Kristen Schaffner, PhD
Location: South Hills
Specialty: Child and Adolescent, Parent-child Interaction Therapy
Kristen Schaffner, PhD (she/her) Director of Testing Services Dr. Kristen Schaffner is a nationally certified school psychologist and a licensed psychologist. She has practiced in a variety of settings including university-based clinics, hospital and subprograms, and school settings. Dr. Schaffner has particular expertise in the assessment and treatment of young children with externalizing and challenging behaviors. PCIT International has certified her as a regional trainer in the evidence-based therapy model, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). In this capacity, she has trained and consulted with over 300 clinicians. She has also worked extensively in consultation and collaboration with early childhood education organizations...
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Tanya Y. Banda, PhD
Location: South Hills, Virtual
Specialty: Developmental and Neuropsychological Testing
Tanya Y. Banda, PhD (she/her) Dr. Tanya Banda is a bilingual (Spanish) Licensed Psychologist and Director of Testing Services at Strong Foundations. She has a specialization in the assessment and diagnosis of young children, adolescents, and adults. Throughout her training, she has worked in both schools and outpatient settings, and has also worked collaboratively with Head Start and other preschool programs to provide mental health consultation. Dr. Banda provides comprehensive assessments for autism, developmental delays, ADHD, learning disabilities, and mood disorders. She also has experience in the assessment of children in the foster system, focusing on the impact of stress...
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Zoe Beard, LAPC
Specialty: Adult, Child and Adolescent, Parent Guidance
Zoe Beard, LAPC (she/her) Zoe Beard is a Licensed Associate Professional Counselor currently pursuing her doctorate in psychology. She specializes in supporting teens and young adults who are managing OCD, anxiety, depression, body-focused repetitive behaviors (such as skin-picking, hair-pulling, and tics), and body image concerns. Zoe also has experience working with children who have ADHD, depression, and other behavioral and emotional challenges. Additionally, she works closely with student-athletes, helping them navigate the unique pressures and mental health needs associated with high-level performance. Zoe incorporates parents into her work with children and teens, ensuring that families feel empowered, informed, and able...
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Stephanie Berg, LPC
Location: South Hills, Virtual
Specialty: Adult, Child and Adolescent, Parent Guidance
Stephanie Berg, LPC (she/her) Stephanie Berg is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Stephanie has over 15 years of experience working with children and adolescents. Stephanie works with children as young as three years old using play therapy techniques that teach emotional awareness and better emotion regulation. When children walk into Stephanie's office, they will be greeted by a variety of toys that will help them communicate and learn about their emotional worlds. Stephanie also specializes in helping adolescents cope with and manage mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. Teens and children learn strategies to recognize how they feel, to...
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Kate Bigley, LPC
Location: South Hills, Virtual
Specialty: Adult, Child and Adolescent, Parent Guidance
Kate Bigley, LPC (she/her) Kate Bigley is a Chatham University graduate with a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor. Kate is experienced in working with children to improve overall emotion regulation, to treat depression, anxiety, and to address behavioral difficulties. Kate uses evidence-based treatment models, including but not limited to, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Mindfulness. She is trained in treating children and adolescents with obsessive compulsive disorder, using exposure and responsive prevention (ERP). Kate believes that it's of the utmost importance to create a safe space for...
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Avory Billman, LCSW, CCTP
Specialty: Adult, Child and Adolescent, Coparenting & Reunification Therapy, Marriage and Family, Parent Guidance
Avory Billman, LCSW, CCTP (she/her) Avory Billman is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) with years of experience working in a variety of settings, including school-based, residential, in-home, and outpatient. Her approach consists of person-centered therapies with a core belief in the inherent worth of all clients. Avory is a LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent affirming therapist specializing in the treatment of trauma-related disorders, mood disorders, life transitions, and more. She strives to create a safe space to support clients in sharing their stories and creating meaningful changes to improve their overall quality of life. Avory...
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Ocean Capewell, LCSW
Specialty: Adult
Ocean Capewell, LCSW (she/her) Ocean has worked in the behavioral health field since 2013. She has worked in residential, intensive outpatient, and outpatient settings. She works with adults, with a specialty in trauma and depression. She has many years of experience with people experiencing homelessness and incarceration. She is a member of the LGBTQ community and is LGBTQ and poly affirming. Ocean’s style is eclectic, but deeply rooted in the narrative therapy approach. This approach reminds us that the person is not the problem—the problem is the problem. Your life is a story, not etched in stone. It can be...
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Hillary Freidman, LAPC
Specialty: Adult, Child and Adolescent
Hillary Freidman, LAPC (she/her) Hillary is a Licensed Associate Professional Counselor (LAPC) with a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Chatham University. She started her counseling/psychotherapy career helping adolescents and college students cope with and manage mood disorders, depression, anxiety, and suicidality in OP and IOP settings. Hillary focuses on empowering all elements of the family system and providing collaborative and coordinated care for parents and families when working with children ages 8 and up. With adolescents and young adults, Hillary favors a strength-based, relational- and solution-focused approach that is neuro-affirming. She provides person-centered treatment that attends to the domains...
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Angeline Givens, MS
Location: South Hills, Virtual
Specialty: Child and Adolescent, Parent Guidance
Angeline Givens, MS (she/her) Angeline Givens is a pre-licensed Professional Counselor with 7 years of experience in the mental health field. She has worked in several settings including inpatient programs, outpatient programs, and community-based programs with children, adolescents, adults, and families. Angeline has worked with individuals experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, ADHD, OCD, autism, behavioral difficulties, emotional dysregulation, and grief and loss. Angeline creates a safe and warm environment during sessions to empower children, adolescents, and families to improve client’s wellbeing, collaborate on specific goals, and managing behavioral and emotional symptoms to improve functioning and strengthen relationships. During...
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Molly Gordon, LPC
Specialty: Case Management, Child and Adolescent, Parent Guidance, Parent-child Interaction Therapy
Molly Gordon, LPC (she/her) Molly Gordon is a Licensed Professional Counselor with many years of experience working within diverse mental health settings. She specializes in supporting children, teenagers, and their families to accept, understand and overcome challenges related to ADHD, anxiety, depression, and mood and trauma disorders. Molly also has experience working with autistic children, teenagers, and young adults. Molly uses evidence-based theories such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness, Play and Art Therapy. Molly teaches parents effective ways to use praise and reward to encourage children to use the new skills she teaches in therapy. Molly encourages a collaborative approach...
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Kori Granata, LCSW
Location: South Hills, Virtual
Specialty: Child and Adolescent, EMDR, Parent Guidance
Kori Granata, LCSW (she/her) Kori is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with experience working with children and adolescents in the residential setting. She is experienced in treating clients with Autism, mood disorders, ADHD, trauma, and behavioral concerns. She uses a trauma informed, strength based approach to empower clients and their families to reach their goals in treatment. Kori uses evidenced based approaches such as EMDR, Play Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and behavior modification techniques to help build self-esteem, awareness, insight, and emotion regulation skills. Kori is EMDR certified to treat anxiety and trauma. Click here to read more about...
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Kayla Harris, LAPC
Specialty: Adult, Child and Adolescent, Parent Guidance
Kayla Harris, LAPC (she/her) Kayla Harris is a Licensed Associate Professional Counselor. She has experience working with adults, couples/families, children/adolescents, and groups. Kayla utilizes evidence-based practices like solution-focused, and interpersonal approaches with aspects of family systems, Mindfulness, and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), psychodynamic. She specializes in grief and loss, identity, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, ADHD, and LGBTQ+ needs. Kayla is also experienced in helping with sexual related trauma and eating disorders. She is trained in trauma-informed yoga. Kayla believes that mental clarity and peace are among the greatest values and gifts we can offer ourselves. She also believes in resilience within...
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Candace Hawthorne, PhD
Location: Virtual
Specialty: Child and Adolescent, Parent Guidance, Parent-child Interaction Therapy
Candace Hawthorne, PhD (she/her) Dr. Candace Hawthorne is a Licensed Psychologist with a doctorate in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Hawthorne has been working with children and families for over 40 years. She began her career as an occupational therapist and has been working as a licensed psychologist for the last 10 years. As a result, Dr. Hawthorne brings a multidisciplinary approach to her work. As a psychologist, her previous positions include psychologist at Children’s Hospital of UPMC/Pittsburgh, the Matilda Theiss Child Development Center at Western Psychiatric Institutes and Clinic at UPMC/Pittsburgh, and Early Childhood Partnerships...
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Michelle Johnson, LCSW
Location: South Hills, Virtual
Specialty: Adult, Case Management, Child and Adolescent, Parent Guidance
Michelle Johnson, LCSW (she/her) Michelle is a compassionate and experienced Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with a diverse background in providing therapy to adolescents, adults, veterans, and parents. She is committed to creating a supportive, affirming space for all clients, with particular expertise in LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent-affirming care. Michelle has extensive experience treating depression, anxiety, ADHD, and OCD, both in the adolescent and adult population. With a strong foundation in behavioral health, Michelle previously worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), where she provided hospital-based behavioral health care, addressing complex mental health needs in a medical setting. Before her...
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Navmeet Kaur, LPC
Location: Shadyside, South Hills, Virtual
Specialty: Adult, Child and Adolescent, Marriage and Family, Parent Guidance
Navmeet Kaur, LPC (she/her) Navmeet is a Licensed Professional Counselor with 7 years of experience in the behavioral health field. She has worked in various different settings such as Partial Hospitalization Programs, Mobile Mental Health, and outpatient. Navmeet is a first generation Asian- American and speaks English and Hindi fluently. Navmeet works with individuals (adolescents and adults), families, and couples. She strives to empower her clients by helping them learn new skills, and work towards a positive and confident personal narrative. She hopes to build a safe environment where clients and their families can be their authentic selves and work...
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Becky Kratofil, LCSW
Location: Shadyside, South Hills, Virtual
Specialty: Adult, Child and Adolescent, Coparenting & Reunification Therapy, Marriage and Family, Parent Guidance
Becky Kratofil, LCSW (she/her) Becky Kratofil is an LCSW with 15+ years of experience. She has worked in a variety of settings including community, school-based, and inpatient. Becky works with children, adolescents, and adults providing individual therapy and family therapy. Becky has experience working with individuals suffering from symptoms related to depression, anxiety, trauma/PTSD, OCD, ADHD, domestic violence, and grief and loss. Becky is an LGBTQIA+ affirming therapist. Becky is passionate about helping others to gain insight into unhealthy patterns and creating a path toward healing and lessen one's suffering. She believes in the importance of creating a safe place...
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Kaitlin Murano, LPC
Specialty: Adult, Child and Adolescent, Parent Guidance
Kaitlin Murano, LPC (she/her) Katie is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has over 7 years of experience in the mental health field. She strives to build therapeutic relationships through open and honest communication. Katie seeks to empower children and adolescents by teaching them evidence-based techniques to manage their mental health, including addressing intrusive thoughts and improving impulse control. She has experience working in a residential setting with children experiencing acute PTSD, anxiety, depression, bipolar, and behavioral concerns. Katie has a particular specialty in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. However, she enjoys working with children, adolescents and their families to assist with...
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James Orth, PhD
Specialty: Developmental and Neuropsychological Testing
James Orth, PhD (he/him) Dr. Orth is a Licensed Psychologist whose career has focused upon services for children and adolescents and their families in diverse settings including hospitals and residential programs, schools, clinics, private practice, and in-home programs. Dr. Orth’s current specialization is the provision of comprehensive psychological evaluation services for children, adolescents, and young adults. Dr. Orth draws upon more than thirty years of experience evaluating children and adolescents with complex presentations, many of whom have received prior evaluations andinterventions yet continue to have challenges functioning in their lives. Referral questions commonly include ADHD and executive skills, learning differences,...
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Jackie Pascarella, LSW
Location: South Hills, Virtual
Specialty: Child and Adolescent, Parent Guidance
Jackie Pascarella, LSW (she/her) Jackie is a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) who has experience working with children over the past ten years in various capacities. Jackie started her career within the community directing a YMCA summer camp in South Park, as well as working with children in partial programming with more acute mental health needs. Jackie has spent the past four years working with children, adolescents, and families providing behavioral health support across environments within the Pittsburgh area, specializing in supporting clients with ADHD, anxiety, depression, and Autism. Jackie finds it valuable to incorporate a variety of therapeutic techniques pulled...
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Alexandra Pasquarelli, LCSW
Location: Shadyside, South Hills, Virtual
Specialty: Child and Adolescent, Parent Guidance
Alexandra Pasquarelli, LCSW (she/her) Alex Pasquarelli is a Licensed Clinical Social worker with a certificate in Mental Health. She has years of experince working in pediatric therapy and previously came from a background in teaching. Alex specializes in helping children and teens struggling with anxiety and OCD. She uses evidence-based treatment techniques, including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT). Alex is also experienced in helping children and families manage ADHD, depression, other behavioral struggles. As a therapist and as a human being, Alex values honesty, integrity, and will always deliver those values through...
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Jon Punzi, MD
Specialty: Psychiatry
Jon Punzi, MD (he/him) Dr. Jon Punzi is a Board Certified Psychiatrist (MD), in both Psychiatry and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, a subspecialty focused on the interface between physical and psychiatric illnesses. As such, he practices with a holistic approach which takes into account not only psychiatric diagnoses but also other medical conditions that influence mood and behavior. He uses a patient-centered approach with medication management to ensure any treatments are the result of collaborative decision making and informed consent. He is a firm believer in interprofessional collaboration, and prefers to work closely with therapists and other providers to ensure both pharmacologic...
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Gabrielle Quinten, LSW
Location: South Hills, Virtual
Specialty: Adult, Child and Adolescent, Parent Guidance
Gabrielle Quinten, LSW (she/her) Gabrielle Quinten is a Licensed Social Worker with a certificate in mental health. She specializes in helping children and teens who are struggling with anxiety and OCD. Gabrielle also has experience working with children who have ADHD, depression, and other behavioral and emotional concerns. Gabrielle incorporates parents into her work with children so that parents also feel empowered and informed. Gabrielle uses evidence-based treatment techniques, including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness, and Motivational Interviewing. Gabrielle helps her clients set goals for their mental health...
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Alicia Reiser, LPC
Specialty: Adult, Child and Adolescent, Marriage and Family, Parent Guidance
Alicia Reiser, LPC (she/her) Alicia is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has over 6 years of experience in the mental health field. Alicia earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnston and her Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling at Carlow University. Alicia has experience working with children, adolescents and their families, as well as adults. Alicia has worked in various clinical settings such Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient Programs, Drug and Alcohol Counseling, and School-Based Therapy. Alicia works with individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, social challenges, and inattention. Alicia strives to create a safe space...
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Elizabeth Reitz, PhD
Specialty: Child and Adolescent, Parent Guidance
Elizabeth Reitz, PhD (she/her) Dr. Elizabeth Reitz is a Licensed Psychologist, and the owner and founder of Strong Foundations. Dr. Reitz has 20 years of experience treating children, adolescents, and families. Dr. Reitz works with children as young as two years old to improve parent-child relationships, and to help with mood and behavioral difficulties. She specializes in treating anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, depression and ADHD. Dr. Reitz does not treat a symptom in isolation. Instead she involves the parents and caretakers in the therapy to teach the whole family new techniques and coping skills. Parents of her patients learn how...
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Amanda Roberts, LMFT
Location: South Hills, Virtual
Specialty: Adult, Child and Adolescent, Marriage and Family, Parent Guidance
Amanda Roberts, LMFT (she/her) Amanda Roberts is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) with 15 years of experience in the behavioral health field across various settings including community, inpatient, residential, and school-based. Amanda works with children, adolescents, and adults providing individual, family, and couples therapy. She is certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) and specializes in treating PTSD, depression, anxiety, ADHD, grief/loss, adjustment, anger, and relational disruptions. Amanda’s treatment approach is based in systemic theory that considers all parts of a person in the context of their larger systems. She uses eclectic and integrative techniques to meet the individual...
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Brianna Sivy, LSW
Location: Virtual
Specialty: Adult, Child and Adolescent, Parent Guidance
Brianna Sivy, LSW (she/her) Brianna Sivy is a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) who has experience working with diverse populations within residential, outpatient, hospital-based and crisis intervention environments. Brianna has experience in individual and group counseling. Brianna specializes in treating trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder/Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, substance use disorders, anxiety, depression, and behavioral issues. Brianna works with adolescents and adults to provide individual therapy. Brianna utilizes a variety of therapeutic skills and interventions acquired form evidence-based modalities such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Mindfulness. Brianna uses Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP_ to...
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Danielle Trimarco, LCSW
Location: Virtual
Specialty: Adult
Danielle Trimarco, LCSW (she/her) Danielle Trimarco is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 20 years of experience in the behavioral health field, across diverse settings. Danielle works with adults, young adults and adolescents, and provides individual therapy and couples' counseling. Danielle specializes in treating anxiety disorders, autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, depression, PTSD, as well as relationship issues, managing work stress and other life transitions. Danielle’s strong interpersonal skills, extensive experience in the field combined with an open-minded and collaborative style, create a fertile environment for growth and transformation. Danielle works with her clients to identify and consider all...
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Nicole Varley, LPC
Location: South Hills, Virtual
Specialty: Child and Adolescent, Parent Guidance, Parent-child Interaction Therapy
Nicole Varley, LPC (she/her) Nicole Varley is a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 20 years of experience in the mental health field. Nicole began her career working with children, adolescents, and their families in a community based setting. She continued working in community agencies before transitioning to private practice and has been in private practice for 10 years. Nicole’s goal of therapy is to build on strengths and enhance skills to improve functioning within the home, school, and community. She strives to ensure that children enjoy the therapeutic experience so that they are able and willing to fully engage. She...
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