Kelli Lampe is an assistant professor and the clinical coordinator in the University of Pittsburgh Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. Lampe has been a counselor for 20 years, with professional experiences including work in K–12 schools, community mental health agencies, substance use disorder treatment centers, the juvenile justice system, higher education institutions and private practice. Now, after nearly a year in her role at Pitt, Lampe brings her clinical expertise to the classroom to enrich the student experience.
Read on to learn more about Lampe’s background and what students can expect from clinical experiences.
Counseling Background
What took you to the path of becoming a counselor?
I studied psychology as an undergraduate at Duquesne University and stayed there for my master’s degree in counseling. Thirteen years later, I returned to graduate school and completed my doctorate in counseling at Oregon State University.
My path to this work was a personal one, as it is for many clinicians. When I was 15, my older brother died suddenly at the age of 18. I was a sophomore in high school, and my grief was, at times, paralyzing. A counselor came to our school not long after, and the relationship I built with her over the course of high school became something of an anchor back to myself. I genuinely don’t know how I would have moved forward without her.
That relationship planted something in me. The idea that one person, showing up consistently and with care, could make that kind of difference, became the quiet engine behind everything I’ve done since. I wanted to offer that to someone else.
What do you enjoy about being a counselor?
The work itself is the reward. Being invited into someone’s process, whether they’re in pain or joyous, is a humbling privilege. To accompany people through their darkest moments and greatest triumphs is, simply put, a gift.
Teaching Style
What would you like students to know about you?
I want students to know that I am deeply committed to this work and to them. I hold this profession to a high standard because I’ve seen what it can do for people at their most vulnerable. I’ve been that person. That shapes everything about how I teach, how I supervise and what I believe is possible in the clinical relationship. I am someone who will show up for you, pay attention to your growth and take your development seriously.
What are you excited to bring to the students?
What excites me most is bringing 20 years of real clinical experience into the room. The clients I’ve worked with over that time have been my most formative teachers and their stories, their courage and their complexity live in how I teach, how I supervise and how I think about this work. I want students to feel the weight and the privilege of what they’re stepping into, and I think that comes through most powerfully when it’s grounded in something real.
Clinical Coordinator Role
How do you work with students to obtain their clinical experience?
My role as clinical coordinator means I’m with students through the entire placement process. We work together to identify settings that align with where they are developmentally as a clinician and where they want to grow. It’s a collaborative process. The right placement at the right time can shape the kind of clinician someone becomes.
What can students expect from their clinical experiences?
They can expect to be challenged in the best way. Clinical experience is where everything they’ve learned in the classroom meets a real person sitting across from them, and that is a different kind of learning entirely. They’ll be supported through supervision, but they’ll also be asked to show up fully, to sit with discomfort, to develop their own clinical voice.
Students can expect to participate in these experiences primarily in Pittsburgh and across western Pennsylvania. We have strong relationships with sites throughout the region, so students are generally able to stay close while still accessing meaningful, diverse training experiences.
Likewise, students are placed across a wide range of settings including but not limited to community mental health agencies, private practices, rehabilitation clinics, inpatient and outpatient facilities. The breadth is intentional. We want students leaving this program having worked with populations and presenting concerns they didn’t anticipate, because that’s what builds a well-rounded, adaptable clinician.
What sets Pitt Counseling clinical experiences apart from other schools?
What sets our program apart starts with relationships. Our community partners know us, and more importantly, they know the quality of students coming out of our program. That reputation has been built over time, and it opens doors.
The other piece is the interview process. Students aren’t simply assigned to a site. They go through an actual interview experience before they ever set foot in a placement, which means they’re learning professional expectations from the very beginning. By the time they’re in a room with a client, they’ve already practiced showing up, advocating for themselves and presenting as the clinician they’re becoming. That builds confidence, professionalism and a sense of ownership over their own training that I think is genuinely hard to replicate.
Fun Fact
What else would you like students to know about you?
I’m a dog lover and an English Labrador enthusiast. My Labradors are currently my most enthusiastic students and my worst listeners. I’ve owned all three colors at the same time!
