A clinician, a teacher, an author.
Dr. Deborah Sharp Molchan, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist with offices in Uniontown and Pittsburgh, PA. She is also the author of the children's book Llama Locomotion. The through-line of her work is the same idea: the body teaches the mind.
Molchan & Associates, Inc.
Dr. Molchan is the founder of Molchan & Associates, Inc., a small psychotherapy practice she runs from two offices in southwestern Pennsylvania — Uniontown and Pittsburgh. She is a Master's credentialed licensed psychologist, and completed her doctorate in psychology in 2013.
The practice sees adults, children, couples, and families. Sessions are offered in person at either office or online by telehealth. The thread that runs through all of it is the body — how breath, movement, and embodied attention shape mental health and performance.
Mindfulness, MBCT, and the mind-body connection.
Her specialized training spans mindfulness interventions, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), sports psychology, and the mind-body connection. Her doctoral teaching and research assistant position was in the Psychology of the Body, and that framework continues to inform her work in the room every day.
Dr. Molchan has a keen interest in how exercise supports our mental well-being. That interest shaped the rest of her career — the sports-psychology work with athletes, the audio practice protocols, and the children's book all grew from it.
Adjunct professor.
For years Dr. Molchan taught at Pennsylvania Western University as an adjunct professor — graduate-level clinical psychology courses for masters and doctoral students, and undergraduate psychology courses. Earlier in her career she also taught undergraduate psychology at Pennsylvania State University.
Outside the classroom, she has presented to collegiate athletes at Westminster College, Moravian College, and local high school sports teams on mental practice and performance psychology.
From audio practice to a children's book.
In 2007, Dr. Molchan self-published two audio CDs — Mental Practice for Pole Vaulting and Mental Practice for Golf — that she still uses in mental training today.
In 2022, Oprelle Publications released her first children's book, Llama Locomotion. The book educates children on the brain benefits of exercise through the story of Sammy, a llama who can't focus until she gets moving. It's the same idea Dr. Molchan teaches in the office, rendered at a child's reading level.
Skiing, sailing, yoga.
When Deborah is not working, she enjoys skiing, golfing, sailing, wake surfing, and yoga with family and friends. She lives in Uniontown with her husband, David, and visits her daughters Kate and Lauren.
The through-line shows up here too. The body teaches.
New clients welcome.
Both offices are accepting new clients. The fastest way to begin is a phone call — new-client intake happens by phone.