Michele "Misha" James-Parham, LSW
Pronouns: they/he/elle/él
Reproductive & Perinatal Social Worker, Therapist, & Peer Support Group Facilitator!
Ready to schedule an appointment? Book here!
Compassionate care for the messiness of being human—from birth to rebirth.
Michele is available for therapy and social services centered around a client's reproductive, perinatal, and early parenting journey. This includes support around preconception, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, lactation, and adjusting to parenting/co-parenting, as well as, contraception, abortion, loss, surrogacy, and adoption. They have extensive experience working with clients who have a history of sexual abuse/assault and birth trauma, and they center their practise around BIPOC and LGBTQ+ people.
Misha is available to other reproductive and perinatal professionals (birthworkers) for therapy, debriefing, consulting, peer review, and mentoring. Furthermore, they are happy to work with whole birth teams to debrief after difficult births, and Michele offers education on working with LGBTQ+, polyamorous, and kink clients, and clients who have a history of sexual abuse/assault and birth trauma.
Additionally, Michele offers life and spiritual coaching, abortion chaplain services, venting/listening sessions, therapy for LGBTQ+ people aged 14+, sex education, and help navigating and applying for social services & benefits in Pittsburgh/Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
Available Services
All services are self-pay on a pay-what-you-can sliding-scale. No insurance accepted at this time.
All services are provided by Michele “Misha” James-Parham, BSW, MSW, LSW under the supervision of Laura McCarthy, LCSW.
Full-spectrum Reproductive & Perinatal Support
Preconception, Pregnancy, Abortion, Loss, Postpartum, & Parenting. Abortion: - Pre/Post-abortion Education & Counselling - Pre/Post-abortion Spiritual Counselling - Closure/Memorial Ritual - Resource & Service Referrals Pregnancy: - Preconception Education & Counselling - LGBTQ+ Pregnancy Support & Counselling - Nonmonogamy & Co-parenting Pregnancy Counselling - Preparing for Birth w/ History of Birth/Sexual Trauma - Birth Plan Writing Assistance - Social Services Eligibility & Application Navigation - Risk Assessments & Screenings - Resource & Service Referrals Postpartum: - Birth Experience Debriefing/Unpacking - Birth Trauma Counselling - Social Services Eligibility & Application Navigation - Risk Assessments & Screenings - Resource & Service Referrals Parenting: - LGBTQ+ Parenting Support & Counselling - Nonmonogamy & Co-Parenting Support & Counselling - Parents of LGBTQ+ Children Education & Counselling - Risk Assessments & Screenings - Resource & Service Referrals
Trauma-Informed Care & Healing
Specialised support for birth trauma and history of sexual abuse/assault. - Preparing for Birth w/ History of Birth/Sexual Trauma - Birth Experience Debriefing/Unpacking - Birth Trauma Counselling - Counselling for C/PTSD from Sexual Violence
Identity, Life Transitions, & Inclusive Family Support
LGBTQ+ & neurodivergent-affirming care for ages 14+, kink-affirming, & support for non-traditional family structures. - LGBTQ+ Pregnancy Support & Counselling - Nonmonogamy & Co-parenting Pregnancy Counselling - LGBTQ+ Parenting Support & Counselling - Nonmonogamy & Co-Parenting Support & Counselling - Parents of LGBTQ+ Children Education & Counselling - Human Development & Sex Education (Age 12+) - Exploring Sexuality & Gender Feelings (Ages 14-29) - Exploring Sexuality & Gender Feelings as a Late Bloomer (Age 30+)
Holistic Life & Spiritual Support
Support & coaching for general life or spiritual needs when therapy is not quite the answer. - Life Coaching - Spiritual Counselling/Chaplaincy - Venting/Listening Sessions
Fees:
If you are receiving perinatal care from a partner midwife, monitrice, or birth attendant/doula/support companion through Iya Pittsburgh Project, 4 sessions are subsidised by the nonprofit (typically: 3 prenatal & 1 postpartum).
All other clients are self-pay on a pay-what-you-can sliding-scale. Fees are the same whether sessions are scheduled weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Payment is due at or before the time of the session.
60 minutes: $50-$100 | 90 minutes: $75-$125 | 120 minutes: $150-$200
Support Services for Repro & Perinatal Professionals
Clinical debriefing, peer review, and consulting for birthworkers to prevent burnout & process difficult births. - Peer Review - Birth Debriefing - Birth Debriefing for Birth Teams - Birth Trauma Support & Counselling - Preparing to Work w/ Clients w/ a History of Birth/Sexual Trauma - Professional Consulting
Fees:
All clients are self-pay on a pay-what-you-can sliding-scale. Fees are the same whether sessions are scheduled weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.
60 minutes: $50-$100 | 90 minutes: $75-$125 | 120 minutes for individuals or teams/groups: $150-$200 | 180 minutes for teams/groups ONLY: $250-$300
Quick Consult/Meeting
Booking: If you are not exactly sure what kind of support you need; you need a quick, non-clinical question answered; have questions about services; or just need to chat for a minute, please use the following link to book a quick consult/meeting (15–30 minutes): https://calendar.app.google/fJFxzPDUnUakqDgaA
Pricing: There is no fee associated with these quick chats, but donations made to Iya Pittsburgh or Michele in any amount are always appreciated.
My Philosophy on Therapy
Therapy is not about being fixed, made whole, or perfected. You are not a broken vessel to be repaired or a problem to be solved, but rather a being in a constant state of flux. My role is not to make you more acceptable to others, but to help guide you in finding a deep and gentle acceptance of yourself, exactly as you are.
The struggles you face are not simply symptoms to be diagnosed or feelings to be labelled; they are part of the natural, often challenging, landscape of a human life. Therapy is a space for cultivating curiosity, awe, and compassion, not correction. Here, we can engage in a practice of honest inquiry with your innermost Self, exploring the wisdom within your struggles, stories, joy, and pain, rather than searching for absolute resolve or easy answers.
In our work together, we will explore what it means to be fully present with your experience, without judgment. We will practice letting go of the need to cling to certain outcomes or identities. Instead, we will provide space to the parts of you that have been exiled or silenced, so they may be heard in safety—not just by me, but by you. This is a space where we can nurture a deep sense of self-awareness and self-compassion, recognising that your feelings are not facts to be proven, but passing phenomena to be observed with loving-kindness.
The true work of therapy is to strengthen your relationship with yourself—not as a static entity, but as a human in a constant state of change. This work is rarely neat or comfortable, and that is precisely where its power lies. In fact, it is often in the messiness and discomfort that we can truly see the nature of things. For even in the deepest moments of discomfort, of confusion, and of pain, we can find meaning, begin to relate to our discomfort with wisdom and compassion, and discover the path back to a state of connection—to ourselves, to others, and to our communities.
Focusing On: Queerness | Perinatal | Parenting | Birth Trauma | SA Trauma | Neurodivergence | Birthworkers
Lenses: Existential-Humanistic (authenticity/truth), Jungian (integration/depth), & Transpersonal (transcendence/spirit)
Tools: IFS/“Parts Work” | Psychodynamic | Relational | Mindfulness | Co-regulation | Reflective Inquiry | Harm Reduction | Storytelling | And more!
Serving: Everyone (age 14+)
Centering: LGBTQ+ & BIPOC