COUNSELORS

Meet Our Team

CAROLINE DEGNAN, MA, NCC, LPC

Insurances Accepted: Highmark, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, United, UPMC, Sliding Scale

Every person has a story. There are aspects of each of our stories that we cherish and that give us hope. There are other aspects that create confusion and pain. One of the greatest lessons I have learned is that our stories do not define us, rather give us direction for our future. By looking at life in the here and now, you can choose where you want your life to go. I will help you recognize your emotional strengths and show you how to utilize different skills and strategies to advance your life.

My desire to help others has led me down many professional paths. I received my Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from The University of Dayton and my Masters Degree from Waynesburg University. I gained a great deal of experience working in the Waynesburg University Counseling Center and have continued my work with the young adult population by teaching Psychology courses at Robert Morris University.

My passion for counseling has continuously grown as I have seen individuals' amazing desire to work towards becoming the person they know they can be. At I Am As I Am Counseling, we celebrate, encourage and walk with you throughout your journey.

SHANNA REESE, PH.D., LPC

Insurances Accepted: Aetna, Cigna, Highmark/Blue Cross Blue Shield, United/UBH, and UPMC

Change your thoughts, and you can change your world.

I have been working in the mental health field for over 10 years. I specialize in complex trauma, dissociation and anxiety based challenges. As a philosophy, I believe that we all deserve the best that life has to offer. I am committed to support each of my clients in a unique and targeted way that will best support each person's needs, capitalize on each person's strengths, and help move toward each person's goals. In order to do this, I spend time in the beginning of the counseling relationship to assess your background, successes, hurdles, prior experiences and your perceptions of the changes that you want to see for yourself and the world around you. With that understanding, I am able to help guide you on your journey to being your best self by taking advantage of the types of activities and interventions that work best for you.

Though I utilize a vast array of tools to best support each person through an individualized lens, my work is grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Internal Family Systems (IFS)/Partswork. CBT is the science of changing, or reframing, the way that we think about the world around us in order to also change our associated emotions and behaviors so that we are best able to fulfill our drive for happiness and inner peace. EMDR is an evidence-based approach to de-powering unhelpful thoughts and replacing them with more realistic and helpful alternatives. These two approaches work together to provide the "why" and the "how" of being your best self. I incorporate IFS to allow clients to better understand the various parts of their own being and how they may be helping or hindering their growth and development. Once these parts are known and understood, we are able to utilize EMDR and CBT to make the necessary cognitive changes for success.