Rebecca Brent, PsyD

I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist located in Pittsburgh, PA with expertise in evidence-based treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, birth trauma, infertility, perinatal loss, and parenting. I also specialize in treating adults struggling with depressive and anxiety disorders, traumatic experiences, navigating life transitions, and experiencing relationship difficulties. In addition to in person session in Pittsburgh, PA, ​I can provide teletherapy in participating states pursuant to PSYPACT Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology (APIT) under the PSYPACT Commission E. Passport Mobility Number 15679 (includes PA, OH, WV and 34 additional states) APPROACH: I take a warm, collaborative, individualized, and culturally humble approach to psychotherapy. My goal is to provide a safe environment where individuals from all backgrounds can feel comfortable discussing their challenges and life goals. I am LGBTQI+ affirming and welcome the opportunity to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds. I utilize a variety of treatment approaches such as Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Family-Based Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Behavior Activation, The Mind Body Program for Fertility, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Prolonged Grief Treatment, Circle of Security Parenting, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). EXPERIENCE: I earned my undergraduate and graduate degrees in psychology at Yeshiva University, in New York, NY. I completed my APA accredited predoctoral clinical psychology internship at Allegheny General Hospital in 2011 and my postdoctoral clinical training at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in 2014. During my predoctoral internship, I worked with children diagnosed with PTSD and their caregivers at the Center for Traumatic Stress using Trauma-Focused CBT and with individuals with severe mental illness admitted to a partial hospitalization program. From 2009-2014, my colleagues and I developed Family-Based Interpersonal Psychotherapy (FB-IPT) for Depressed Preadolescents. I co-authored the treatment manual, Family-Based Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Preadolescents by Oxford University Press, and provided this psychotherapy to preadolescents and their families. During my training experiences working with children and families, I was struck by how difficult it is to be a parent. Children don’t come with a “how to” manual, and our earliest teachers in how to parent are our own caregivers. Intergenerational trauma, psychosocial stressors, and untreated mental conditions can make it hard to meet our children’s needs. Growing up with parents who weren’t responsive to our needs can contribute to immense pain and distress, and children of such parents may find themselves repeating undesirable parenting behaviors they experienced during their own childhood. In my early training, I observed that untreated mental health concerns in parents contribute to tremendous suffering for the whole family, which can lead to a cycle of self-blame and escalating stress. My ultimate goal in working with parents and families is to bring values and behaviors into better alignment to improve the health of the entire family system. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work at Allegheny Health Network from 2015-2024. During my time at AHN, I co-led the creation of the Women’s Behavioral Health Program to establish much needed mental health services for individuals and families impacted by perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, infertility, and perinatal loss. I helped implement universal screening for depression and bipolar disorder across AHN’s OBGYN offices and helped found the first Perinatal Intensive Outpatient Program in Western Pennsylvania, which opened in 2016. In addition to providing clinical care to many perinatal patients and their families, I have supervised many masters and doctoral level graduate students seeking training in reproductive mental health, established a Women’s Behavioral Health track within Allegheny Health Network’s APA-accredited psychology internship, and created a Women’s Behavioral Health postdoctoral fellowship. I have also provided consultation to other clinicians and hospitals who are interested in establishing perinatal intensive outpatient programs. In my private practice, I continue to specialize in the treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, birth trauma, grief related to infertility and perinatal loss, and parenting, as well as treating adults struggling with depressive and anxiety disorders, healing from traumatic experiences, navigating life transitions, and experiencing relationship difficulties. I feel energized by my patients and the transformations they undergo in the course of therapy, and I feel grateful every day that I am able to do work that is both meaningful and rewarding.