Online Integrative Trauma Therapy for adults in Pennsylvania and Ohio that guides self-discovery, authenticity, and empowers you to radiate confidence as you heal.
Elizabeth Sammons MA, LPC, LPCC
Sometimes it can be tough to find the silver linings, and you might be feeling like…
You've been in therapy for ages but aren't making progress.
Your triggers run your life, making you doubt your identity beyond helping others.
No matter what you do, something feels wrong or missing.
You're drained from living a life that doesn’t match your values.
You’ve never felt like you fit in and have trouble forming deep connections with others.
Your childhood seems average compared to others, but you don’t have many memories of it.
You face ongoing pain and exhaustion, and are feeling unheard by medical providers who make you feel like maybe it all really is “just in your head”
You deserve a provider who understands you.
I understand how lonely the healing journey can feel, as if no one is there for you. I struggled for years with ongoing physical pain and emotional discomfort. Even after consulting many professionals, my concerns were often dismissed, making me doubt my own reality. I started to believe it might be “in my head,” wondering if I was inherently flawed. I craved validation and support, but those needs often went unmet, reflecting my experiences with emotionally immature adults in my upbringing.
While no healing journey is ever finished, having someone who gets your struggles truly matters. As a late-diagnosed neurodivergent trauma therapist familiar with developmental trauma, loss, grief, chronic illness, and medical gaslighting, I offer a unique perspective.
My practice is grounded in empathy and sees you as a whole person—mind, body, and spirit. I found comfort and strength through practices that helped me connect with my inner self while managing conditions like Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos syndrome (hEDS), PCOS, and chronic fatigue in ways that feel authentic and supportive.
Healing begins in the presence of like minded individuals.
It’s essential that we co-create a space where you feel comfortable and heard.
It’s important to me that you feel comfortable in my care. When we work together, I walk alongside you. I may have similar lived experience, but you are the expert of your journey. My training, lived experience, and intuition, allow me to gain a deeper understanding of your needs and goals.
I do not view you as a diagnosis, but a dynamic individual navigating the human experience. Traditional therapeutic spaces can be further isolating when clinicians are not affirming to important parts of a client's identity such as gender, sexuality, or race.
I am committed to being a LGBTQ2s+, minority, and disability affirming therapist.
Specialties
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Healing is an integrative process across mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual levels.
I incorporate unconventional methods into the therapeutic space like energy work, tarot/oracle, and journey work. See more below!
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Trauma is a normal reaction to abnormal events, experienced by most people at one point or another over the lifespan.
Complex trauma involves repeated, severe experiences over time, such as ongoing abuse or neglect which affect trust, safety, and relationships. This response can lead to lasting impacts on emotional regulation, self-esteem, and interpersonal connections.
Dissociation is a protective response but can cause feelings of detachment and memory issues when linked to complex trauma. Recovery is possible. I assist clients in:
Re-membering what happened and what should have.
Learning the truth of their lives and reconsolidating trauma.
Finding purpose and rebuilding their relationship with themselves.
Achieving psychological safety with techniques like breath work and somatic methods.
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You've been labeled “too sensitive,” a people pleaser, or co-dependent. You may struggle with your identity and feel drained by family interactions.
If this resonates, you're not alone.
You might have been raised by emotionally immature adults- and it doesn’t always end in childhood.
Together, we’ll process this experience, identify your needs, set boundaries, prioritize yourself, and enhance your self-awareness. You'll discover what makes you happy and confidently make changes to pursue your dreams, independent of others' opinions.
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Just because your labs come back normal, or there doesn’t seem to be an exact diagnosis does not mean that your pain is not real.
Chronic illness and pain often go hand in hand with stress, past trauma, and intense emotional experiences. No, it's not in your head. We can't ignore that stress can influence how pain is felt and managed over time.
My integrative approach to gaining more balance helps you to address the feelings associated with your lived experience of your condition, and helps you navigate the health care system with more confidence, empowers you to advocate for yourself, and find providers who you can put your trust in.
What you'll get
Validation and understanding for your lived experience
A safe and supportive environment where you are heard and respected.
Integrative trauma work to explore how your past influences your condition and pain which leads to more personalized treatment strategies in your mental and physical health care.
Empowerment and advocacy: learn tools and strategies to better navigate the health care system and advocate for your needs to ensure you receive the care you deserve
Process the fact that we even have to have these conversations in the first place.
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You might not have had the words to describe your experience, but you know that something isn't adding up.
Maybe you've watched your peers have fulfilling friendships and you always felt like a "floater" or "outsider" bouncing between friendships but never really had a best friend like everyone else.
You might have been told you had an emotional regulation disorder or were defiant or lazy, and you might struggle with executive functioning skills like finishing projects, having time blindness, or are consistently feeling mentally fatigued.
"late diagnosis" means exploring the possibility on your own, or receiving a diagnosis most commonly of ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, OCD. This also includes sensory processing difficulties, dys-lexia/calculia, and dysgraphia, tourettes, epilepsy, trauma, developmental disabilities, alexithymia, among other differences in processing information.
My experience is working mostly with ADHD, Autism, and AuDHD.
Together we will
Process the trauma that you've endured living in a neurotypical world
Process the grief and other emotions that come with living your crucial developmental years without the support you needed
Learn skills to support your executive functioning and emotional regulation
Examine patterns of behavior, thought process, and coping that you'd like to keep and that you'd like to learn alternatives for
* you do not need to have had a formal diagnosis to work on these concerns. If this is something that you are wanting to explore further, we will weigh the pros and cons of an "official" diagnosis and you will be referred out to trusted clinicians who provide official assessment should you so choose.
The soul longs for its own truth. It blindly avoids anything that is false or insincere; it instinctively savors the real. The beautiful struggle of the human heart happens when the truth is sought aloud and within. - Anam Cara
We are a whole beings. We just need to re-member our roots.
Radiant Self Counseling LLC offers Psychotherapy that isn’t solely bound by conventional methods
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Curiosity and Spiritual Exploration
I believe that spirituality is not just something to explore within the walls of a church, but something that is to be experienced on an individual level while interacting with the earth.
I grew up with an Italian Catholic influence and have worked to deconstruct my beliefs, striving for balance and exploring the paths of my ancestors. Nature is my "church", and I formally identify as an eclectic Pagan mostly informed by Celtic practices.
Paganism in this context refers to a broad umbrella of spiritual practices and beliefs that honor the connection that we as humans have with the earth, celebrating the divine in various forms, and embrace a holistic existence.
Paganism is rich in symbology and mythology that can be used therapeutically to
Examine different aspects of the personality through utilizing the archetypes of deities or mythological figures
Draw on myths and stories as metaphors for personal growth
Explore creating personal rituals for significant life events and incorporating ceremonial practices that align with pagan traditions to promote healing
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Ancestral/Lineage Work & Generational Trauma
Pagan traditions honor ancestors of the biological line as well as the spiritual lineage.
We work together to get you re-connected with and have a better understanding of your ancestral heritage and examine how it impacts you in the present.
We explore how family or cultural histories have influenced your personal identity and life experience across timelines.
My therapeutic practice is informed by the natural cycles of the earth; this can involve the following:
Spending time outside and using the earth as a re-source for grounding and connection
Paying mindful attention to the cycles of nature such as solstices and equinoxes to reflect on growth and transitional phases
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Energy Medicine
We can be like sponges, often taking in the energy of others or our environment without intent or knowledge of what this can do to our bodies.
Together we can explore ways to create energetic boundaries with yourself, your environment and others in your life.
I am a Reiki Master Teacher in the Usui Method. Although I do not currently practice Reiki in a professional realm, Reiki can be drawn upon in sessions.
Tarot & Oracle
Tarot and Oracle cards can be a way to explore your innermost thoughts and are a tool for inner discovery.
My ultimate goal when working with others is bolstering their ability to reach and reconnect with their own intuition and increase trust in self.
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As a spiritual psychotherapist, it's important to clarify that we don't need to share the same spiritual beliefs.
From the start, we'll explore if incorporating spirituality into your healing is right for you. If not, that's perfectly fine!
I utilize my knowledge in Geography and Women & Gender Studies to tailor language through a comparative religion lens that fits your unique beliefs.
My priority is your healing, and I understand if I'm not the right fit. I regularly check on your progress and assess our therapeutic relationship based on your feedback.
Should we determine that we’re not a good fit, or that you’d be better served by a specialist in a different area, I’ll connect you to referrals.
Services
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Integrative Trauma Therapy
Trauma treatment tailored to your unique needs held virtually in hourly sessions either weekly or bi-weekly
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Walk and Talk Therapy
Sessions occur at a location of your choosing within 30 minutes of Downtown Pittsburgh, PA
*not currently running- check back soon!
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Groups
Group therapy, support goups, workshops and courses for clients and clinicians
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Integrative Trauma Therapy Intensives
Intensives are tailored to fit your schedule and goals and range from 2-6 hours. and allow you to make more progress over a shorter period of time.
Are we a good fit for each other?
Yes!
You’re open to exploring spirituality and unconventional methods for trauma treatment.
You’re comfortable with virtual therapy.
You’re eager to learn and take accountability for your healing.
You understand that therapy is a collaborative process that requires your active participation.
You’re willing to explore discomfort and release unhelpful patterns.
Maybe not so much…
You prefer traditional therapy, focusing on in-person sessions.
You don't want to explore alternative methods.
You seek your therapist to guide the majority of your work.
You struggle with recognizing your role in unhealthy dynamics or thought patterns.
You desire rapid improvement and solutions over delving into the past.
Not sure? If we begin working together and either of us realize that it’s not the right fit we will discuss what accommodations may be able to be made.
Your healing is my priority. I’m not the therapist for everyone, but I’m happy to connect you with a clinician who might be a better fit.
Ready to get started ?
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Schedule a free consultation- we will talk about your unique needs and goals for treatment to determine if we are a good fit for each other.
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We will schedule your intake session where we will get to know each other a little bit more. We can meet weekly or bi-weekly depending on your specific goals.
I typically meet with clients weekly or bi-weekly. Treatment can last from 6 months to a year depending on your unique circumstances.
With consistent effort in your treatment, you will be able to build skills to support yourself in healing past hurts and better manage future stressors.
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Healing hurts sometimes. It is my goal that you leave each session we have together with more insight into your experience, and action items to implement into your healing journey outside of our session times.
My main goal is for you to ultimately complete your treatment, and provide you with the tools to heal yourself.