Tired of therapy spaces that werenโt built for you?
So were we.
We know what it feels like to walk into a room and wonder if youโll truly be understood. We know what itโs like to be met with blank stares when you share your truth. That wonโt happen here.
Letโs name it: Most mainstream therapy approaches were developed by straight, white menโand it shows. Traditional therapy in the U.S. often centers on individuals, makes assumptions about what โnormal relationshipsโ look like, and treats gender as fixed and binary.
If youโve ever felt like therapy wasnโt designed with you in mind, you werenโt wrong. But that doesnโt mean healing isnโt for you. It just means you needed a different space. A space that fully sees you.
This is that space.
This is your space.
Weโre so glad youโre here.
Welcome to Open Space.
Welcome Home.
Welcome to Open Space. Welcome Home.
What We Stand For
Open Space Counseling, Consulting & Wellness wasnโt created just to fill a gapโit was built to change the landscape of mental health care for those who have long been overlooked. Founded in 2018, Open Space was born from a deep recognition that traditional therapy wasnโt designed for everyoneโand that needed to change. The need was greater than what existed. The system wasnโt working. And we were determined to build something better.
What Led Us Here
From a tiny practice to a thriving team of 30+ mental health clinicians and support staff, Open Space grew into the largest provider of LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy in the greater Pittsburgh area. We expanded to two physical locations and provided virtual therapy across the entire state of Pennsylvania. We developed a graduate-level internship program to train the next generation of affirming therapists. We built a robust leadership team that worked tirelessly to help support our mission. We extended our impact beyond therapyโoffering consulting and training to therapists, schools, agencies, and businesses that want to do better.
You could say itโs a collapse. I call it a rebirth.
Open Space has never followed the traditional path. From the beginning, we built something boldโan affirming, equity-driven practice that redefined what LGBTQIA+ mental health care could look like in Pittsburgh.
We became known for serving the people other practices didnโt know how to hold. We built trust with clients who had been deeply failed by the system. And we grew fastโbecause there was such a deep need for what we offered.
But the truth behind the scenes was more complicated.
While the practice rapidly expanded, I (Sam, founder of Open Space) was quietly navigating private trauma, public scrutiny, and the emotional weight of holding it all together. A lawsuit. Grief. Guilt. A nervous system in overdrive. For years, I kept leadingโbut from survival. And deep, deep shame.
And now?
Every person on our team has chosen to leave.
Thatโs the truth. One that could feel like the end.
But itโs not.
Because for the first time in seven years, Iโm leading with clarityโnot chaos.
The license situation has been dealt with. The lawsuit is behind me. And Iโm not hiding anymore.
Iโm still hereโon purpose. And Iโm rebuilding Open Space from the ground up.
So where are we now?
Right now, Open Space is in transition.
Weโre in the quiet space between eras. And while that might scare some people, we see it differently.
We see it as an invitationโto build something even stronger, more sustainable, and more aligned than ever before.
We arenโt starting from scratch. Weโre rebuilding on the legacy of what made Open Space special from day one:
Our deep roots in Pennsylvaniaโs LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse, and marginalized communities.
Our unwavering commitment to inclusion, equity, and truth-telling.
And our belief that mental health care should be a place of radical authenticityโnot assimilation.
Weโre not interested in quick fixes or performative rebuilding. Weโre doing this intentionallyโwith honesty, transparency, and a commitment to doing it right.
Growth isnโt just about numbers. Itโs about changing whatโs possible. Itโs about making sure people who have spent years feeling unseen in therapy never feel that way again. Itโs about creating a workplace where clinicians are valued, supported, and treated like humans first. Itโs about disrupting harmful norms and refusing to settle for surface-level inclusion.
For Those Wondering If Weโre Worth Saving
We get it.
If youโre reading this and wondering if weโve lost our wayโor if this is just a PR spinโwe invite you to look a little closer.
Open Space isnโt just a business. Itโs a movement.
It shifted the landscape of LGBQTIA+ mental health care in this city.
And weโre not done yet.
What weโve learned, survived, and owned along the way has made us stronger, not weaker.
More honest. More aware. More equipped to lead with intention.
If anything, this is the first time weโre actually leading without something dragging us under.
And if we could build what we did beforeโwith all of that happening behind the scenesโjust imagine whatโs possible now.
Therapy should challenge harmful systemsโnot reinforce them.
We provide care that disrupts outdated mental health norms and puts you first.
About Our Team
We are more than just a teamโwe are disruptors, advocates, and changemakers in mental health care. We donโt just talk about inclusivity and authenticityโwe live it. Our clinicians, leadership, and support staff are here because they believe in something bigger: therapy that truly affirms, workplaces that truly support, and healing that doesnโt ask you to change who you are.
