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“You don’t have to be positive all the time. It’s perfectly okay to feel sad, angry, annoyed, frustrated, scared, or anxious. Having feelings doesn’t make you a ‘negative person.’ It makes you human.”    ~Lori Deschene

"Hope is the passion for what is possible."
  ~Soren Kierkegaard

Welcome.  As a licensed professional counselor, with more than 22 years of experience, I am committed to providing clients with an encouraging, knowledgeable and non-judgmental environment in order to help individuals connect with their genuine selves, develop understanding of their process, and embrace the richness of their lives.

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My practice focuses on individuals and families who desire to move beyond personal and interpersonal challenges that have limited them in the past so that they may begin to live in a manner that focuses on healing and living well.  The dismantling of old protective barriers that had formerly been essential to psychic survival but have since become ineffective and confining, opens the way to a rejuvenated sense of possibility and potently creative energy.  This liberating and transformative process is exemplified in the image of a butterfly that I use to represent my practice. 

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Background and Approach

I do the work that I do because I believe in the ability of human beings to transform our existence when it becomes necessary to do so, when the very survival of our truest spirit depends on it. While I have been witness to experiences of remarkable change in many people whom I have encountered, known, and learned about, it was my own experience of painstaking change and growth that has most inspired my confidence in the potential for healing and transformation.  Of course, I had the help of many generous others along the way; teachers who  showed up when I was ready or in enough discomfort that something HAD to change, professionals who worked with me directly, others in the field who have written and spoken of their learning, friends who have known similar struggles, creators of inspired works of art, literature, music, film, etc., even stand-up comedians, and countless everyday people living genuinely in connection with the world around them.

Here are some universal truths that I have learned from these teachers who have been of the greatest value in my development as a therapist and a person:

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1. We all need help. And almost everyone, if not everyone who seeks help in therapy, 12-step recovery, spiritual communities, etc., has tried to muscle through their difficulties in life on their own, often gallantly, almost always futilely. To ask for help is a wise and courageous act. Accepting help gives us the ability to help others.

2. Interpersonal relationship is at the heart of the therapeutic process. I am committed to being genuinely present with clients, to listen and respond with openness and honesty, without judgement, to not assume a position of authority or expertise. The experience of shared humanity, of looking into the eyes of another and exchanging  resonant words, thoughts and emotions changes moods and perspectives, can alter long-entrenched neural pathways. There is an infinite amount of effective techniques available for use in the therapeutic context, but without the basis of a connected human relationship, technical skills will be of minimal help.  

3. While breakthrough events do occur, such as a butterfly bursting forth from a cocoon, long-term transformation is built cumulatively on the repetition and practice of that which shifts away from what had been choking off vitality to what evokes a sense of inspired aliveness. Therapy does not “fix” us or make us into a new person, it supports a process of healing so that we may come to thrive as who we truly are.    

Specialties

Addiction/Recovery

Struggles and successes
Drug and alcohol dependence causes a variety of symptoms that creates an increased risk for disease, injury, and death.  Recovery from addiction can include a variety of behavior based therapies and practices, as well as psychiatric interventions in a significant number of cases.   Lifestyle adjustments and long-term treatment plans and support programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSA), help to support the recovery process.  The path to recovery is a process and often requires more than one attempt to enhance understanding, avoid triggers, and improve resilience against relapse.

Specialty Training

Education and Licensing

Comprehensive Resource Model
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
Gestalt Training for Professionals
Alcohol and Drug Interventions

Duquesne University, M.S.Ed, 2002
Pennsylvania Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
License PC004150

Insurance Plans

  • Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield

Self-Pay

  • Cost per session $130

  • Sliding scale available

  • Payment by Zelle is preferred, but cash, check, debit or credit cards are also acceptable.

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Appointments

"Nothing is worth more than this moment."
   ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Office Address

 Frank Bienkowski MSEd., LPC
160 N. Craig Street  Suite 118
Pittsburgh, PA  15213

Hours

Most evenings and weekends
and some mornings

Contact Details

Phone:  412-983-7886
Email: frankbienkowski86@gmail.com

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