Gessica (pronounced “Jessica”) Presken is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. Gessica received both her Bachelor’s degree (2013) and Master’s degree (2015) from the University of Pittsburgh.
Gessica primarily works with adolescent and adult individuals, but also has experience working with couples, groups, and families. She specializes in the following: Anxiety, Depression, relationship issues, divorce/co-parenting, prenatal and postpartum (including postpartum depression and anxiety), Career Counseling and employment-related issues, Family Conflict, Bipolar Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Substance Abuse/addiction, and people with Disabilities (Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Disability, ADHD, Learning Disabilities, Traumatic Brain Injury, Physical Disabilities).
Gessica believes an eclectic and individualized counseling approach is important to meet clients’ unique needs. She utilizes solution-focused techniques from Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy as well as Person-Centered approaches, Mindfulness, and other holistic methods.
As a counselor, Gessica is welcoming, genuine, and creates a non-judgmental, compassionate space for clients. Gessica believes clients are the expert of their subjective experiences. She is there to listen, support, and validate those experiences and challenge clients when needed. In addition, Gessica empowers her clients to make decisions and changes in order to make progress, reach self-acceptance, and achieve meaningful outcomes. Overall, Gessica believes that the counseling relationship is a collaborative one, in which the counselor and client work together to reach the identified objectives and goals.