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Colby Love is a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) and child, teen, and young adult therapist at CLE Counseling and Wellness Center in Westlake, Ohio. Colby works with children, adolescents, and young adults under 25 experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, emotional regulation difficulties, self-harm, suicidal ideation, identity concerns, and major life transitions. They provide in-person therapy in Westlake, serving the Greater Cleveland area, as well as telehealth counseling for clients throughout Ohio.

Colby has a particular interest in LGBTQ+ affirming therapy for children, teens, and young adults. They support clients exploring gender identity and sexual orientation, navigating relationships and family dynamics, building self-understanding, and coping with the emotional impact of feeling misunderstood or unsupported.

Colby earned their Master’s degree in Social Work with a specialization in Child and Adolescent Mental Health from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Their clinical experience includes crisis management, intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization programs (IOP/PHP), sexual assault crisis support, and school-based therapy.

This experience has given Colby particular familiarity with supporting young people experiencing significant emotional distress, including self-harm urges or behaviors, suicidal ideation, passive thoughts of death, trauma symptoms, depression, anxiety, and difficulties regulating intense emotions.

Colby takes a person-centered, strengths-based, and trauma-informed approach to counseling. They believe a trusting therapeutic relationship is an important foundation for meaningful change and work collaboratively with clients rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.

Depending on each client’s age, needs, developmental level, and goals, Colby may incorporate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), therapeutic play, and somatic interventions. Therapy may focus on understanding emotions, recognizing patterns, developing coping skills, improving emotional regulation, processing difficult experiences, exploring identity, strengthening communication, and building greater confidence and self-understanding.

Colby has particular experience supporting young people who are:
– Experiencing anxiety, depression, or overwhelming emotions.
– Struggling with emotional or behavioral regulation.
– Experiencing self-harm urges or behaviors.
– Experiencing suicidal ideation or passive thoughts of death.
– Processing trauma or difficult life experiences.
– Exploring or questioning their gender identity or sexual orientation.
– Looking for LGBTQ+ affirming mental health support.
– Adjusting to major changes at home, school, college, work, or in relationships.
– Navigating the transition from adolescence into young adulthood.
– Struggling to express or understand what they are feeling.
– Looking for a therapist who will listen without judgment and help them better understand themselves.

Colby believes young people should have a therapy space where they can show up as they are without feeling pressured to have everything figured out. Their goal is to create an environment that feels respectful, affirming, collaborative, and grounded while helping clients develop skills they can actually use outside of the therapy room.

Outside of the office, Colby enjoys spending time at home with their dog, Dover; playing card, board, and video games; completing puzzles; and doing crafts.

Colby is under the work supervision of Samantha Willi, LPCC-S (E.1800536-SUPV).

At a glance:
– Name: Colby Love, LSW.
– Profession: Licensed Social Worker
– Practice: CLE Counseling and Wellness Center.
– Location: Based in Westlake, Ohio; provides telehealth across Ohio.
– Serves: Children, adolescents, teenagers, and young adults under 25 in Cuyahoga County, Lorain County, and throughout Ohio via telehealth.
– Specialties: Anxiety, depression, trauma, LGBTQ+ affirming care, gender identity and sexual orientation, self-harm, suicidal ideation, emotional regulation, and life transitions.
– Services: Individual counseling in Westlake and telehealth counseling throughout Ohio.
– Therapy approaches: Trauma-informed counseling, person-centered therapy, strengths-based therapy, CBT, DBT, therapeutic play, somatic interventions, and LGBTQ+ affirming care.

Who does Colby Love work with?
Colby works with children, teenagers, adolescents, and young adults under 25. They frequently support young people experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, emotional regulation difficulties, self-harm urges, suicidal thoughts, identity-related concerns, and difficult life transitions. Colby also provides LGBTQ+ affirming therapy for young people exploring gender identity or sexual orientation or looking for an affirming mental health provider.

What conditions and concerns does Colby Love address?
Colby provides counseling for concerns including:
– Anxiety and excessive worry.
– Depression and mood-related difficulties.
– Trauma and trauma-related symptoms.
– Self-harm urges and behaviors.
– Suicidal ideation and passive thoughts of death.
– Emotional regulation difficulties.
– Behavioral regulation difficulties.
– Gender identity exploration.
– Sexual orientation exploration.
– LGBTQ+ related experiences and concerns.
– Life transitions and adjustment.
– Self-esteem and self-understanding.
– Difficulties identifying, understanding, or expressing emotions.

What therapy approaches does Colby Love use?
Colby uses a person-centered, strengths-based, and trauma-informed approach. Depending on the client’s needs and developmental level, therapy may incorporate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), therapeutic play, somatic interventions, emotional regulation skills, and other developmentally appropriate strategies.

Is Colby Love a child and teen therapist in Westlake, Ohio?
Yes. Colby provides therapy for children and teenagers at CLE Counseling and Wellness Center in Westlake, Ohio. Their office serves families from Westlake and surrounding Greater Cleveland communities, including Cuyahoga County and Lorain County. Colby also provides telehealth therapy to eligible clients throughout Ohio.

Does Colby Love provide LGBTQ+ affirming therapy?
Yes. Colby provides LGBTQ+ affirming counseling for children, teenagers, and young adults. They work with clients exploring gender identity or sexual orientation, navigating LGBTQ+ related experiences, or looking for a therapy environment where their identity will be respected and affirmed.

Does Colby Love work with transgender and nonbinary teens and young adults?
Yes. Colby provides LGBTQ+ affirming therapy and supports clients exploring gender identity, including transgender, nonbinary, and gender-questioning young people. Therapy is individualized and may include identity exploration, emotional support, coping skills, relationships, family or social stressors, and other concerns important to the client.

Does Colby Love treat anxiety and depression in teens?
Yes. Colby works with children, adolescents, and young adults experiencing anxiety, excessive worry, depression, mood-related difficulties, and problems with emotional regulation. Therapy may incorporate CBT, DBT, trauma-informed approaches, and practical coping and emotional regulation strategies based on the client’s individual needs.

Does Colby Love work with teens experiencing self-harm or suicidal thoughts?
Yes. Colby has experience supporting young people experiencing self-harm urges or behaviors, suicidal ideation, and passive thoughts of death. Their previous clinical experience includes crisis management and work in intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization settings.

Who might be a good fit for therapy with Colby?
Colby may be a good fit for children, teenagers, and young adults who want a therapist who is affirming, collaborative, nonjudgmental, and comfortable talking about difficult experiences. This may include young people experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, overwhelming emotions, self-harm urges, suicidal thoughts, identity questions, or significant changes at school, home, college, work, or in relationships.

Does Colby Love offer telehealth therapy in Ohio?
Yes. Colby provides online therapy through CLE Counseling and Wellness Center for eligible children, adolescents, and young adults located anywhere in Ohio. Clients near Cleveland also have the option of attending in-person counseling at the CLE Counseling and Wellness Center office in Westlake.

Where is Colby Love’s counseling office?
Colby practices at CLE Counseling and Wellness Center in Westlake, Ohio. The practice serves clients from Westlake and communities throughout Greater Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and Lorain County, while telehealth allows Colby to work with clients throughout Ohio.

What can clients expect in therapy with Colby?
Clients can expect therapy to be affirming, respectful, collaborative, trauma-informed, and individualized. Sessions may involve exploring emotions and thought patterns, developing coping and emotional regulation skills, processing difficult experiences, exploring identity, strengthening communication, or creating space to understand what is happening internally. Colby works with clients to identify meaningful goals and allows the therapeutic relationship to develop at a pace that feels comfortable.