Therapists in 15216
Ann-Michele Corbi Potvin
Licensed Professional Counselor, MA, LPC, BC-DMT, GL-CMA, RYT
Verified Verified
2 Endorsed
Pittsburgh, PA 15216
My thesis research was on the psychological/emotional aspects of chronic pain and I have experience in providing perinatal support.
I take a humanistic approach to therapy and believe that we make meaning out of the events of our lives; we are capable of engaging our creativity and its healing processes. There are times when we need support to pause, breathe, and listen to our inner wisdom. I will serve as a guide and support, encouraging you to maintain or regain ownership of your own life narrative. My approach is also contemplative, relational, and existential. I often utilize cognitive behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to support you in decreasing struggle and living in alignment with your values.
My thesis research was on the psychological/emotional aspects of chronic pain and I have experience in providing perinatal support.
I take a humanistic approach to therapy and believe that we make meaning out of the events of our lives; we are capable of engaging our creativity and its healing processes. There are times when we need support to pause, breathe, and listen to our inner wisdom. I will serve as a guide and support, encouraging you to maintain or regain ownership of your own life narrative. My approach is also contemplative, relational, and existential. I often utilize cognitive behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to support you in decreasing struggle and living in alignment with your values.
Megan Zurasky
Pre-Licensed Professional, MSCP
Verified Verified
Pittsburgh, PA 15216
If you experienced sexual violence in the state of PA, ask me about ways to help cover your costs. I use a relational and feminist framework to help clients understand the role of relationships, culture, and society in their path to find healing and joy. My past clinical experience includes complex trauma treatment, crisis management, community mental health, survivor advocacy, group psychotherapy, late diagnosis neurodivergence, chronic pain and illness, anxiety/depression, burnout & vicarious trauma, and disordered eating/body image work.
If you experienced sexual violence in the state of PA, ask me about ways to help cover your costs. I use a relational and feminist framework to help clients understand the role of relationships, culture, and society in their path to find healing and joy. My past clinical experience includes complex trauma treatment, crisis management, community mental health, survivor advocacy, group psychotherapy, late diagnosis neurodivergence, chronic pain and illness, anxiety/depression, burnout & vicarious trauma, and disordered eating/body image work.
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Chronic Pain Therapists
How does chronic pain therapy work?
Engaging with a psychotherapist to help treat chronic pain does not mean that one’s pain is all in their head. Therapy for chronic-pain patients has been shown to benefit both the mind and the body, targeting physical symptoms and increasing daily functioning. In other words, for many, addressing their emotional health through therapy affects their physical health. A therapist can help a client challenge unhelpful thoughts about pain and develop new ways to respond to it, such as distraction or calming breathing techniques. Studies have found that therapy can be as effective as surgery for certain cases of chronic pain and many doctors recommend trying psychotherapy in advance of considering invasive surgery.
What are the most effective treatment options for chronic pain?
Stress, anxiety, depression, catastrophizing, ruminating, lack of activity, and social withdrawal all make chronic pain worse. Addressing these issues, research shows, can help people gain control over their pain symptoms. Therapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback, and mindfulness-based stress reduction, along with greater pain-management education, have been found to help people reduce fear and disability.
Are there new treatments for chronic pain?
Many cases of chronic pain, particularly those involving back pain, remain medically unexplained. But there is evidence that changes in the brain or nervous system are caused by previous physical ailments such as tissue damage; in such cases, the brain may continue to send out pain signals despite the physical cause having healed. To aid patients under these circumstances, a recently developed treatment known as pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) is designed to help the brain “unlearn” this response. A PRT practitioner helps individuals to reduce the “threat value” of their ongoing pain signals until they can reappraise them as less threatening and fear-inducing. They also help an individual to develop new emotional regulation skills.
How long does therapy for chronic pain take?
There is no set timeline for recovery from chronic pain, especially as there may be a range of physical and psychological causes for any individual’s discomfort, but most patients should expect to see a therapist for a number of weeks or months, typically spanning at least 12 sessions. Studies of pain reprocessing therapy found that many individuals’ experience of pain lessened in eight sessions over four weeks.