Clinical Therapist
Jessica McConnell, LPC
she/her
Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBT), including process-based; Strengths-based; Solution Focused; Person Centered; EMDR; Emotionally Focused Therapy.
Limited Availability
(Weekends Only)
Telehealth only
United/ Optum, Cigna / Evernorth, Aetna, UPMC Commercial, Highmark BC/BS Commercial
$115-150
My Specialties
Couples
BIPOC/People of the Global Majority
Student Athletes
Trauma; Grief and loss
Reproductive mental health issues (infertility; abortion; challenges across pregnancy; postpartum anxiety, OCD, depression, or other challenges; early parenting support)
A little more about me
Some fun facts Baking, sport and showing up for my community. Get to know me A little less
I enjoy baking, playing sports and watching them. I have lived in Pittsburgh all my life, played sport in high school and college, and coached high school basketball and volleyball. I am also a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
What working with me is like Support shaped around you, your relationships and your pace. Explore my approach A little less
For couples, I offer a space to understand one another, strengthen communication and work through the challenges in your particular relationship. For individuals, we explore the experiences and patterns that may be keeping you stuck, using EMDR and other approaches when appropriate. Our work can change from session to session to meet what you need. After difficult conversations, I make space to acknowledge the work and reconnect with the present before we finish.
What matters to me Representation, community and care that feels personal. Read my story A little less
My earlier roles involved helping people in different ways, but becoming a therapist offered a chance to provide the support I wished I had growing up. Representation in my community matters to me. My family, faith, church and sorority have helped shape my understanding of care and the importance of showing up for others. I also recognize how relationships can support or complicate the person you want to become.
Open a card to read more, at your own pace.
"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."
-- MAYA ANGELOUThe person behind the practice
Cheryl, in her own words.
A few reflections on what brings me to this work and how I show up in therapy.
Why I became a therapist
“I wanted to be the therapist I needed growing up.”
Cheryl Lewis, LPC (she/her)
Read my reflection Close reflection
What originally drew you toward becoming a therapist?
It took me many years before I came to the career of therapy. I had different job experiences but everyone was helping people in different capacities. I never thought about therapy until it was presented to me.
The more I thought about it I wanted to be the therapist I needed growing up. I also understood how important representation matters in my community.
When anger is easier to name than hurt
“a person who is not feeling seen or heard”
Cheryl Lewis, LPC (she/her)
Read my reflection Close reflection
What might someone be carrying when they first come to you, even if they do not yet have the words for it?
They are feeling broken/hurt, a person who is not feeling seen or heard by other people in their lives. A person that can not put words to their emotions and only understands the anger they feel.
Taking time before we finish
“doing some mindfulness before ending the session.”
Cheryl Lewis, LPC (she/her)
Read my reflection Close reflection
What can someone expect from you during a difficult or emotionally intense session?
acknowledgment that it was a hard session and doing some mindfulness before ending the session.
Different needs from one session to the next
“I allow the space to be whatever the person needs in the moment.”
Cheryl Lewis, LPC (she/her)
Read my reflection Close reflection
How do you adapt therapy to the person in front of you instead of expecting them to fit a particular model?
I know that therapy is not one fits all and I allow the space to be whatever the person needs in the moment.
I meet the client where they are which I understand can change from
one session to another.