Anna Wears, LSW (she/her)
Anna Wears is a Licensed Social Worker with experience supporting adolescents, teens, college students, and adults in research and mental health settings. Her background includes clinical and translational research, university counseling, and outpatient group therapy. These diverse roles have deepened her understanding of mental health across different life stages. Anna strives to advocate for her clients, helping them navigate challenges related to various mental health conditions, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, depression, and ADHD.
Anna focuses on the connection between mental health, biology, and personal experience that shape individual lives. She is curious as to how these factors intersect and influence memory, emotions, and behavior throughout the lifespan. Anna aims to work directly with clients, using these various elements to adopt a holistic, person-in-environment approach to therapy, prevention, and healing.
Anna’s therapeutic approach is rooted in compassion and trust, recognizing the unique and reciprocal bond between therapist and client. Anna emphasizes that, while her purpose is to guide clients using evidence-based practices, it is ultimately their experience, priorities, and goals that shape the direction and course of treatment. This creates a give-and-take dynamic, empowering clients with agency, autonomy, ownership, and confidence in the therapeutic process.
Anna creates a welcoming and inclusive space where everyone—regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or background—feels respected, valued, and supported. Therapy can be a grounding and enlightening experience, helping individuals gain a deeper understanding and acceptance of themselves, their circumstances, and potential paths forward. However, it can also be challenging, intense, and sometimes draining. Anna strives to motivate and support her clients in staying present with the full range of emotions that emerge, encouraging inward reflection before outward reaction. Her approach uses evidence-based methods, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and Motivational Interviewing.
Anna earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She earned dual Master’s degrees in Social Work and Public Health from the University of Pittsburgh.