Existential Therapists in Pittsburgh, PA

Are you struggling in your life or relationship and want to make changes? I can help. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Doctorate in Transpersonal Psychology, Advanced Certification in Imago Relationship Therapy and a Trauma-Lensed, Somatic Activated Practitioner. I help my clients make positive changes by developing self-love and self-trust. I create a safe environment to explore your challenges, identify areas for change, create solutions and develop tools. My focus is on healing and helping you realize personal and relational wellbeing. We work together to create a healthy sense of self and positive relationships.

Howard Buckwold is a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) who specializes in treating depression, anxiety, relationship issues, divorce, co-parenting, self-esteem, anger, grief in adults, adolescents, children, and families. Howard will create a personalized treatment plan that meets your specific needs, utilizing a person-centered/humanistic approach combined with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), psychodynamic, Gestalt, existential, and solution-focused therapeutic techniques.

Calling all abstract thinkers who long for more concrete self-understanding! My philosophy that intellectualizing can be an amazing tool and a stepping stone to feeling, rather than a defense or a cognitive distortion, may be for you. I align with my fellow bottom-up processors' need to collect and synthesize all available information about ourselves and others before taking action. Good vibes are nice, but I will hold space for all vibes, so you won’t hear any platitudes from me. In our therapeutic relationship, I will bring nonjudgmental support and my knowledge of mental health, and you’ll bring what you know about being you.

Relationships can be hard. They can be a source of tremendous joy and excruciating pain, sometimes both at the same time. They can end before we are ready or they can last longer than we would have wanted. I believe that healthy interpersonal relationships are an important part of mental health and that the most important relationship, the one that makes all the other ones possible, is the one we have with our own self. Sometimes it can be hard to figure it out all on your own which is where therapy can help. It is another relationship after all, albeit very different from the others.

I have been working as a therapist in the trauma field for more than 28 years and believe it is the most rewarding work a therapist can do. My approach to this work comes from an existential/phenomenological perspective, and is informed by feminist and attachment theories. My philosophy is best expressed by the question, "What happened to you?" rather than "What's wrong with you?" My therapeutic stance is one of compassionate interest, and my personal style is to be direct without being abrasive. I am happy to discuss my approach by phone, at no charge, to interested individuals.

My goal as a therapist is to create an environment in which my clients can safely work though the complexities of their thoughts, feelings, and personal experience. While our modern lives are increasingly complex and daunting, we often struggle with the basic self-acceptance and interpersonal relating needed to open ourselves up to the potential both within ourselves and for satisfaction in our lives. The aim of the therapeutic process is to allow for insight and understanding through open, honest communication.

As your therapist, I will help you cultivate self-compassion, curiosity, and courage to confront your life challenges. My work with each client is individualized and collaborative depending on a multitude of client factors. My approach is warm, well-rounded, and authentic. I will ensure that your therapeutic outcomes are meaningful and sustainable. You will feel seen, heard, and supported in every step of our work. I use an integrated trauma-informed, feminist, humanistic, psychoanalytic, relational, and existential approach to therapy that fosters openness and curiosity.

Welcome! I am a therapist that helps individuals and families overcome challenges and achieve their goals, with experience in a variety of therapeutic and educational settings. I believe in creating a safe and supportive space for clients to explore their unique experience, and I work collaboratively to support clients identify goals and navigate challenges.

I support people to balance their nervous system by contextualizing their experience within the Polyvagal theory. I work with attachment wounding to rewire the neural circuitry of the brain and utilize somatic experience to create an internal sense of safety. This will create a loving and kind environment to come home to when all other coping skills are not working. With commitment to the process and yourself, your life is guaranteed to change. I utilize blends of Spiritual Psych, IFS, EMDR, Gestalt, Existential, Somatic Experiencing, Solution Focused, PACT and Positive Psychology.

I am an LSW clinician with experience working with adolescents, teens, and adults with a variety of mental health concerns. Common areas of focus in my sessions include symptoms of OCD, phobias, panic disorder and other anxiety disorders, PTSD, depression, and grief. I am also passionate about working with clients experiencing relationship conflict, communication issues, and destabilizing life transitions. I am allied with the trans and nonbinary communities. I enjoy working with clients to explore social and medical transitions, and can write surgery referral letters for gender affirming surgeries.

I know scrolling through Psychology Today profiles can be frustrating, and challenging. Making sense of all of the therapy terms and acronyms, (oh so many of those!) can be exhausting. Assessing and finding your therapist 'fit' shouldn't be impossible. All of us have strengths, and the ability to feel joy. The path to change is often marked with unknown barriers and systemic trauma. My aim is to help others identify interpersonal and systemic barriers standing in the way of growth. I am trauma informed, and an ACES DV survivor and advocate. I work hard to provide a safe space to grow the therapist client alliance.

Are you struggling to find hope and meaning in a stressful world? Is it difficult to focus and make space for reflection? My approach to psychotherapy is primarily informed by relational-interpersonal theory, drawing from elements of existential and somatic practices. These approaches to therapy inform my belief that we can heal and grow when we are able to increase awareness of our experience, make meaning, and strengthen our relationships with ourselves and others. I emphasize community as crucial to a fulfilling life, and am passionate about helping people work through conflict with others with compassion and honesty.

I have years of experience working with clients struggling with grief, trauma, and depression. I am a member of ASERVIC, with many years of experience and extensive graduate study in religion and spirituality and can integrate values connected with a client's preferred religions and spiritual emphases into all therapeutic approaches. Clients facing life-transitions have greatly benefited from this focussed approach to wellness at every stage of life. I work well with adults of all ages. Older adults have often especially appreciated my counseling orientation. I am also fluent in Spanish and Italian.

Barbara is a Licensed Professional Counselor who specializes in Mental Health Counseling. Barbara received her Master's Degree from Slippery Rock University in Psychology. 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.

Life provides us with an endless stream of challenges and changes, some of which are more easily faced than others. At times we may need a supportive space like therapy to work through those challenges with someone else. Whether you are facing anxiety, depression, grief, major life transitions, or other challenges that you may not even have a name for, therapy can provide a space to better understand what you are facing, what your options are for navigating it, and what is possible on the other side.

I'm glad you've found my page! If you're looking to develop tools to regulate your emotions, communicate more effectively, and improve your connections with the people in your life, you've come to the right place. Maybe you'd like to navigate complex poly dynamics through setting healthier boundaries or work through jealousy, fear, or insecurity. Maybe you'd like to have your partners understand you better or set different expectations within your sexual or romantic relationships (poly, open, or mono). If you want to shake things up and start changing your life, check out my website to learn more about how I can help.

I believe meaningful change occurs when people are given the space and support to consider new ways of relating to themselves and their experiences. As a licensed clinical psychologist, my goal is to offer that space and support so that the process of psychotherapy can be as useful to you as possible.

I offer experience, compassion and respect to all clients. I have over 35 years experience as a psychotherapist specializing in existentialism, philosophy, Ericksonian hypnosis, the treatment of addiction, trauma and loss. I am a Reiki Master and am trained in other mind/body/energy treatment modalities. I have taught existential/phenomenological philosophy and treatment classes. I specialize in mind/body work and can teach you to manage stress, increase awareness, gain confidence and overcome obstacles in your life. I have a gentle and powerful demeanor that increases energy and motivation. I offer a non-traditional approach.

Online & In-person. 25+ yrs of clinical experience. I see counseling as a collaborative process designed to help you become aware of how you think, feel & behave, to help you overcome problems & live more fully. I believe that learning to see yourself & others with compassion and acceptance is a path to well-being & meaning. I have an engaging, experiential counseling style. I also lecture domestically & internationally on anger management, mindful eating, perfectionism & resilience. My approach to self-criticalness was validated by an independent research team. I'm on the Advisory Board of The Mindfulness Project (London, UK).