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Condition Guides from our Therapists
Practical articles on relationships and how to improve your life using modern therapy practices.
CPA Counseling publishes condition guides and therapy articles written by our licensed therapists in Pittsburgh, Altoona, and Philadelphia. Every article is written from clinical experience — not generic wellness content. In-person and telehealth statewide.
Articles to Improve your Understanding
Postpartum Anxiety: The Anxious Mother
Postpartum anxiety (PPA) affects roughly 1 in 10 new mothers and can bring constant worry, racing thoughts, physical tension, and sometimes panic attacks — distinct from, and sometimes alongside, postpartum depression. It’s common, it’s not a sign of failure, and it’s very treatable with therapy and support. Cristina Panaccione, LPC and the CPA team help mothers and families across Pennsylvania.
The Cycle of Wellness: Mind, Body & Spirit Together
Wellness is a cycle in which physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health continually support one another. Caring for one area tends to lift the others; neglecting one pulls the rest down. A holistic, person-centered approach tends the whole person rather than one symptom. David Como, NCC, brings a holistic, mind-body approach to CPA Counseling in the Pittsburgh area, with more than 30 years of experience.
Essential Oils for Mental Peace: What Helps
Certain essential oils — lavender, frankincense, wild orange, tea tree, and calming blends — may help reduce stress and support relaxation as part of a balanced wellness routine. They are a complement, not a cure or a substitute for mental-health care. If you need more support, therapy can help. Shelby O’Brien, LPC and the CPA team serve clients across Pennsylvania.
Panic Attack or Heart Attack? A Men’s Guide
Panic attacks are common in men and can feel exactly like a heart attack — chest tightness, pounding heart, shortness of breath, a sense of dying. Always rule out the heart first; once cleared, panic often peaks fast and ties to stress. Nicholas White, LPC helps men in Pittsburgh’s Robinson area understand and manage panic, in person or by telehealth across Pennsylvania.
10 Relationship Exercises to Try at Home
Simple at-home relationship exercises — like the question game, music and book swaps, soul gazing, synced breathing, date bucket lists, technology detoxes, appreciation lists, and honesty hour — can deepen connection and rebuild intimacy. They help whether your relationship is struggling or thriving. Allison Bare, LSW supports couples across Pennsylvania.
6 Steps to Surviving an Affair
Can a relationship survive an affair? 94% of relationship counselors believe it can. Recovery takes ending the affair, radical honesty, space for the hurt, and rebuilding connection — usually with support. Autumn Staszak, LPC, a Gottman-trained couples therapist in Pittsburgh’s South Hills, helps couples heal after infidelity, in person or by telehealth across Pennsylvania.
READY TO START?
Don’t let fear keep writing your story
Anxiety rarely stays where it is. Left alone it tends to ask for a little more room each year — one more thing declined, one more route avoided, one more part of life quietly made smaller until the smaller version starts to feel like who you are. It doesn’t take a crisis to justify starting. It only takes deciding that this year isn’t going to look like last year. You don’t have to have it figured out first; you only have to make one decision that isn’t fear’s.