Mental Health Therapy serving Pennsylvania through Online Counseling or In-Person services in Pittsburgh and Indiana, PA

Neurodivergent- Affirming Mental Health Care

Reproductive Mental Health Care

Queer-Affirming Mental Health Care

Forward Wellness aims to support all people and their families to live authentic and abundant lives. We strive to reduce barriers to accessing mental health care through specialized support, provider education and care coordination.

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🏳️‍🌈Tomorrow is the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOT) — a day to stand boldly against hate and to affirm that LGBTQIA+ people deserve safety, respect, and joy every single day. Homophobia and transp
“Wait... there’s more than one kind of therapy?” 👀 Yep—and that’s what makes it so powerful. At Forward Wellness, our therapists use different approaches because your healing journey deserves a personalized path. 💛 Fr
✨ Weekend Self-Care Challenge ✨ This weekend, the goal isn’t productivity—it’s presence. Let this be your reminder to slow down, say no without guilt, and pour back into yourself 💛 Save this and come back to it when life feels loud
🌺 Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is not just a celebration — it’s a call to visibility, voice, and validation. As labor organizer May Chen once said: 🗣 “My core perspectives stem from a deep belief in the prom
🧠✨ May is Mental Health Awareness Month — a reminder that caring for your mind is just as vital as caring for your body. This month, we’re holding space for every journey — the quiet breakthroughs, the heavy days, the unlearning, a
✨ Your healing doesn’t have to wait. At Forward Wellness, we create space for you to show up fully—no pressure, no judgment, just support. Whether you're navigating big feelings, life transitions, or simply want to feel more like you aga
✨ Motivational Monday Reminder ✨ 💭 Your thoughts are not facts. Just because you think it, doesn’t mean it’s true. That inner critic? It’s not the voice of truth—it’s just noise. This week, challenge those negative th
🌿 Journal Prompt of the Day: ✨ What do you need more of right now—rest, connection, movement, or silence? Sometimes the body knows before the mind catches up. Pause. Breathe. Tune in. Your needs are valid—even when they’re quiet.

Our clinical work and organizational culture are led by our shared values

We believe that our pain and growth are bound up with one another’s; that reflection, candor, and authenticity are vital practices; that our identities must be framed in trauma-informed historical and cultural contexts; and that we can commit to doing what matters together, alongside the suffering, via compassionate care and connection.

We don’t think it’s radical to support all kinds of families, to celebrate folks unconditionally, to share authentically in our human suffering, and to call many parts of our culture unhealthy for our minds and communities.

This is what we believe. This is our commitment to ourselves and our community.

At Forward Wellness we believe…

Care + connection are vital

Belonging, support, and interdependence are hardwired in us – we thrive when we feel loved.

Outside of our diagnosis, our suffering results from ‘normative’ societal systems

We also know that these systems impact intersecting, oppressed identities the most. When we meet with clients, we must understand their and their families' identities, contexts, and histories to understand their experience better.

We can do it differently, centering humanity + healing

We want to center good work, healing, progress, and collaboration, not profit, the bottom line, and the status quo.

We can do what matters alongside pain

Expecting the absence of hard stuff is not a reality. Our ability to choose growth, connection, and healing despite suffering is psychological health.

Join Our Team

 We are always on the lookout for passionate and driven clinicians to better serve our community. With more and more people reaching out for support, we aim to ensure we have the right team members ready to provide care!

Meet Our Clinicians

Paige Ottaviano, (she/her)
LSW

I prioritize maintaining cultural competency and acknowledging the privileges that my identity has granted me. I take with me my own experiences while always respecting your autonomy as the client and welcome members of all communities and identities and look forward to developing a space for you to thrive together.

Izzy Kohl, (they/them)
LAPC
An ideal client for me is someone willing to be curious about their own experiences. Who, with time, value developing insight into themself and fostering their existing strengths while exploring areas of growth.

Kalem Wright, (he/him)
LCSW

My goal in therapy is to maintain a space for compassionate and nonjudgmental connection. Part of our work together is to understand how the traumas of life have impacted you and all the ways you've survived.


Katie Shaw, (she/her)
LAPC

As a mother who experienced postpartum depression and anxiety, I know the struggles parents experience after the arrival of a new baby. Whether you are a new birthing parent navigating this massive change in your life or you are dealing with infertility, grief, trauma, or loss, I am here to listen and guide you in your journey.