Meet Chelsea
I’m lucky to be here. And I know it’s not just luck – I’ve had access and privilege, and I recognize my responsibility to use that access in service of the people I work with and the communities we seek to serve.
I spent the first 20 years of my career in the service industry as a bartender. My work ethic, passion for showing care through outstanding service, and comfortability with swearing all come from that world. Restaurants helped me find the people I felt most at home with – the misfits, the working class, the unconventional, the unruly. My people.
While bartending, I attended college classes for YEARS – eventually graduating from the University of Pittsburgh with 246 credits, one bachelor’s degree, two majors (English Literature & Psychology), and a Women’s Studies minor. I paid for more than a few credits I never got to claim, too – thanks to undiagnosed ADHD. That’s a thread I’m still unraveling – the way my brain works, and the ways failure and self-sabotage used to feel like worthwhile rebellion. I have a deep well of empathy for folks on similar paths, and I’m honored to help connect people to clinicians who can offer the kind of support that helped reshape my life.
I started this career as an Intake Coordinator making $17 an hour at 42 years old. Over the course of 4 years, I helped build a thriving group practice and eventually became Director of Operations – a title I was proud to hold, and one that finally offered me financial stability. I resigned from that position after 6 months, however, when I could no longer justify working under ‘leadership’ that didn’t share my core values – prominently, showing respect to the workers who made it all possible. I built Chosen Path Collective in three months, with my partner and close friend, Charles, and a collective of incredible therapists, support staff, friends, and loyal clients. I used the equity from the home I share with my husband, Jonathan, and our son, Nigel, to cover start-up costs. It was everything we had, it was terrifying, and it was kind of an insane amount of work for EVERYONE – but I’ve never doubted that it was a risk worth taking.
I know what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck, to rely on food stamps, to file for bankruptcy, to grind 50+ hours a week and still end up putting groceries on a credit card. That’s why I’m dedicated to making sure the people I work with are paid well, treated kindly, and supported fully. I’ll always consider myself a worker, regardless of what title I hold, and I consider every clinician in this practice to be my boss. I work for them and in service of them and always want that level of respect to be made clear through my actions. I’m determined to find a way to correct the injustices and exploitation found within this industry, even if only on a small scale.
I’m not meant to be a therapist – I could never restrain myself from just telling people what to do. You’ll find me thriving when I’m behind multiple screens with 137 tabs open, deep in spreadsheets, and raging against insurance companies. I’m here to be a voice for the people doing the hardest work – and I’ve learned that advocacy, persistence, and thoughtfully-directed rage can go a long way toward building something better. That’s what I plan to do.
Chelsea Outside of Work:
When I pull myself out of ‘the hole’ (my home office), you’ll find me roller-skating with my family, playing the drums, and absolutely crushing it in games of Fortnite. I cosplay as a grown-up by being a School Board Director for Northgate School District. I love to annoy my husband, whose tolerance of me knows no bounds. My son, Nigel, gets 98% of my love and energy outside of work. I dream of being good at meal-planning and putting away clean laundry, but that might not ever be in the stars for me and that’s ok. I’m definitely a cat person.
