Mary Beth Ertel, Ph.D., PLLC is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Boston College and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Developmental Psychology from Bryn Mawr College. She completed her doctoral internship at Friends Hospital and post-doctoral fellowship at St. Joseph’s University. Dr. Ertel has been in private practice for nearly 15 years, where she works primarily with adolescents and adults. Prior to starting her private practice, Dr. Ertel provided individual, family, and group therapy, as well as assessment, in a variety of clinical settings such as inpatient, partial, and intensive outpatient programs, as well as college counseling centers. In addition, she has consulted with local universities on a variety of student-athlete issues. Dr. Ertel has been the invited speaker for a range of topics, including eating disorders, body image disturbance, trauma, suicidality, and development of positive coping strategies in numerous forums over the course of her clinical work. Her research involves eating attitudes and behaviors among adolescent female athletes. She was an adjunct faculty member at both Bryn Mawr College and the Counseling and Educational Psychology Graduate Program at West Chester University. She also wrote a chapter on Coping with Infertility in The PCOS Workbook.
While one area of specialization includes working with individuals and families struggling with eating disorders, Dr. Ertel also provides expertise in the areas of adjustment, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, trauma, and infertility. Furthermore, Dr. Ertel subspecializes in working with elite adolescent and collegiate athletes. Her therapeutic approach is informed by family systems theory, interpersonal theory, and cognitive behavioral theory, but she also utilizes strategies and techniques from other frameworks to meet the needs of the individual. Dr. Ertel strives to provide effective, empirically-informed therapy and engages in regular interdisciplinary collaboration.
As a clinical developmental psychologist, Dr. Ertel can help you understand your current
struggles in context, as part of your developmental journey and the systems of family and
relationships surrounding you. In an emotionally safe and confidential environment, Dr. Ertel
will work with you to uncover the source of your challenges and find alternate coping strategies. She focuses on empowering the individual, couple, or family to evoke the change that is sought.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Ertel is currently offering telehealth sessions.
You may contact Dr. Ertel via email at mbertel@brynmawrcenter.com or phone (610-525-2100, x7) for more information about her work or to arrange an appointment.