Lasting Change Starts with Healing Communities

I’m Ang Scotto. I made this website myself, I didn’t use AI for the most part, and the photos are really of me. None of them are edited, they are all taken with phones and signed with my X-Box Live handle, KittehMiao. That’s why most of the pictures of a person are B-A-D. I hope that helps you feel closer and not further away when you’re “meeting” me here! I’ve grown up in Pittsburgh since I was 5 and I love this place despite its many reasons not to. I was privileged to grow up in an intersection of experience where the cracks I fell through in neurodivergence, autoimmune disability, nonbinary queerness, and “otherness” have allowed me to develop compassion and empathy in ways that I feel compelled to share with others in any way I can. In short, I’m very accepting of the fact that I’m lucky to have been born white.

As Founder of Trauma Informed Social Innovations, here is my Philosophy of Practice:

The effective and harm reducing administration, facilitation, and provision of social and behavioral health services is dependent upon adopting a framework which integrates principles of Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppression, Harm Reduction, Trauma-Informed Care, Person-Centered services, and Dialectics. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I specifically follow the National Association of Social Worker’s Code of Ethics, which prioritizes the following:

Value: Service

Ethical Principle: Social workers’ primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems. Social workers elevate service to others above self-interest. Social workers draw on their knowledge, values, and skills to help people in need and to address social problems. Social workers are encouraged to volunteer some portion of their professional skills with no expectation of significant financial return (pro bono service). I prioritize this value by donating time, money, and belongings to local charitable organizations; by providing independent services at a maximum of 50% of the typical fees; by declining to assess late or cancellation fees; and by engaging at least 1 pro-bono client per quarter.

Photo of Ang cuddling with their extra-special, probably neuro-spicy pooch. Also featured is an extra-special favorite hoodie that they’ve since had to let go of, and still have grief for - Kittehmiao (2025)

Photo of a neglected romaine lettuce plant which, while beautiful, went to flower and will no longer be viable to produce lettuce as it has been stressed to the point of believing it is going to die and must rush to reproduce. Like humans, plants require their own individual set of rules for “how you take care of me properly,” and pretty much anything outside of that feels neglectful and traumatizing. Interestingly, when you give care “the wrong way,” plants can be hugely resilient and “bounce back,” but when you just ignore them - they assume they will die and you can see that very obviously in their presentation - Kittehmiao (2022)

Value: Social Justice

Ethical Principle: Social workers challenge social injustice. Social workers pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people. Social workers’ social change efforts are focused primarily on issues of poverty, unemployment, discrimination, and other forms of social injustice. These activities seek to promote sensitivity to and knowledge about oppression and cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers strive to ensure access to needed information, services, and resources; equality of opportunity; and meaningful participation in decision making for all people. I do my best to maintain a strong awareness of my privilege, to use that privilege to benefit my clients wherever possible, and to accept the criticism and corrections of those I work with as an opportunity to learn and do better.

Value: Dignity and Worth of the Person

Ethical Principle: Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person. Social workers treat each person in a caring and respectful fashion, mindful of individual differences and cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers promote clients’ socially responsible self-determination. Social workers seek to enhance clients’ capacity and opportunity to change and to address their own needs. Social workers are cognizant of their dual responsibility to clients and to the broader society. They seek to resolve conflicts between clients’ interests and the broader society’s interests in a socially responsible manner consistent with the values, ethical principles, and ethical standards of the profession. I hold this value to the highest standard I possibly can, attempting to always be aware of the impacts trauma and oppression have on the experience of inherent dignity and worth.

A photo of faces to disarm you. Ang makes faces constantly when you see their face and they cannot help it. When they have “social justice” or “dignity and worth of the person” discussions, the faces often don’t feel great to other folks. This photo is to let you know Ang makes silly faces, too, and Kitty helps - Kittehmiao (2022)

Value: Importance of Human Relationships

Ethical Principle: Social workers recognize the central importance of human relationships. Social workers understand that relationships between and among people are an important vehicle for change. Social workers engage people as partners in the helping process. Social workers seek to strengthen relationships among people in a purposeful effort to promote, restore, maintain, and enhance the well-being of individuals, families, social groups, organizations, and communities. I work to understand the individual experiences which inform our need and want for relationship and connection to ensure my clients are able to build relationships that feel affirming, fulfilling, and healthful

Value: Integrity

Ethical Principle: Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner. Social workers are continually aware of the profession’s mission, values, ethical principles, and ethical standards and practice in a manner consistent with them. Social workers should take measures to care for themselves professionally and personally. Social workers act honestly and responsibly and promote ethical practices on the part of the organizations with which they are affiliated. In order to maintain strong skills of integrity within our current sociological structures, I have ended engagement with social media platforms and only maintain a presence on professional sites (LinkedIn, therapist.com).

Photo of Ang enjoying some evening fishing with their partner at Lake Emelie, Renzie Park. No neighbors are pictured for their privacy, but our neurospicy coupling craves social engagement without direct socializing, especially as I worry about getting sick from everyone I meet, and I love seeing the kids excitedly learning to fish. We love existing in a small pocket dimension within our neighborhood, quiet and observant - Kittehmiao (2024)

Value: Competence

Ethical Principle: Social workers practice within their areas of competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise. Social workers continually strive to increase their professional knowledge and skills and to apply them in practice. Social workers should aspire to contribute to the knowledge base of the profession. In order to maintain competence and cultural humility, I maintain my LCSW continuing education in topics which would facilitate deeper understanding of the implications of trauma, racism and oppression, neurodivergence, biological/medical issues, technological advances, sociopolitical structures, ethics and risk management, and best practices for treatment. Additionally, I invest in my professional community by providing training in adapting treatment frameworks to be anti-oppressive, anti-racist, and trauma informed.

Photo taken while Ang and their husband were on a stroll with the dogs in Frederick, MD and came upon a tree with a plaque at the opening of a little garden and took a moment to be mindful. Inside, we found this memorial for abused and neglected children. - Kittehmiao (2025)

As a therapist, I have been practicing virtually for over 7 years, delivering behavioral and therapeutic support to individuals navigating acute and chronic traumatic stress. As a peer in the in LGBTQ community, I have a passion for working with queer folks in families, relationships, and by themselves to identify the intersections of acute and chronic trauma presently influencing their experiences of the world as people of LGBTQIA2S and Queer and Trans People of Color (QTPOC) communities, integrating harm reduction and trauma-informed care approaches. My experience includes providing support for gender transition, lifestyle transitions (such as changes in employment and family dynamics), coping with chronic stress related to “othering” and discrimination, and addressing interpersonal and parenting challenges within polyamorous relationships.

I have a lifetime of experience as a peer, and 11 years professionally, in addressing complex grief and adjustment disorders stemming from various life transitions, including bereavement, chronic illness, disability, critical injury, job loss, and divorce. Additionally, I have built a cache of skills in supporting families through gender transition processes. These experiences have allowed me to become skilled in addressing behavioral challenges associated with PTSD, personality disorders, anxiety disorders, and persistent mood disorders. I am also very passionate toward working with OCD symptoms and hoarding disorder. I have been educated in a number of evidence-based interventions to promote emotional and behavioral well-being, with a particular focus on addictive control-seeking behaviors. Integrating with a trauma-informed perspective, I take these traditional evidence-based practices and adapt them to meet your unique needs as an individual.

Pictured here, are my Goblin fingers in dirt. - Kittehmiao (2024)

This practice of naked-fingers-in-dirt has become an increasingly intentional, present, and rejuvenating practice in my day-to-day life after learning in a class on the implications of Food on Mood that there are anti-depressive and antiety reducing enzymes and bacteria in healthy soil.

I am dedicated to empowering individuals to harness their unique strengths and resilience in crafting a fulfilling life. Through virtual therapy, coaching, consultation, and training, I offer support to individuals, couples, relationships, families, communities, programs, and organizations, drawing from a range of modalities within a trauma-informed framework. These modalities include CBT, DBT, person-centered therapy, IFS, the Sanctuary Model, Motivational Interviewing, Trauma Theory, Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression, and curriculum-based behavioral intervention. With extensive experience in adapting traditional therapy approaches to incorporate trauma-informed care, an anti-racist perspective, and personalized harm reduction strategies, I believe in your innate capacity for healing and growth. Therapy and coaching serve as a catalyst for unlocking your potential and enhancing your life. I am so excited to collaborate with you and to help cultivate the skills and changes that align with your goals, empowering you to pursue your Best Life!

As a Human - I am an incredibly neurospicy, active member of the LGBTQIA2S community, advocating passionately at the intersections of Race, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression (SOGIE), and Disability. I experience multiple autoimmune diseases and am a peer in mental health struggles. In my downtime, I enjoy quality moments with my husband and pets, indulging in exercise, video games, non-fiction books and graphic novels, as well as diving deep into the world of WWE and riffing action or sci-fi/fantasy movies. Some of my Special Interests include wrestling, trauma theory and application, building analog algorithms, blocks, tessellations, gardening, bugs and dirt, rocks, purple, analog clocks, data collection, Tetris, puzzles, organizing. I used to play D&D and I miss it dearly, but I do not have the social capacity for it anymore. I used to use social media platforms and I do not miss them at all. When you get to know me personally, you will find that I love things despite their flaws, and I hold onto my Special Interests with critical love. My love for learning drives my forward, and I am so enthusiastic about utilizing my skills to assist in building the life you that feels best to you!

Pictured here, a common presentation of autoimmune flare where I experience inflammation in most of my joints, very easy bruising, and lots of fluid retention. - Kittehmiao (2025)

When I was little, this was treated with Prednisone, which initially makes that worse - how ‘bout that! So painful! Also, such steroid medications are still what doctors suggest for such acute flares - I just hate using them because they make me more like a mean troll than a mischievous goblin.