered, cognitive behavioral, and trauma-informed approaches to therapy recognizing that healing and wholeness come as part of a process. In addition to talk therapy, I am a professional Art Therapist. Art therapy can help hold difficult feelings and experiences for all ages while also creating a safe space for non-verbal and verbal expression. No "artistic skill" is needed and life isn't always pretty, so that is not the goal with the art either. My clinical work has focused on treating trauma and various mental health disorders in children and adults. I have provided art therapy and counseling programming in a women’s shelter for domestic violence, Pittsburgh Public schools K-12, and a therapeutic classroom environment. I now work with adults and children in a private group practice setting. I am currently accepting new clients! Feel free to email me with any questions.

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” ― Albert Camus. Choosing to be alive in our society and culture is a brave, daring, and difficult act. I enjoy working with people who want to understand and support themselves in healing from and with shame, disconnection, stagnancy, and trauma with the goal of becoming more alive, more true to themselves, and more genuinely connected to themselves and the world around them. I am a gentle person who enjoys using humor and delicately mixing the light and dark of the world in the healing journey. I am skilled in DBT and ITCT. I am currently pursuing training in Somatic Experiencing Therapy. I have specialized in working with young adults who are experiencing depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, self-harm, BPD, bipolar disorder, and complex trauma. I am passionate about supporting survivors of child abuse/neglect, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence. I am dedicated to anti-racism. I am of the LGBTQ+ community and bilingual in Spanish and English. I accept Highmark insurance and am currently in the process of credentialing with UPMC, Medicaid, Cigna, Aetna, and United. I offer sliding scale sessions. I can offer free introduction phone calls to see if we are a good fit. Reach out with any questions or interests!

Are you ready to start a new path in your life? Or are you feeling weighed down by the heaviness of fatigue, worry, trauma, grief, or the pain of your past? You are not alone. Together we will understand your suffering, draw from your strengths, and develop new ways of coping with life’s challenges. As a therapist, I provide a unique integration of humanistic, experiential constructivist, and mindfulness-based therapies. I am passionate about serving the underserved, particularly the needs of the African American community. As a veteran of the U.S. Army Reserves, I am also invested in responding to the challenges veterans face while at home and abroad. Aside from being a therapist, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, traveling, (anywhere with water!), failed attempts at salsa dancing, chocolate, and church.

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At this moment, you face one of the most important choices of your life: Is this the moment you closed your browser and settled for what you have? Or is this the moment you reached out for therapy and reclaimed your life? My approach to therapy focuses on developing a positive vision for your life. You can’t just wish for the suffering to end. You need to be bolder. What becomes possible when the suffering ends - what will it mean for you to live a good life? Many struggle with this question. They think they know what they want, but in reality they want what someone else wanted for them. That is why my approach focuses on understanding your true self - your style of perceiving your environment, interacting with the world, and making decisions. As we discover your true self, we will also work on recognizing the existential choices you face as part of the change process and identifying how you can make those choices in alignment with your core values. You have one precious, beautiful, wild life. With every passing moment, that life is getting shorter. You’ve lost too much time to suffering already. If you are ready to change, reach out to me. I am ready to walk with you every step of the way.

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.

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.

Our skilled doctoral-level therapists offer personalized and comprehensive psychological care. Together, we help with most mood, behavioral, relational, and life transition issues. You will receive an assessment of your psychological health and a personalized plan to fit your unique needs, goals, and life situation. Most importantly, you will develop insights and strategies to take therapy “on the go.” We understand that your psychological health and wellness aren’t limited to psychotherapy. We will work with you to ensure that your family, work, and identity are integrated in all aspects of your care. Come to therapy as you are. Our therapists are trained in working with people across all walks of life. We offer in-person and virtual appointments. While we are based in Pittsburgh, we are happy to work with you virtually from anywhere in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania!

I am a Psychotherapist and Psychoanalyst with many years of experience working with undergraduate, graduate, and medical students. I worked for many years at Carnegie Mellon Counseling Center before transitioning to full time in my private practice 15 years ago. I work with a wide range of difficulties including stress, anxiety, sadness, feeling overwhelmed, difficulties with academics or relationships, family difficulties, homesickness, procrastination, concentration or motivation difficulties, uncertainty about life direction. I help students in both practical and deeper ways. I work well with students who want to understand themselves and their symptoms, and are open to exploring how and why their difficulties have come about in addition to developing better coping mechanisms. I often see students who have seen other therapists and have not felt a good connection or felt the therapy was not helpful. I am warm, empathetic and good at engaging adolescents and young adults. I offer practical techniques to address symptoms such as mindfulness, meditation and relaxation strategies if desired. In addition, I engage students in looking deeper for more lasting change. I see people virtually and have some in person slots at my office in Squirrel Hill.

The Nexus Group is a Pittsburgh-based integrative psychiatric clinic, combining conventional psychiatry and psychotherapy with mind-body techniques, advanced nutrient therapy, and healthy lifestyle practices for a comprehensive, root-cause treatment of behavioral health conditions. We consider ourselves guides and collaborators, assisting you in your journey to achieve your optimal well being.

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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.

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We provide a safe, caring environment with only top-rated specialists. We provide secure online therapy & counseling that fits your life. With a results-based, individualized approach, our goal is to help you heal and become happy again.

I was both the traditional and non-traditional student in my college career that struggled with balancing it all; work, social life, trying to be healthy, get good grades and discovery myself. I wish I knew then what I know now and that is, you may not need to balance but distribute, prioritize, and compartmentalize! We are not just a "talk therapy" practice, we believe in providing tools and skills to get through the life YOU want effectively. Let us help you discover your journey that aligns with your wants, desires, needs, and values.

I see one of the most important roles as a therapist to be putting in the work to earn someone’s trust and walking beside them as an accomplice on their path towards growth. I don’t believe that people are “broken” or “need to be fixed”, but rather that somewhere within every person lies the capacity to generate change. I believe this change begins by finding someone trustworthy to support them through this process. And—that being kinder and gentler towards ourselves goes a long way to building the foundation for this change to occur. My experiences span across 15 years, with the scope of my direct work supporting clients in their exploration of gender expression/transition, depression, anxiety, trauma, grief/loss and more- all within Allegheny County. I am also happy to provide evaluations and letters for Gender Affirming surgeries, Green Card Status, and Emotional Support Animals. The world is an often hard place to be, and my goal is to create a space for softness to occur. To not only listen but to hear and understand. To respect through accountability. To address struggles through processing and also through action leading to systemic change.

I work with individuals/families who are experiencing OCD, Social Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety, Perfectionism, Phobias, BFRBs, Body Dysmorphia, Emetophobia, and other OC spectrum and all Anxiety Disorders. My treatment is focused on using Exposure Response and Prevention Therapy for OCD and other anxiety disorders, along with ACT or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. I focus on helping folks develop tools for coping and then problem solving, goal setting and encouragement to face fears head on. This leads to freedom from Anxiety and transformation, building inner confidence and strength. If you or someone in your family is feeling constantly anxious, stuck in rumination cycles or sticky thoughts, or if you want to take your life back from the binds of anxiety and OCD this might be the right next step for you. If you want to learn to trust yourself better, rather than constantly doubt, this may be the place for you to start your journey. I'd be honored to walk beside you if you would like support and learning along the way.