Chronic Illness Therapists in 60601

In one moment, your life can change forever. These turning points in life often lead to us question everything we have known. As we try to pick up the pieces of our life, we can get lost along the way. We are here to help you to find your way and overall become healthier.

I view the counseling relationship as a partnership between the counselor and client. After getting to know you as an individual, we will work together to help you deal with emotional trauma, patterns in relationships, and other things in the past that are impacting your future. Improving communication, coping skills, strengthening self-esteem, and promoting behavioral change will help you feel better about yourself, your relationships, and your life. I offer virtual and evening appointments to accommodate your busy schedule. I provide a holistic, nonjudgemental, and inclusive environment to aid in your therapeutic experience.

The diagnosis, the accident, the loss, the family dysfunction —these experiences can leave us feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, and unsure of how to move forward. The weight of these experiences feel like it's seeping into every aspect of your life affecting your relationships, self-esteem, ability to find joy. You imagine waking up with a renewed sense of vitality, fully present in the relationships that matter most to you. The scenes that once haunted you are replaced by a sense of calm and resilience. You now embrace your truth, boundaries intact, and confidently making decision that align with your well-being.

Life can get challenging sometimes. Sometimes coping can become difficult and that's when it's time to get some support and learn new coping skills to maneuver through the challenging times.

I believe embarking on the path of therapy demonstrates remarkable courage, and I am committed to honoring and validating this commitment in every session. Together, we will engage in a collaborative journey, navigating through challenging thoughts, memories, and emotions. My goal is to foster an environment where clients can authentically explore their strengths, and become aware of vulnerabilities, free from judgment. I have advanced training in working with adults and a special interest in supporting first responders, other clinicians, therapists, fellow Latino/Hispanic, & individuals dealing with anxiety, trauma, and depression.

I passionately and compassionately care for the emotional well-being and behavioral health of my individual, couple, family and group clients for over 20 years. I draw upon unique combinations of clinical principals and innovative methods to best support all people within our vastly diverse community. I draw upon my deep understanding of culture, age, gender, race, class, family structure, and the type of or the lack of a support system can have on most all situations. I always provide a totally non-judgmental, safe, and confidential space to help my clients deal with their problems, issues or crisis.

Are you struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, or a mood disorder such as bipolar disorder? These are areas I specialize in and will collaborate with you to facilitate healing. If you woke up tomorrow and your life was exactly the way you wanted it, what would your life look or feel like? Let's see how close to that vision we can get. Clients I work best with are those who are motivated to change and looking to evolve their perspectives and life. We will work together to get you to that place where you are confident, full of self-love and attract fruitful opportunities to your life..

Most people who work with me begin when painful experiences of anxiety and depression interfere with their ability to find enjoyment and satisfaction in relationships and professionally. Psychotherapy with me usually begins with a discussion of the concerns, problems, and distress from which you are suffering and for which you seek relief. The goal of this work is to solve the problems, alleviate the distress, and place the concerns in the context of your personal development. Results of this effort often include increased self-awareness, enhanced self-esteem, recognition of unique strengths and potentials, and more positive feelings.

Hannah is a fourth-year doctoral student in clinical psychology at Adler University. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in psychology, neuroscience, and political science from Hiram College in 2020. Prior to Allow Wellness, she provided therapeutic services at a private practice where she worked with families and individuals on issues related to aging, parental loss/grief, chronic pain, school and workplace accommodations, and accessing gender affirming medical care. She also conducted psychological assessments and facilitated group therapy at an inpatient psychiatric hospital with primarily adolescents and adults.

I work with individual adults and couples and am passionate about serving marginalized communities through a social justice advocacy lens. As a former “parachute kid” who started living abroad on my own as a teenager, I understand the complications of establishing one’s cultural identity while struggling to find meaning or belonging. I have experience working in different mental health settings with varying levels of needs, ranging from stress, trauma, ADHD, OCD, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy, identity development, racial and cultural issues, neurodivergent issues, to suicidal ideation and/or past attempts.

You’re trying to overcome the effects of trauma or you’re having difficulty coping with a recent life transition, such as adjusting to college, a new career, relationship issues, or a new diagnosis. You feel like you have tried everything to manage your anxiety or depression, but you’re just feeling stuck. Making long-lasting change can be difficult, but therapy can help you to discover new ways of coping. Together, we will take steps to meet your goals and bring awareness to patterns of thoughts and behaviors that have developed over time.

Life can leave us dissatisfied, overwhelmed, and disconnected from ourselves and others. Painful feelings like these can lead us to feel isolated, lonely, and unseen. I want to help you feel seen and join you in creating the change you are looking for. In therapy we can unpack, make sense of, and create new insight to bring you closer to relationship satisfaction, feeling content in your day-to-day life, and a sense of self-understanding. I want therapy to be a co-created space that centers your needs. I hope to meet you with warmth, authenticity, and collaboration, honoring the strengths, values, and experiences you bring.

Dr. Shana Mehta works with teenagers and adults who struggle with various forms of anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. She has expertise with individuals who experience mood difficulties, generalized anxiety or panic, obsessive-compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder, addiction, trauma, divorce, parenting difficulties, and significant life transitions. Additionally, she specializes in eating disorder treatment, specifically binge eating, compulsive overeating, emotional overeating, and mindless eating.

The things that life throws at us can be so difficult - and without genuine, empathetic, and reliable support, that change may feel almost impossible to maneuver through. I foster a therapeutic environment of comfort and honesty so that we can work together as our full selves, to conquer some of those small goals you may have, and some of those goals that you're just not sure how to put into words. I enjoy using trauma informed, solution focused interventions to assist individuals in identifying barriers for growth and better effectively cope with painful thoughts/emotions.

Accepting NEW clients. Wendy Galyen & the counseling TEAM at Thrive for Life offer VIDEO &PHONE-based counseling. Online counseling services are great for busy professionals, college students, stay-at-home moms, retirees, or other clients who do not have time for traditional in-person sessions but who would benefit from counseling support in their daily lives. Free consultation available to determine if this type of counseling can meet your unique needs. Some insurances accepted or private pay from $75-$150/session. IL team includes: Wendy Galyen, Marilyn Verbiscer (couples), Emma Flores, & Lindsey Welch (life coach).

A desire for change often leads people to therapy. I work to establish a safe relationship within which you feel heard, understood, and able to prioritize yourself to make that change. My approach is collaborative, insight oriented, and focused on helping you better understand yourself and express your needs in a healthy way. I aim to help you understand how your past experiences may contribute to expectations you have for yourself, how you communicate, and how you care for yourself. Together we can work to help you develop alternate and more adaptive ways to manage stressors, connect with others, and make meaningful change.

Seeking, entering into, and staying in therapy take a lot of courage. I believe therapy helps us reconnect more deeply with who we are and who we are becoming. Therapy gives us opportunities to explore what matters in our lives, how we affect one another individually or collectively, how we serve or support one another in our multi-layered environments, and how to cultivate meaningful relationships with people whom we encounter. Therapy offers opportunities to learn where we may be stuck emotionally and spiritually. In this process, we can find a “home” or a “safe and sacred” place within ourselves.

I have special interest in working with clients who struggle with self-criticism and desire greater self-compassion and better understanding of themselves. When this self-criticism is related to body image, I work with clients from a Health At Every Size approach. One of my goals for all my clients is that they foster the same genuine compassion toward themselves that they so readily offer to their loved ones. Past clients have shared that our therapy work has felt consistently compassionate, warm, informal, and sensitive to various cultural identities. Some have remarked that therapy felt like confiding in a close friend!

I identify as a Black, queer therapist and use feminine and non-binary pronouns. I have 7 years of experience working with young adults, adults, and older adults for individual and couple’s therapy. I also have experience working with undergraduate and graduate students. Some of my specialty areas are anxiety, depression, complex trauma (racial, sexual, medical, developmental/childhood, intergenerational, and religious), life transitions, work stress, ADHD, postpartum and perinatal concerns, sexual functioning, kink/BDSM/poly, interpersonal relationships, grief, LGBTQIA+, and substance use.