Leah Pulli - Online Therapist in Pennsylvania and Delaware

Anxiety can feel like your mind is always one step ahead: worrying, overthinking, replaying, or predicting what could go wrong next. It shows up as racing thoughts, tension in your chest, trouble sleeping, or the constant feeling that you “should be doing more.”

Therapy for anxiety helps you slow down those racing thoughts, untangle the “what ifs,” and learn how to feel more grounded and in control. Through evidence-based approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), you’ll build tools to quiet the noise, manage stress, and respond to anxiety in healthier, more compassionate ways. Whether it’s

• social anxiety,

• panic attacks,

• phobias,

• perfectionism, or

• general overwhelm,

Therapy gives you the space to understand what’s happening beneath the surface and start feeling like yourself again.

Life doesn’t always give us time to catch our breath. Between work, relationships, family responsibilities, and the unexpected things that pop up, it’s easy to feel like you’re just trying to keep your head above water. When stress piles up, even small things can start to feel overwhelming and coping in healthy ways can become harder than it sounds.

Coping skills are the tools that help you manage life’s challenges, but sometimes the ones that used to work stop working. You might find yourself shutting down, overthinking, withdrawing, or turning to habits that give temporary relief but leave you feeling worse later. That’s not a failure; it’s your brain’s way of trying to protect you. Therapy helps you understand why that happens and how to build healthier ways to respond.

Together, we’ll explore what’s fueling your stress and create personalized coping strategies that fit your life, not a one-size-fits-all list. You’ll learn how to manage emotions in the moment, reduce burnout, and find balance between caring for others and caring for yourself.

Developing strong coping skills doesn’t mean you’ll never feel stressed again; it means you’ll have the tools to handle life with more confidence and calm. With support, you can move from simply surviving to feeling more grounded, present, and in control, even when life feels unpredictable.

Who am I, really? It’s a question that surfaces at any stage of life, and it can feel confusing, emotional, and deeply personal. Whether you’re exploring your values, your sense of purpose, your cultural or family identity, or your gender and sexual orientation, identity work in therapy is about understanding you , without judgment or expectation.

Many people come to therapy feeling uncertain or disconnected from who they are. You might be navigating questions around belonging, authenticity, or self-acceptance. For LGBTQ+ individuals, that process can come with added layers of stress, fear, or isolation, especially in environments that don’t always feel safe or affirming. Therapy offers a space where your identity is not just respected… it’s celebrated.

Together, we’ll explore the experiences, beliefs, and relationships that have shaped how you see yourself. You’ll have space to unpack internalized messages, reconnect with your values, and discover what truly feels right for you. Identity work isn’t about fitting into a label; it’s about building a life that aligns with who you are and how you want to move through the world.

You deserve to feel grounded in your sense of self and supported in your journey, whether that means exploring identity, embracing change, or learning to live more authentically. Therapy can help you find that clarity, confidence, and self-compassion to show up fully as you are.

Substance use can start out as a way to cope; to unwind, escape, or quiet what feels unmanageable. But over time, what once felt like relief can start to take control. You might notice yourself relying on alcohol, prescription medication, or other substances more often than you’d like, or feeling anxious, ashamed, or stuck in a cycle you can’t seem to break. You’re not alone, and this doesn’t define who you are.

Addiction is complex. It’s not just about willpower; it’s about pain, patterns, and the ways we’ve learned to survive. Therapy creates a space where you are able to talk honestly about your relationship with substances without fear of judgment. Together, we’ll explore what’s behind the urge to use; stress, trauma, loneliness, burnout, and begin building healthier ways to cope.

You’ll learn how to recognize triggers, manage cravings, and rebuild trust with yourself and others. For some people, this means working toward full sobriety; for others, it’s about creating balance and stability. Either way, therapy is a place to find clarity, accountability, and compassion as you work toward change.

Recovery isn’t a straight line; it’s a process of rediscovering your strength and learning to meet your needs in ways that support your well-being. With support, healing, and the right tools, you can start to feel more in control, more hopeful, and ready to move forward; one day at a time.

OCD isn’t just about being neat or organized; it’s the endless loop of unwanted thoughts and the pressure to do something to feel “just right.” It can look like checking things over and over, replaying conversations, or worrying that your thoughts mean something bad about you.

OCD is fueled by anxiety and uncertainty, not who you are. Therapy for OCD helps you break free from that cycle. Using proven treatments like Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), you’ll learn how to face intrusive thoughts without giving in to compulsions and regain a sense of control over your life. Whether it’s checking, contamination, harm, religious (scrupulosity), relationship, or Pure O, therapy offers practical tools and compassionate support to help you quiet the noise, rebuild trust in yourself, and feel more at peace in your own mind.

With treating OCD, you will never be told to do anything the therapist wouldn’t do also. You also will not “dive in the deep end”. Instead, your therapist will help you gradually build up the trust and confidence to face these uncertainties and fears.

Want to learn about the different subtypes of OCD? Check out our blogs linked below:

• Checking OCD

• Contamination OCD

• Harm OCD

• Perfectionism OCD (Just Right)

• Perinatal OCD

• Pure O

• Relationship OCD

• Religious OCD (Scrupulosity)

• Sexual Orientation OCD

• more on “silent symptoms”

Stress is something we all experience, but when it starts to feel constant, it can take a toll on your mind, body, and relationships. You might notice yourself feeling tense, overwhelmed, irritable, or unable to relax, even when things should feel calm. Maybe you’re juggling too many responsibilities, or your brain just won’t stop running through everything that could go wrong. Over time, stress can impact sleep, focus, and even how you connect with others. Stress is able to lead to burnout, anxiety, and depression.

It’s easy to tell yourself to “just calm down” or “push through,” but chronic stress doesn’t work that way. Your body and mind are signaling that something needs care, not more pressure. In therapy, we’ll take time to understand what’s driving your stress, whether it’s work, relationships, perfectionism, or a major life change, and create tools to help you manage it more effectively.

Together, we’ll build strategies to quiet racing thoughts, set boundaries, and find balance between getting things done and giving yourself space to rest. You’ll learn how to notice early signs of stress, regulate your emotions in the moment, and shift out of constant “fight or flight” mode into a calmer, more grounded state.

Therapy gives you room to exhale; to slow down, reflect, and reset. You’ll find the right support with me where you can manage stress without burning out, reconnect with what matters most, and start feeling like yourself again.

Trauma isn’t just about what happened; it’s about how it continues to live in your body and mind long after the event is over. Whether it happened recently or many years ago. You might notice memories that won’t quiet down,anxiety that comes out of nowhere, or feeling numb and disconnected from yourself or others. Trauma can stem from a single event, ongoing experiences like childhood neglect or abuse (often called Complex PTSD), or sexual trauma that leaves lasting emotional and physical imprints. Not all trauma comes from your childhood, trauma does not know time and you may have experienced it as an adult too.

No two people experience trauma the same way. You might feel on-edge and hypervigilant, or you might shut down completely. You may find yourself avoiding certain places, people, or sensations, or questioning why you “can’t just move on.” These reactions aren’t weakness; they’re your brain and body’s way of trying to protect you.

Therapy provides a safe, nonjudgmental space to process what happened at a pace that feels right for you. We’ll focus on helping you regain a sense of safety in your body, strengthen emotional regulation, and rebuild trust, both in yourself and in others. Healing from trauma often includes learning how to ground yourself in the present, release shame, and reconnect with parts of you that have gone quiet to survive. In therapy, you will not have to review every detail, therapy gives you a chance to give yourself the space to work through trauma with a trained trauma therapist. I also bring in expressive artsto help work through stuck points that come with trauma.

Recovery is possible. With care, patience, and the right support from me, you will begin to feel whole again, not defined by what happened, but empowered by your strength and your ability to heal.

Not only do I offer individual therapy for sexual trauma, I also offer group therapy.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps you understand how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are all connected; and how small shifts in one can lead to big changes in the others. If you’ve ever caught yourself spiraling with “what ifs,”feeling stuck in negative thinking, or reacting in ways you don’t fully understand, CBT offers a structured way to break that cycle. In therapy, you’ll learn how to challenge unhelpful thoughts, identify patterns that fuel anxiety or depression, and build healthier coping skills.

CBT is an evidence-based approach proven to help with anxiety, OCD, depression, and stress, giving you tools you can use long after sessions end. With guidance and practice, you can start to feel more in control of your mind, your emotions, and your day-to-day life.

CBT is also great for habit reversal or even to start new ones!

Sometimes, it’s not just the trauma itself that keeps you stuck… it’s the beliefs that form afterward.

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is an evidence-based trauma therapy that helps you gently examine and shift the thoughts that developed after a painful or overwhelming experience. When you’ve been through trauma, it’s common to form beliefs like “It was my fault,” “I’m not safe,” “I can’t trust anyone,” or “I should have done more.” These thoughts can quietly shape how you see yourself, others, and the world.

CPT helps you identify these “stuck points” and evaluate whether they are accurate, helpful, or rooted in trauma. Through structured conversations and guided exercises, you learn how trauma impacts your thinking and how to create more balanced, compassionate perspectives.

This approach is especially effective for individuals experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sexual trauma, childhood trauma, military trauma, and other life-altering events. CPT focuses on key areas often disrupted by trauma, including safety, trust, power and control, self-esteem, and intimacy.

Rather than reliving trauma in overwhelming ways, Cognitive Processing Therapy gives you tools to understand how trauma changed your beliefs and how to reclaim your sense of control and identity.

Healing doesn’t mean forgetting what happened; it means no longer letting trauma define how you see yourself or your future.

If you’ve ever felt trapped in your own thoughts, like worrying about what might happen or feeling like you have to do something to feel safe or “just right”, I’ve heard this many times from my clients… It’s exhausting, and it starts to take over your life. That’s where Exposure and Response Prevention, or ERP/ExRP, comes in.

ERP is a highly effective therapy for OCD and anxiety (including panic and phobias) and even when you want to challenge your fears. Together, we gently face the situations or thoughts that trigger your anxiety, while learning how to respond differently, without doing the things that temporarily ease the fear but keep the cycle going. Over time, this helps your brain learn that you can handle discomfort and that anxiety naturally fades on its own. You get trust in yourself back.

You won’t ever be pushed into something you’re not ready for. We move at a pace that feels manageable for you. If intrusive thoughts make you doubt yourself, we’ll explore them safely and compassionately, helping you see they don’t define who you are.

ERP isn’t easy work, it’s empowering work. The goal isn’t to erase anxiety, but to help you live freely again; spending less time managing fear and more time living the life you want.

Expressive Arts Therapy is a creative and powerful approach to mental health that goes beyond just talking. It uses tools like art, music, writing, and movement to help you process emotions that may feel hard to put into words. When thoughts feel stuck or overwhelming, expressive arts therapy offers a different way to explore what’s going on internally, without needing to have the “right” words.

You might notice feeling disconnected from your emotions, overwhelmed by anxiety, stuck in past experiences, or unsure how to express what you’re going through. Sometimes talking alone doesn’t fully capture the depth of what you feel. Expressive arts therapy creates space to safely explore those emotions through creativity, helping you access deeper insight, release tension, and reconnect with yourself in a more meaningful way.

This approach is especially helpful for trauma, anxiety, depression, and life transitions, where emotions can feel complex or difficult to process. You don’t need to be “artistic” or creative to benefit—this isn’t about making something perfect, it’s about expression, exploration, and healing.

In expressive arts therapy, I will guide you through creative exercises tailored to your comfort level and goals. You’ll learn how to use creative expression as a tool for emotional regulation, self-understanding, and healing. At Better Minds Counseling & Services, I integrate expressive arts therapy into personalized treatment to help you feel more grounded, connected, and understood, so you can move forward with greater clarity and confidence.

(And you do not need to have any experience with art or creative activities to participate in this therapy).

Sometimes, what we need most isn’t a set of techniques or quick fixes; it’s a space to be truly seen and heard. Person-Centered Therapy is built on that belief. It’s a collaborative, nonjudgmental approach that starts with you; your experiences, your feelings, and your goals. Therapy becomes a space where you can explore who you are, without pressure to fit into someone else’s expectations or labels.

In this approach, you’re the expert on your own life. My role is to walk alongside you; to listen, reflect, and help you uncover the strengths and wisdom you already carry. Together, we’ll explore what’s getting in the way of feeling grounded, confident, and at peace. Whether you’re dealing with anxiety, self-doubt, grief, trauma, or simply trying to reconnect with yourself, Person-Centered Therapy helps you move toward greater self-understanding and acceptance.

This isn’t about being “fixed.” It’s about creating space for you to grow, heal, and make sense of what matters most. When therapy feels safe and supportive, real change naturally unfolds. You start to trust yourself again, make decisions that align with your values, and build a stronger, more compassionate relationship with yourself.

At its core, Person-Centered Therapy is about helping you feel human again… seen, supported, and capable of creating a life that feels authentic and fulfilling.