Stress lives in the body. So does the way out.

Who I work with

I see adults who want direct help with something specific and a wider view of their lives at the same time. People come in for anxiety and chronic stress, burnout, strain in a marriage or at work, distressing memories, a life transition, or a sense that the way they have been living has stopped fitting. Some arrive with a clear goal. Some only know that something needs to change. If that sounds like you, the first step is a free 15-minute call.

How I work

Most of what I do is train attention. Heart rhythm on a screen. A memory held while the eyes move. A sentence you try on to see where it lands in your chest. The body is the instrument, and the practice is learning to listen to it.

Some of the work is direct. Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is an eye-movement-based approach for distressing memories and images. In HRV biofeedback you watch your heart rhythm and learn to change it with your breath. Some of it is slower and wider: psychodynamic, existential, and integrative conversation, with parts work and mindfulness-based practice, for the questions that run through a whole life.

We begin by understanding the body and building your capacity to navigate what you feel there, then make sense of the changes in perception and perspective that come with that. A closer relationship with your body builds listening, sensitivity, intuition, and the capacity to think clearly about what you find.

Meet Sam

I am a licensed clinical social worker in Mount Lebanon. My work lives where mind, body, and meaning meet: the nervous system. My training spans psychoanalytic, body-based, and systemic approaches, and I bring over 15 years of meditation and contemplative practice to the room. I take an inquisitive, source-focused approach: we question assumptions and build a life around what matters to you.

The work of therapy draws on lineages from all over the world and deep into the past. When it helps integration take place, we start to see our own story embedded in a bigger unfolding story, and we can make it our own. It is what I love about this work.

What to expect

1. A free 15-minute consult. A short call to see if we are a fit and to answer your questions.

2. Your first session (60 minutes). We map what is happening in your mind and body and agree on what we are working toward.

3. The work. Regular 60-minute sessions, paced to you. Intensives are available by inquiry if you want to go deeper in longer sittings.

In-network with UPMC, Highmark, Aetna, United, and Cigna. Self-pay is $150 per 60-minute session. Office in Mount Lebanon; telehealth on a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform.

Questions

Do you take my insurance?

I am in-network with UPMC, Highmark, Aetna, United, and Cigna. On another plan, or prefer to pay out of pocket? Self-pay is $150 per 60-minute session.

What is ART?

Accelerated Resolution Therapy is an eye-movement-based approach for distressing memories and images. We decide together how much detail you share and whether it fits.

What is HRV biofeedback?

Heart rate variability is the small beat-to-beat variation in your pulse. A sensor shows it live, and slow paced breathing changes it, so you can watch your own nervous system respond and learn to do that on purpose.

Is this somatic therapy?

It is body-based, and I use that plainer word on purpose. “Somatic” is an umbrella over several distinct, branded methods, each with its own training and lineage, and it often carries a theory about what the body stores and how to release it. What I do is more concrete: we work with your heart rhythm and breath as they happen, with eye-movement-based ART, and with close attention to what you sense and how you put it into words. The body is where the work happens. If you searched for somatic therapy, this is the neighborhood.

Is this therapy or coaching?

It is psychotherapy, delivered by a licensed clinician. ART and biofeedback are tools inside it.

Do I have to do ART or biofeedback?

No. Plenty of the work is conversation. We add a tool when it serves you.

What are intensives?

Longer blocks of time for going deeper than a weekly hour allows. Reach out and we will talk through whether one fits.

How do I start?

Book the free 15-minute consult. It takes a few minutes and commits you to nothing.

Do you work with people in recovery?

Yes. Some of the people I see are working through recovery from addiction, and some are executives sorting out how to grow in their relationships and their work. They share a wish for direct help and a longer view.