

Headway connects Salem residents with Cigna-covered providers for flexible therapy options. With copays between $0-$30 and over 2,022 providers nationally, find the right fit for your mental health needs with free consultations available.
With over 25 years of experience in the mental health field, I bring a steady, compassionate presence to individuals navigating anxiety, depression, and overwhelming stress. I believe healing happens in relationships that feel safe, respectful, and collaborative.
I believe therapy works best when it feels both safe and grounded in real understanding. My background in neurobiology research and medical social work shapes how I see healing — as something that involves your brain, your body, your relationships, and your story. I specialize in grief, medical trauma, caregiving stress, chronic illness, ADHD, and attachment wounds. I also work closely with clinicians and first responders, people who are often the helpers in everyone else’s lives.
For the past two decades, I have worked with adults and older adults who have experienced loss, chronic disease , and patients who have experienced significant loss and grief. I have experience working in a primary care setting and long term care; my goal is to support both your body and mind and find hope, guidance and validation.
It takes two to speak the truth: one to speak, and another to hear - Thoreau
I strive to help clients by being curious, kind, reliable, and insightful. This is how I believe therapy helps people to grow, and to ultimately feel better about themselves and their lives.
I primarily work through a psychodynamic lens, focusing on a client's emotional life, exploring connections between a client's past and present, and addressing internal conflicts. I also use ideas found in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy such as exploring thought patterns and negative core beliefs.
I’m Alison (Ali) Pugh, a Clinical Social Worker, USAF veteran, and mom of two. I help adults who are juggling work, family, caregiving, or major life changes that feel heavier than they look on the surface. If you’re feeling stretched thin, overwhelmed, or unsure of your next step, you’re in the right place. My style is calm, collaborative, and steady. There’s no pressure to have the perfect words.
I received my Master's in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago in 2014. My clinical values are deeply rooted in the ethos of social work, which is that to understand any person, you must understand the context of their life. This includes your family of origin, socioeconomic status, any discrimination you face, and your religious or spiritual belief system. All of these parts of your life will be essential to bring into the therapy space to understand best what ails you and where we might find remedies within you and your community.



Headway makes it easy to get affordable in-network mental health care with Cigna — from finding the right therapist or psychiatrist, to understanding costs, to booking your first session.
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