Obsessive-compulsive disorder therapists & psychiatrists in West Chester, PA

Hi, I'm Tierra Kinnard, LCSW, and founder of Step by Step Healing Services, LLC. With more than 16 years of experience in the mental health field, I am passionate about helping individuals navigate life's challenges with compassion, understanding, and evidence-based care. I believe healing begins in a space where you feel safe, heard, and accepted exactly as you are. I specialize in treating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Excoriation (Skin Picking Disorder), Trichotillomania (Hair Pulling Disorder), anxiety, depression, trauma, and grief and loss. Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of supporting individuals from diverse backgrounds, including members of the BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. I understand the profound impact that mental health challenges can have on individuals, families, and relationships, and I am committed to helping clients build resilience, find relief, and create meaningful change.

I am a highly experienced therapist who has worked in every setting and level of care, from highly restrictive environments, such as hospitals and residential settings, to community-based and outpatient settings. I have worked with children and families, with adolescents and adults, men and women, cisgendered and transgendered, with those struggling with substance abuse, trauma, loss, depression, anxiety, and relationship problems. My education and training have led me to understand that those who seek professional help are situated in a relational context, one born out of their experiences growing up, as well as their current interpersonal dynamics. In my experience, people often come into therapy when they are stuck between repeating behaviors that are unhelpful or even dangerous, and not knowing what to do differently, or even how to make a change in their lives, despite knowing that they don't want to keep doing what they are doing. That is when someone like myself meets someone like yourself, and we work together to find a new path forward.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with extensive experience supporting adolescents, adults, and older adults through life’s most challenging transitions. My background spans mental health therapy, crisis intervention, trauma recovery, child welfare, and geriatric care, which allows me to work with clients from a holistic, compassionate, and well-rounded perspective.

I use a strength-based, trauma-informed, and person-centered approach, meeting each client where they are and honoring their unique experiences. My clinical work integrates evidence-based modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), DBT-informed skills, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, and mindfulness-based practices. I work collaboratively with clients to set meaningful goals, build coping skills, and create sustainable change.

I have experience helping clients navigate anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, stress, emotional regulation, self-esteem, relationship challenges, and major life transitions. I also bring a strong background in crisis support and safety planning, ensuring clients feel supported, grounded, and safe throughout the therapeutic process.

Above all, I strive to provide a warm, non-judgmental, and culturally responsive space where clients feel heard, respected, and empowered. Therapy with me is collaborative and paced to your needs, with a focus on helping you reconnect with your strengths and move forward with greater clarity and confidence.

Taking the first step toward therapy takes courage and I'm honored to be part of that journey. My goal is to create a space where you feel genuinely safe and accepted, so we can do meaningful work together.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist with more than 20 years of experience providing evidence-based mental health care to adolescents and adults. I specialize in working with individuals experiencing depression, anxiety, mood disorders, life stressors, and other emotional challenges. I also have extensive expertise in the assessment and management of suicide risk. My goal is to provide a supportive environment where you feel comfortable talking openly about what you are experiencing while we work together to identify practical, evidence-based ways to help you feel and function better.

For more than two decades, I served as a psychologist in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). During my time there, I conducted comprehensive diagnostic evaluations, provided individual and group therapy, and developed treatment plans for adolescents and families experiencing a wide range of psychiatric and emotional concerns. I also co-developed the Child and Adolescent Mood Program (CHAMP), a specialized clinical program focused on evaluating and treating young people with mood disorders.

My work at CHOP gave me particularly deep experience helping adolescents and families navigate depression, mood disorders, anxiety, emotional distress, and complex mental health concerns. It also reinforced the importance of understanding what is happening not only from the patient's perspective, but within the broader context of family, school, relationships, development, and everyday life.

In addition to my clinical work, I have an extensive background in academic research, including research involving youth mood disorders and perinatal depression. I have also supervised and trained psychology interns, postdoctoral fellows, and psychiatry residents.

My name is Leilani and I’m a dual-certified Family and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, and I believe feeling heard is just as important as any treatment plan. My background in both primary care and mental health, along with my experience as a military veteran and spouse, helps me understand how stress, health, and life experiences are often deeply intertwined. I work with adults facing anxiety, depression, trauma, and big life transitions, and I take time to listen before offering guidance. My goal is to create a calm, supportive space where we can talk things through together and move forward in a way that feels manageable and right for you.