Dr. Natasha Bavolar

Natasha Bavolar is a Licensed Professional Counselor who specializes in working with athletes and young adults on topics of identity development, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, suicidality, intimate and familial relationships, and disordered eating. Natasha has 10 years of experience in the mental health field, working with a variety of ages and presentations in multiple settings, from inpatient to after-school programming. The last four years of Natasha’s career have been in college mental health, working with undergraduate and graduate students. Her goal has always remained the same: creating a space where clients feel authentic, open, and heard. Natasha completed her Master of Science (MS) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Johns Hopkins University. Her transparent and authentic nature is something her clients connect with easily, regardless of background, age, or interest differences. As a white, queer woman, Natasha is not afraid to name the identities she holds and ask …clients how they feel working with someone who holds them, especially if racial trauma or race-related challenges are what bring them to therapy. It is Natasha’s passion to help clients identify the puzzle they are stuck on, help them rearrange the pieces so they may see them in a different way, and ultimately allow them to see they had the skills within them all along. They just needed some help to find them once again. Natasha will carry the pain with you, sit in the dark alongside you, and hold onto the hope for you until you are ready to carry it again for yourself. The first step, reaching out, is often the hardest and, in Natasha’s opinion, the bravest step of the therapeutic process. It requires a vulnerability and a naming of something that is often so hard to come to grips with–especially when you live in such an individualistic society. You are not weak, you are not wrong, you are not broken. If you are deciding whether or not to try, or try again, Natasha will meet you where you are and you will figure out where to go next, together. She utilizes techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), and strengths-based philosophies while being open to incorporating other modalities in order to meet your goals. Your goals are Natasha’s goals; you will co-create a plan to tackle your challenges together, evolving your sessions to ensure you are getting what you need to get to where you want to go.