About Colleen
Colleen Mest is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in Pennsylvania who helps people address stress, anxiety, depression, and the fallout from trauma. She focuses on real problems you face day to day, like low self-esteem, parenting strain, grief, work stress, and relationship or communication difficulties. Her style aims to make starting therapy feel manageable and straightforward.
Colleen uses a collaborative approach in sessions. She listens first and helps people notice their strengths.
Background and approach
Then she and the client set small, practical goals to try between meetings. Sessions emphasize clear steps rather than long theory talks. She brings 12 years of experience in assessment and mental health treatment to the work.
That background includes support for people coping with postpartum depression, seasonal mood changes, caregiver stress, and life purpose questions. Colleen has also worked with clients who have a past history of trauma and abuse. In practice she draws on a few different methods depending on what a person needs.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps identify and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. Mindfulness practices are used to manage physical and emotional reactions in the moment. Solution-focused ideas keep the work forward-looking and goal oriented.
People who choose Colleen often want a compassionate, down-to-earth clinician who sets clear steps and checks progress. She invites clients to try short exercises between sessions and adjust the plan as needed.
Approaches That Translate Well Online
Colleen commonly uses Client-Centered Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in online sessions. Client-Centered Therapy centers conversations on the person’s experience and priorities, letting the therapist follow the client’s lead to build insight and support. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and practicing concrete skills to change them - useful for anxiety, depression, and stress.She also uses Solution-Focused ideas to keep work goal oriented and action based. That approach looks for small steps that move a person toward clearer routines, better communication, or less overwhelm. Together, these methods are chosen through a collaborative process where the therapist and client try approaches and adjust based on what works best for the person’s goals and preferences.
Online therapy with Colleen is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs. Video calls allow face-to-face interaction for skill practice and deeper conversation. Phone sessions are a lower-bandwidth option when video is difficult. Live chat or text exchanges can be used for brief check-ins, tracking progress, or quick coping strategies between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, parenting, and caregiving responsibilities while still working toward clear, measurable change.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Also listed
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Fertility issues
- Grief
- Life purpose
- Parenting issues
- Postpartum depression
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 12 years
- Licensed
- Pennsylvania
- Languages
- English
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