Bethel Park counselor moves practice to Scott, strives to empower people

Being a counselor is something Paula Kauffman Oberly always knew she wanted to do.

It started with helping children, she said, “and when you help kids, you’re helping families.”

Fourteen years ago, she started PKO Counseling Services and over the winter, she moved her practice from downtown Pittsburgh to Scott Township to accommodate its growth.

“I’ve always had a passion for helping others,” said Oberly, 47, of Bethel Park.

The location at 2275 Swallow Hill Road, Building 800, opened in January. A ribbon-cutting was held April 26.

“The surroundings of this office are right in nature,” Oberly said. “It helped us to provide a holistic point of view for our clients.”

The small, outpatient mental health practice offers individual, couples, family and group counseling sessions; and executive function consultations, which aim to develop and strengthen skills related to thinking, planning, organizations and self-regulation.

“We strive to empower people and remove stigma around mental health,” Oberly said.

The practice employs 12 therapists, two coaches and three administrative staff members.

Oberly earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, her master’s degree in community mental health from Ohio University and is a national certified counselor and licensed professional counselor.

This year, Oberly’s practice has had more than 3,000 appointments. She said that, since the covid-19 pandemic in 2020, much of the stigma around mental health has decreased.

“We used to see ebbs and flows of people seeking services,” she said. “We don’t really see that anymore. It’s a constant flow of people seeking services.”

Oberly said she looks forward to the future and her business’s growth.

“I’m hoping the continued efforts to destigmatize mental health will encourage people to seek services,” she said.