Hi there, my name is Hannah and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Certified School Counselor in the state of Pennsylvania. I completed both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Penn State (Main Campus), in Psychology and Counselor Education respectively. I grew up in Pittsburgh, and then moved to Philadelphia to begin my career as a school counselor with the School District of Philadelphia. After serving children & families in the school setting for several years, I earned my professional counseling license that allowed me to take on more clinical roles as a therapist in both the school and outpatient settings. This is my 9th year in the field! I have supported children and their families experiencing a wide variety of mental, behavioral, academic, and emotional health concerns. Some common themes or goals in my work include: processing trauma; coping with stress, anger, anxiety and depression; building self-esteem and self-advocacy skills; practicing social and friend-making skills ; expanding emotional awareness; improving communication; and exploring your identity.
You’ve probably gathered by this point that I specialize in working with children and teens! Working with this age group is more than a job, it is a calling and an honor. It’s really hard to be a kid, and it’s not getting any easier. While my approach to therapy does include many clinical skills and modalities (child-focused play therapy, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, somatic therapy), my main objective is to create a space where my young clients feel safe, accepted, cared about, understood, and important. I am a “kid-person” at heart and I know it shows in my ability to connect with and support my clients and their families. You often hear those in helping professions talk about their “why” – what it is that brought them to the field and inspires them to keep going. My why is summarized in a piece by play therapy icon Garry Landreth called “Principles for Relationships with Children.” He writes “I cannot make children’s hurts and fears and frustrations and disappointments go away. Therefore I will soften the blow.” I cannot make life’s challenges disappear for your child, but I can promise to be a layer of support in their journey.