CHILD & ADOLESCENT THERAPISTS
Elizabeth Reitz, PhD (she/her)
Dr. Elizabeth Reitz is a Licensed Psychologist who has 20 years of experience treating children, adolescents, and families. Dr. Reitz works with children as young as two years old to improve parent-child relationships, and to help with mood and behavioral difficulties. She specializes in treating anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, depression and ADHD. Dr. Reitz does not treat a symptom in isolation. Instead she involves the parents and caretakers in the therapy to teach the whole family new techniques and coping skills. Parents of her patients learn how to create healthy structure and discipline, to help their children regulate their emotions, and to promote well-being and happiness. Children learn how to recognize emotions in themselves and others, gain awareness of the intensity of their emotions, and master strategies needed to manage their emotions and navigate situations with success.
When appropriate, Dr. Reitz works with schools and other doctors to provide the highest quality and most integrated care possible. Dr. Reitz’ therapeutic work is grounded in scientific evidence. She uses Cognitive-Behavioral (CBT), Exposure-Response prevention (ERP), Dialectical-Behavioral (DBT) and Mindfulness techniques to improve patients’ mental health and to help them to achieve their goals. Dr. Reitz values diversity and is committed to creating a safe space for all youth and families.
Dr. Reitz completed her undergraduate studies at Cornell University, earned her doctorate from The Pennsylvania State University, and did her postdoctoral training at The University of Pittsburgh.
Mauri Tate, LSW (she/her)
Mauri Tate is a Licensed Social Worker, with a certificate in Child, Youth, and Family. She has years of experience working in children’s behavioral health and in school settings. She comes from a person-centered approach to treat children experiencing depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, and ADHD, just to name a few. While her treatment focus is centered on improving the life of the child, she strives to improve the function of the family structure as well.
Mauri’s ability to build a meaningful rapport with her clients, joined with her gentle, easy going personality allows for children to gain the most out of treatment. This in turn builds the trust of their parent(s), allowing both the child and family to make great strides in therapy.
Mauri utilizes evidence-based therapy models such as Cognitive-Behavioral therapy (CBT), Exposure-Response Prevention (ERP), Motivational Interviewing, and Structural Family Therapy. In short, Mauri’s goals of treatment are to always empower the child and to fill their toolbox for success in life.
Mauri graduated from Duquesne University with her Bachelors in Sociology. She completed her Masters of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh in 2015.
Amanda Roberts, LMFT (she/her)
Amanda Roberts is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) with 12 years of experience in the behavioral health field across various settings including community, inpatient, residential, and school-based. Amanda works with children, adolescents, and adults providing individual, family, and couples therapy. She is certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) and specializes in treating PTSD, depression, anxiety, ADHD, grief/loss, adjustment, anger, and relational disruptions.
Amanda’s treatment approach is based in systemic theory that considers all parts of a person in the context of their larger systems. She uses eclectic and integrative techniques to meet the individual needs of her clients including CBT, Mindfulness, Motivational Interviewing, and experiential processing. Her style is warm, collaborative and client-centered.
Amanda graduated from Saint Vincent College with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and obtained her Masters’s degree in Marriage & Family Therapy from Seton Hill University in 2014.
Alicia Reiser, LPC (she/her)
Alicia is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has over six years of experience in the mental health
field. Alicia earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnston
and her Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling at Carlow University. Alicia has experience
working with children, adolescents and their families, as well as adults. Alicia has worked in various
clinical settings such Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient Programs, Drug and Alcohol
Counseling, and School-Based Therapy. Alicia works with individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, social challenges, and inattention.
Alicia strives to create a safe space for every client so they can explore the relationships among their emotions, behaviors and thoughts without judgment. Alicia views each individual through a a strength-based lens, seeking to help her clients to own their resilience to help them tackle the difficult parts of life. Alicia primarily uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help her clients to work through and cope with identified stressors.
Shatona Hollingsworth, LSW (she/her)
Shatona Hollingsworth is a Licensed Social Worker with a certification in Mental Health. Shatona has years of experience working with children of all grade levels in the school setting as well as working with children who have special needs. She has also worked with adults in mental health treatment facilities and also with the elderly at the end of life. She uses a person centered approach to focus on empowering clients and helping them function better to achieve their goals.
One of Shatona’s core beliefs is compassion. She has a strong desire to alleviate difficult situations that clients may be experiencing. Shatona has serviced clients experiencing depression, anxiety, ADHD, grief/loss, adjustment and trauma using individual, group and family sessions. She specializes in using Cognitive-Behavioral (CBT) , Motivational Interviewing, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) to help restore altered or dysfunctional behaviors or thinking in children and adults.
Shatona earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Slippery Rock University and her Master’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh.
Kaitlyn Earnesty, LSW (she/her)
Kaitlyn is a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) who has experience working with diverse populations within different settings including school-based, family-based, hospital, and outpatient. Kaitlyn works with children and adolescents providing individual and family therapy. Kaitlyn specializes in treating ADHD, anxiety, OCD, depression, and anger outbursts.
Kaitlyn utilizes a variety of techniques and skills drawn from recognized therapeutic modalities including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution Focused, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Psychoeducation, Exposure Response Prevention, Play Therapy, Behavior Modification, and Mindfulness. Kaitlyn uses a comprehensive, strength based, person centered approach to guide her practice. Kaitlyn's style is warm and inviting, as well as organized and goal- focused.
Kaitlyn graduated from California University of Pennsylvania where she received her Bachelors in Social Work and went on to obtain her Master’s in Social Work from their advanced standing program.
Candace Hawthorne, PhD (she/her)
Dr. Candace Hawthorne is a Licensed Psychologist with a doctorate in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Hawthorne has been working with children and families for over 40 years. She began her career as an occupational therapist and has been working as a licensed psychologist for the last 10 years. As a result, Dr. Hawthorne brings a multidisciplinary approach to her work. As a psychologist, her previous positions include psychologist at Children’s Hospital of UPMC/Pittsburgh, the Matilda Theiss Child Development Center at Western Psychiatric Institutes and Clinic at UPMC/Pittsburgh, and Early Childhood Partnerships program at the Office of Child Development at University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Hawthorne has provided assessments and ongoing therapy to children, as well as consultation in hospital clinics (feeding and NICU). Dr. Hawthorne has provided inpatient and outpatient care, in various early childhood settings including early intervention, Head Start, private practice, and early care and education centers. Dr. Hawthorne is internationally certified in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and in Child and Parent Psychotherapy for Trauma (CPP). Dr. Hawthorne specializes in working with children and parents from toddlerhood into middle childhood, helping to decrease family conflict, and to increase child compliance and emotion regulation.
Alisha Miller, PhD (she/her)
Dr. Alisha Miller is a Licensed Psychologist with over 12 years of experience treating children, adolescents, and young adults. She specializes in treating depression, anxiety, irritability/anger, and oppositional/defiant behaviors. Additionally, Dr. Miller provides behavioral health treatment for chronic pain, functional neurological disorders, and diagnosis/symptom adjustment.
Dr. Miller is committed to using treatment models rooted in robust scientific evidence, including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Mindfulness. With empathy, warmth, and respect Dr. Miller will work with you to determine what treatment model works best for you. She provides a supportive, safe environment for all clients regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation.
Dr. Miller completed her undergraduate studies at Knox College, earned her doctorate from Loyola University of Chicago, and completed her postdoctoral training at UPMC’s Western Psychiatric Hospital.
Kate Bigley, LPC (she/her)
Kate Bigley is a Chatham University graduate with a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology, currently receiving clinical supervision towards becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor. Kate is experienced in working with children to improve overall emotion regulation, to treat depression, anxiety, and to address behavioral difficulties. Kate uses evidence-based treatment models, including but not limited to, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Mindfulness. She is trained in treating children and adolescents with obsessive compulsive disorder, using exposure and responsive prevention (ERP).
Kate believes that it's of the utmost importance to create a safe space for clients to feel comfortable sharing their lived experiences. Kate aims to create a collaborative approach with each client that emphasizes respect. She feels that a large component to therapy is to build meaningful rapport with her clients and hopes to make therapy an experience that children and adolescents look forward to partaking in. Her ultimate goal is to help them to get the most out of their time in therapy, and to achieve the goals they set for themselves. Kate involves parents when working with children and teens so they feel empowered and informed throughout the therapeutic process. Her goal is for children and parents to gain new skills and ways of interacting so that the whole family feels more peaceful.
Abbey Clark, LPC, NBCC (she/her)
Abbey Clark is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Certified School Counselor. She has years of experience working with children as young as 3 years, adolescents, and adults. She has provided treatment and support to individuals, families, and couples across diverse settings. Abbey currently works with adolescents and adults to teach healthy coping skills. Abbey has experience helping individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, ADHD, and family conflict.
Abbey practices from a whole-person approach, providing comprehensive treatment with focus on all areas of life. She utilizes a broad range of tools and practices allowing her to tailor treatment to meet the unique needs of each person. She lends herself to Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Dialectal Behavioral Therapy, psychoeducation, behavior modification, solution-focused, and mindfulness to help clients gain awareness of the connections between their emotions, thoughts, and physical experiences. Abbey’s personality and treatment style is supportive and accepting. She focuses on individual strengths to build an intrinsic sense of self-confidence. She prides herself in building strong therapeutic connections and supporting individuals through their therapeutic journey.
Abbey graduated from LaRoche University with her Bachelor’s in Psychology. She completed her Masters of Education as a National Board Certified Counselor at Slippery Rock University in 2016.
Michele Bowne, LCSW (she/her)
Michele Bowne is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over 7 years of experience in the mental health field across a wide range of settings. Michele values using a person-centered, strengths-based approach when working with all clients. She believes in empowering each client in treatment to help them to cultivate their best quality of life. Michele takes a systemic approach, such that she considers the influences of family and culture, to understand each individual’s lived experience and how it impacts their mental health.
Michele specializes in treating individuals who have experienced trauma and believes in always practicing trauma informed care. She employs evidenced-based approaches in treatment including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Exposure Therapy. Michele always works to create trust in the therapeutic relationship and hold a safe space for her clients to process their experiences and emotions in a supportive, non-judgmental environment.
Michele attended Towson University where she earned her undergraduate degree in Sociology and Anthropology. She earned her Master’s degree in Social Work from The Catholic University of America.
Avory Billman, LSW (she/her)
Avory Billman is a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) with years of experience working in a variety of settings, including school-based, residential, in-home, and outpatient. Her approach consists of person-centered therapies with a core belief in the inherent worth of all clients. Avory is a trauma-informed, LGBTQIA+ affirming therapist specializing in the treatment of trauma-related disorders, mood disorders, life transitions, and more. She strives to create a safe space to support clients in sharing their stories and creating meaningful changes to improve their overall quality of life.
Avory works with adolescents and young adults providing individual and couples therapy. Her approach involves building strong rapport to support clients in reaching their goals by creating an individualized treatment plan using techniques from evidence-based practices. She specializes in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Avory graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelors degree in Social Work and a Masters degree in Clinical Social Work with a focus on trauma and child development.
Brianna Sivy, LSW (she/her)
Brianna Sivy is a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) who has experience working with diverse populations within residential, outpatient, hospital-based and crisis intervention environments. Brianna has experience in individual and group counseling. Brianna specializes in treating trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder/Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, substance use disorders, anxiety, depression, and behavioral issues. Brianna works with children and adolescents to provide individual therapy. Brianna utilizes a variety of therapeutic skills and interventions acquired form evidence-based modalities such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Mindfulness. Brianna believes in the use of person in environment, and person-centered approaches in her interventions with clients to ensure the best possible outcomes. Brianna emphasizes a judgment-free, accepting, and compassionate space for her clients and their families. Brianna’s therapeutic style is best characterized as warm, empathetic, and solution-focused.
Brianna graduated from Ohio University with her Bachelor’s in Social Work. She then received
her Master’s in Social Work from The Ohio State University in their advanced standing program.
Brianna is also an active public speaker and public advocate for survivors of sexual trauma and
assault.
Stephanie Berg, LPC (she/her)
Stephanie Berg is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Stephanie has over 15 years of experience working with children and adolescents. Stephanie works with children as young as three years old using play therapy techniques that teach emotional awareness and better emotion regulation. When children walk into Stephanie's office, they will be greeted by a variety of toys that will help them communicate and learn about their emotional worlds. Stephanie also specializes in helping adolescents cope with and manage mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. Teens and children learn strategies to recognize how they feel, to calm down when needed, and to think in ways that support mental-health. Stephanie has expertise in treating anxiety, depression, and ADHD. Stephanie involves parents in work with children and teens so that the whole family learns new skills and ways of interacting.
Stephanie uses Play Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Family Systems informed treatments in her work. She strives to create a warm, non-judgmental, and accepting atmosphere for her clients. Stephanie is a LGBTQIA+ affirming therapist.
Stephanie attended Salisbury State University for her Bachelor's Degree, and California University for her Master's Degree in Counseling.
Kori McIver, LSW (she/her)
Kori McIver is a Licensed Social Worker, currently receiving clinical supervision toward becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Kori has experience working with children and adolescents in the residential setting. She is experienced in treating clients with Autism, Mood Disorders, ADHD, and behavioral concerns. She uses a trauma informed, strength based approach to empower clients and their families to reach their goals in treatment. Kori uses evidenced based approaches such as Play Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and behavior modification techniques to help build self-esteem, awareness, insight, and emotion regulation skills.
Kori believes that therapy can be fun! Games and playing with others is how children learn about the world around them and can help with processing difficult emotions, learning impulse control, mindfulness, and learning about their own strengths. Kori focuses on building strong therapeutic rapport with clients and their families in order to create a safe and inviting atmosphere to work together toward identified goals.
Kori graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor’s in Psychology, and earned her
Master’s in Social Work from the University of Southern California.