Hello! I’m so glad you’re here.
Seeking help for mental health is a vulnerable process. As a licensed Mental Health Counselor, I strive to create a friendly, compassionate, and supportive environment for my clients.
I’m currently based in the Quad Cities, and offer online telehealth counseling services through Brightside Health. I’m licensed to practice in both Iowa and Illinois.
My specialties include in working with adults and adolescents with anxiety, depression and other mood disorders, trauma, self-esteem issues, relationship concerns, anger management, adjustment disorders, and more.
With several years experience in both community mental health and private practice, I’m proud to have helped people with a wide variety of needs and backgrounds work toward achieving their goals.
About me
In my free time, I enjoy traveling, being outdoors (especially in the garden!) baking and cooking, painting, and knitting. I love spending time with my friends, family, and my dog Luna.
I love fall and decorating for Halloween, and I’m especially looking forward to this fall – I’m welcoming my first child in October of 2024!
Licenses & Education
I am a licensed mental health counselor in the state of Iowa, a licensed clinical professional counselor in the state of Illinois, and am board-certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors.
I received my B.S. in Psychology from Upper Iowa University in 2015 and my M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Adams State University in 2018.
Insurance Accepted
I provide telehealth services through Brightside Health, which accepts most major insurance, including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, Anthem, and Medicare.
You can check to see if you’re covered on their website here.
How to Book with Me
Contact support at support@brightside.com to request Vanessa Pugh, LMHC, LCPC as your individual therapist.
Methods & Tools
I utilize a variety of modalities to best suit the needs of each individual client.
In addition to the following modalities, I also employ client-centered, solution-focused, and mindful self-compassion techniques.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a type of talk therapy that helps you identify thought and behavior patterns that are negative or distorted. Once identified, those patterns can be reevaluated, and strategies applied to change or cope with them in order to live a more fulfilling life.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT combines cognitive-behavioral techniques with mindfulness and acceptance-based strategies to help reduce self-destructive behaviors, improve emotional regulation, and increase sense of self-acceptance and self-worth.
'Dialectical’ means trying to understand how two things that seem opposite could both be true – such as accepting yourself for who you are while also wanting to to change your behavior.
Unified Protocol (UP)
UP is an approach to talk therapy that explores mindful awareness of the connection between one’s emotions, thoughts, behaviors, physical sensations, and consequences in order to begin taking the steps needed to improve daily living. UP examines how avoidance and emotional suppression inhibit long-term success and encourages an active approach to facing and coping with one’s emotions.