Hi there! First of all, I want to recognize the steps you’ve taken to make it to this page. To recognize that you need help for something troubling you and then to seek out services for it are two big steps many people never take (unfortunately, often due to lots of systemic barriers!). You should recognize the courage it took for you to make it to this place today.

My name is Colby, and I am a Therapist at Transitional Characters in Shadyside, Pittsburgh, PA. I am humbled and honored to be able to walk alongside others on their journey to healing. I enjoy working with clients who are seeking to understand themselves, the world around them, and their place within it better. Between trauma, conflict, identity, and society’s demands, it can be difficult to keep our heads above water — let alone feel like you have a say in what happens in your life. I believe I have the skills from my training as a Social Worker, my background in reproductive health, and my own lived experience to help guide you to a place where you can feel at ease with yourself and your life.

My Therapy Style

I truly believe these few things:

1. Most people are trying their best most of the time. You likely do not want to be feeling these difficult emotions you are struggling with. It is very likely you have tried your best with what resources you have. I am here to offer new resources, help guide you to make changes in areas you can control, and find peace in what is out of our control.

2. Generally, people know their own lives best. I am not here to tell you how to live your life. I want to know what is important to you and help guide you on a path to achieve it. Trauma and outside forces can cloud our judgment and make us chose things that are not always in our best interest. Let’s find what is important to you and discover how to make choices in alignment with your self.

3. You have the power to make important changes in your life. I would not offer counseling services or dedicated my time to my degree if I did not firmly believe this. Circumstances may make it difficult, but it is always worth it.

4. Healing is possible. It is seldom done in isolation. Once again, I would not offer counseling services or dedicated my time to my degree if I did not firmly believe this. My practice emphasizes the importance of community in healing. Your support system and connecting to your larger community are vital tools in your path to healing.

Who I Work With

I have experience in particular working with clients through many challenges, including but not limited to:

1. Supporting Parents and Families. My primary work experience in this field prior to therapy services was at an independent abortion clinic as a counselor. The majority of the patients I worked with were mothers, many single parents, who were making the best choice they could for themselves and their families. I will always be a safe place for someone who has had an abortion or is considering their pregnancy options. I strongly believe in the concept of reproductive justice – the right to maintain bodily autonomy, have a child or not have a child, and the right to raise children in a safe/supportive environment (SisterSong).

2. Trauma/CPTSD, Interpersonal Conflict, and Relationships. A favorite book of mine about trauma and healing, "What My Bones Know" by Stephanie Foo, references her therapist’s assertion that complex trauma is relational trauma. Healing our ability to have relationships with others – familial, platonic, romantic, professional, or otherwise – can offer us healing from our pasts.

3. LGBTQ+ Identity. I bring my lived experience as a transgender non-binary person and my decade of work with the LGBTQ+ community to my practice with clients.

4. Neurodivergence and Disability. The way the world is built and operates does not always include all of us. You deserve to find your place in it, request accommodations, and live an autonomous life.

If any of this resonates with you, please reach out when you are ready. I look forward to walking alongside you in your healing journey.

Me When I’m Not a Therapist

I really enjoy being creative and crafty especially in collage, water color, and other expressive mediums that don't have too many rules. I read a lot of non-fiction and really enjoy learning about the world through books, but occasionally I find myself reading some sci-fi/speculative fiction. I have a sweet cat, Molly who loves to push whatever I'm doing out of my hands and demand attention.