Find a therapist in West Chester, PA — covered by insurance

Uncomfortable as they may be, emotional struggles often develop for understandable reasons. They reflect what we’ve experienced, how we’ve learned to cope, protect ourselves, and navigate important relationships over time. And while these patterns may have once served an important purpose and still carry valuable information, they can also keep us tied to past experiences in ways that make it difficult to feel fully present, connected, and grounded in ourselves. Therapy can help us better understand these experiences so that we can move forward with greater flexibility, self-understanding, and connection in our lives and relationships.

I work with clients navigating anxiety, interpersonal or family conflict, life transitions, trauma, depression, OCD, and questions related to identity, relationships, and emotional meaning. I also work with individuals who are simply looking for a thoughtful space to reflect, grow, and better understand themselves.

My clinical work has been shaped by training at the University of Pennsylvania, the Institute for Relational Psychoanalysis of Philadelphia, and experience working across multiple levels of care, including residential and intensive treatment settings.

Welcome! My name is Alyssa and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Pennsylvania. I have 6+ years of experience in the field and specialize in working with adolescents/teens, adults, and elder adults experiencing depression, anxiety, trauma, emotion dysregulation, interpersonal issues, substance use and more. I am trained in EMDR, DBT, and CBT but use a variety of different approaches in treatment.

I specialize in helping adults and young adults manage anxiety disorders, panic attacks, chronic stress, and burnout using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and other evidence-based approaches. I also support clients experiencing depression, trauma-related symptoms, and life transitions that feel overwhelming or hard to manage alone.

Many of the people I work with are functioning well but internally overwhelmed—dealing with constant worry, racing thoughts, physical symptoms of anxiety, or a persistent sense of being “on edge.” Others notice anxiety affecting their sleep, focus, relationships, or ability to relax and enjoy life.

I embrace the philosophy of "meeting people where they are at" when it comes to treatment. Whether it is serious mental illness or "first world problems," the first step is understanding the symptom experiences and environmental/relational factors, building a safe therapeutic environment, and determining what progress in treatment looks like for you. My aim is to empower you, be curious and open-minded about your lived experiences, explore meaningful ways to make changes, utilize non-judgmental approaches to challenge thoughts/narratives that have contributed to the reason(s) for treatment, and/or facilitate better communication with supports. I specialize in working with people who who struggle with communicating their unique symptoms/experiences, making therapy difficult to try or intimidating or as a result have been through the "ringer" of mental health treatment with a variety of potential diagnoses.