Clinical Therapist
Katie Shaw, LPC
she/her
Client-centered counseling; Acceptance and Commitment Theory; Cognitive Behavioral Therapies, including process based; Relational Cultural Theory; feminist; Mindfulness based therapies.
Available intakes likely within 2 weeks
(Weekdays & Evenings)
Squirrel Hill + Telehealth
Cigna, Aetna, and United/ Optum Health Plans, UPMC Commercial, Highmark BC/BS Commercial
$115-150
My Specialties
Reproductive mental health issues (infertility; abortion; challenges across pregnancy; postpartum anxiety, OCD, depression, or other challenges; early parenting support)
Reproductive grief and loss
LGBTQIA2SP+ Support
Trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse support
Women and Life Transitions
Childless Family Exploration
Family Trauma & Family Dynamics
Adjustment, stress, transitions
Anxiety and mood symptoms
LGBTQIA2SP+ Support
A little more about me
Some fun facts Podcasts, neighborhood walks and a very particular coffee order. Get to know me A little less
I grew up in Ohio and lived in the Washington, DC area before moving to Pittsburgh. I enjoy long walks with a podcast, watching television and spending time with family, friends and neighbors. At home, our dog Maxine and cat Eli keep things interesting. I also have a soft spot for Starbucks iced coffee and McDonald’s Diet Coke.
What working with me is like Thoughtful, compassionate conversations with room for humor. Explore my approach A little less
I take a client-centered approach and invite you to help shape our sessions. In our first meetings, we will talk about what you need and what you hope therapy can offer. I do not routinely set homework, but I can offer accountability if that is helpful. I want you to feel understood and accepted, with room for complicated feelings and a little humor.
What matters to me Support through reproductive experiences and life changes. Read my story A little less
I earned my counseling degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. My work supports people navigating reproductive mental health concerns, infertility, grief, trauma and changes in their lives. I am interested in the relationships and communities you lean on, and in what support feels useful to you. Loving your child and finding motherhood difficult can both be true.
Open a card to read more, at your own pace.
"Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else."
-- MR. ROGERSThe person behind the practice
Katie, in her own words.
A few reflections on what brings me to this work and how I show up in therapy.
Finding support in the shift to parenthood
“having a baby was a big mental shift for me.”
Katie Shaw, LPC (she/her)
Read my reflection Close reflection
Why do you feel especially drawn to the communities, identities or experiences you support?
I feel drawn to perinatal/reproductive mental health because having a baby was a big mental shift for me. I had never heard of postpartum depression in 2008 when my son was born but was thankful for a local organization that helped me find community and resources to feel more confident and less ashamed of my feelings. I'm drawn to mothers who experience postpartum guilt and shame because of my own guilt and shame that I experienced while on parental leave. I also find myself connecting with birthing persons who are struggling with infertility, and the lack of control they feel over the process.
Love and ambivalence can coexist
“We often fail to separate our love for our children from our feelings about the tasks and commitment of motherhood.”
Katie Shaw, 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?
People often come to me when they feel guilt and shame about their complicated feelings about being a mother. Society trains us to look at motherhood as the ultimate sacrifice and that we should love everything about our children. We often fail to separate our love for our children from our feelings about the tasks and commitment of motherhood. Those can be completely separate and mothers may feel ambivalent about the process of motherhood while also intensely loving their child.
How I hope our sessions feel
“thoughtful and compassionate while also bringing in humor where appropriate.”
Katie Shaw, LPC (she/her)
Read my reflection Close reflection
If a client described you after their first few sessions, what would you hope they would say?
I hope the client describes me as thoughtful and compassionate while also bringing in humor where appropriate.
Helping shape your own therapy
“I want the client to help guide the sessions and tell me what they are looking for.”
Katie Shaw, 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 adapt my own therapy work to the client by listening to what they need in the first few sessions. In my intakes, I share that I want the client to help guide the sessions and tell me what they are looking for. I'm not one for homework but if someone needs me to help hold them accountable, I'm happy to do that. When it comes to culture, family, and community, I work to discover the support systems that my clients lean on to live their lives.