Hi! My name is Laurel Casciato (they/them); I am a Licensed Professional Counselor, part-time adjunct professor, and owner of 412 Therapy Co.

QUALIFICATIONS

I am trained in family/relational and trauma-informed modalities (specifically CPT and EMDR), and am certified in prenatal and postpartum therapy. I call on strategies based in somatic and neurobiological therapies, solution-focused therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) most often. I have some background in OCD and other anxiety related struggles as well as executive dysfunction and neurodivergence. I enjoy focusing my work with clients around topics of relationship dynamics (monogamy, polyamory, kink), sexuality, and gender exploration. I believe that with any competence comes foundational knowledge, but we exist in a society that is largely embarrassed by conversations around sex and relationships. Many of us are then left to untangle our identities and stumble-explore our sexualities well into adulthood, sometimes through unhealthy relationships and less-than fulfilling experiences. I am currently pursuing my Sex Therapy certification through AASECT and my Gottman Couples trainings to increase my competencies in facilitating these conversations in sessions.

BACKGROUND

My interest in therapy began when I was very young, seeking out answers to why people behaved certain ways and what influenced these behaviors (probably from my own struggles with understanding my own relationships and social etiquette). I ended up earning my Bachelors in Psychology & Religion from Temple University and my Masters in Counseling Psychology from Chatham University. I started both of these programs in architecture and design fields, trying to learn more about how spaces affected peoples’ moods and behaviors. I spent a year and a half post-graduation with Pittsburgh Action Against Rape and two years as a family therapist before moving into private practice.

My interest in postpartum work happened somewhat organically; I was pregnant with my son while pursuing my Masters degree at Chatham.  I was in my first trimester as I learned about human development, and was experiencing first-hand inequity and inequalities in the medical and mental health fields.  I was completing courses on DSM assessment while simultaneously being told by my own therapist that the anxiety and intrusive thoughts I was experiencing were typical and not a concern.  I began researching and writing papers on postpartum care and, upon graduating, was hired to help get a postpartum Family-Focused therapy team off the ground. (Family-Focused therapy is a therapy modality referring to a team of two therapists that could go into a family’s home to conduct therapy a couple times a week for up to six months – a game changer for postpartum families! Most programs in PA were *unfortunately* defunded.) I obtained my PMHC in 2020, and currently co-facilitate a weekly postpartum group with the Postpartum Depression Project in Washington County.

I found yoga and movement one of the few times I was able to really be present in my life, and saw a profound impact that they had on my mental health.  The physical asanas (postures) of yoga are just a small part of a yoga practice as a whole; breath work and combating your own negative distortions are two other important parts of the practice.  As I grew in my professional life, I could not ignore the parallels that my personal practice brought to the table as well.  I pursued my yoga teacher certification as a #pandemicproject, and utilize yoga in sessions with clients from 5 to 71 years old!

WHAT TO EXPECT IN THERAPY WITH ME

While I believe that everyone should have a therapist and maintaining mental health is a lifelong process, I don’t believe therapy should be long-term. I believe that therapy should be short-term to build skills that you can carry with you into the rest of your week.  If I have been seeing a client for years and we still haven’t gotten to into skill building, either I am not doing my job or the client is not ready for therapy.

I “chunk” my sessions into four (albeit abstract, fluid) stages.  In the first month or so, we are getting to know each other.  You are learning to trust me and I am gathering information to help me understand you a little better.  In the second step, I do a lot of talking; I talk a lot about biological functions of the brain/hormones/body, biological basis of emotions, etc.  I tend to believe that with in understanding these foundational processes, folks are more equipped to manage their anxieties outside of a therapy session.  Lastly, there is a working stage; this is where I challenge you to change your patterns into more desirable emotions/behaviors/etc.  These stages are very fluid – we could move through all three in one session.  And lastly, there is ALWAYS an organic pause stage; goals are reconsidered, goals are accomplished, or change stagnates.  Depending on your needs at the time, we consider biweekly or monthly sessions, or sometimes just occasional check-ins.

I believe in the power of creativity, movement, and community in the therapy process.  I often suggest walking or moving in sessions.  I have encouraged people to step outside of their comfort zones in session and in the community to deepen their healing.  My hope – which I hope you know by now if you’ve been cruising the website – is to put a different twist on traditional talk therapy to build communities with better mental health.  I believe that everyone deserves to live a happy, fulfilled life.  If you’ve made it this far, I thank you taking the time to learn more about me, and thank you for trusting 412 Therapy Co with your mental health!