Bryan Bass-Riley

I became a therapist because I have found that helping others is one of the greatest privileges afforded to a person. For me, working with people experiencing difficulty is a both a passion and a calling. My sense of purpose in life-what I describe as my spirituality-is directly connected to finding ways to be of service to other people.

I have a tattoo on my wrist that summarizes my philosophy of life and of therapy. The tattoo is of the Japanese characters for "Kintsugi." Kintsugi is a Japanese art form that repairs broken pottery with golden solder, making the pot more valuable after it has been broken and repaired than it was when it was whole. We all have places in life where we are broken...the journey of repairing the broken places is something to be celebrated because it makes us more valuable.

I have worked with individuals, couples, and families experiencing crisis and difficulty for more than 20 years. For the first part of my career I was a hospital chaplain working with terminally ill individuals and their families and a grief counselor. I have been practicing therapy since 2010. In that time I have worked in various settings including a crisis mental health center, emergency room, group practice, and Allegheny County Medicaid.

I see advocacy for marginalized people as an essential part of my work for the mental, social, and spiritual health of individuals and communities. Therefore, I unapologetically believe that Black Lives Matter. I unapologetically believe that when women accuse men of sexual assault our default assumption should be that they are telling the truth until we know otherwise. I unapologetically support the full worth and dignity of LGBTQIA+ people.