Family Therapy in Chicago, IL

Are you done with feeling uncomfortable in your body? Are you exhausted from trying to battle the constant negative thoughts about yourself? You may even start to notice that these feelings and thoughts are getting in the way of you being able to enjoy your life. And so you try and reach out for support to family and friends. It helps to feel heard and yet you still aren't able to shake this self-doubt and sense that you just aren't good enough. You want to feel secure and confident, but trying to get there on your own just isn't working. It's become too tiring and confusing to feel better all on your own.

It is not always easy to reach out to a stranger for help, yet you know you are ready to make a change in your life. My focus is on helping clients by understanding systemic or external factors that may impact your relationship with yourself and others. With that understanding we then work together to use that understanding to influence how we treat ourselves and engage the world around us.

I have been able to work closely with children, adolescents, and adults to treat a wide variety of concerns ranging from mood and developmental disorders, chronic pain, substance abuse, trauma, hoarding, family stress, academic distress, and academic avoidance. I am dedicated to providing a safe environment for clients in the LGBTQIA+ community, those who hold multiple identities, and those who have a diverse cultural background. I strive to support others to examine how these identities may impact the way they interact with the world around them.

Leslie’s ideal client is someone who is ready to take the first step towards self-improvement and personal growth. Leslie’s therapeutic practice focuses on helping individuals develop healthy ways to process depression, stress, low self-esteem, relationship difficulties and life transitions. Leslie engages clients through an empathetic and relational approach to help individuals achieve a balanced and healthy life for themselves.

Choosing to pursue therapy is a difficult decision but one that can offer great benefit. I work primarily with individuals struggling with depression, anxiety, and problems in their interpersonal relationships. Often clients I work with report feeling "stuck" in their lives. My approach is practical and present-focused yet grounded in the an understanding of the ways our past experiences may have contributed to our present difficulties. I help patients explore and work through what gets in the way of them leading a meaningful, satisfying life.

I work extensively with tweens, adolescents, young adults, and adults in seeking relief from anxiety and related disorders, depression, ADHD, gender and sexual identity issues, developmental & relational trauma, self-esteem, and healing from attachment and childhood trauma where individuals have navigated a history of unmet needs and frustrating attempts to get them met. I also have a strong interest in working with adolescents in their transition to high school and/or college, stress management, emotional development and maturity, rejection from peers, family conflict, and friendship/interpersonal relationship issues

I am a graduate from Northwestern University's Family Institute, and Owner of Watch Hill Therapy, Trauma Specialty Practice in downtown Chicago and in McHenry Co. Our clinicians use a holistic, relational, and collaborative approach to address the many needs that being traumatized creates. We are invested in your long term recovery and the quality of care you receive.

I am passionate about helping individuals, couples, and families get "unstuck" from challenging relationship dynamics. I walk alongside clients as they navigate major and minor life transitions and the shift in identity that often accompanies these milestone moments. I provide support during the highs and lows. I recognize that while people may be able to handle it all on their own, they should not have to do it all by themselves. I help to empower adults and adolescents as they adjust to change and learn to embrace new skills and new perspectives on themselves and their relationships with others.

As a therapist, it is very important to me that throughout the therapy process my clients feel heard, safe, and understood. I know that therapy can be a difficult process, but it can also be a powerful process of self-exploration, discovery, and acceptance that can lead to interacting with others in new and healing ways. I believe that all people have the fundamental capacity for change and I work collaboratively with my clients to help tailor therapy to their individual, couple, and familial needs and goals.

It's my belief to "Keep life simple." Life is stressful enough. Balancing work, family, social life, friends, and relationships can be overwhelming at times. I practice from a harm reduction holistic theoretical orientation. It combines person-centered (respect for autonomy) with CBT/systemic therapy (a critical look at culture and attachments). By identifying wants and needs, I can assist clients with locating triggers and establishing healthy coping skills to alleviate any mental, emotional, or physical stress. I work particularly with parents and clients dealing with ADHD,career choices, pregnancy, self-esteem and accountability.

The decision to seek therapy is positive and courageous! It is important to find the right therapist to help you with your problems. I take an integrative and collaborative approach to therapy which is client centered and goal driven. I create a safe and non-judgmental space where we work together to solve problems, overcome obstacles, and facilitate personal and relational growth. I assess the biological, psychological and social aspects of a person, couple or family, using a balance of approaches that are attachment based and include insight-oriented and cognitive behavior therapies to treat depression/anxiety, grief, trauma, etc.

Hi, I’m Dr. Christine, Currently, I have been in the mental health profession for over 20 years working with clients in various capacities.

I believe therapy is an opportunity to help people discover their authentic selves and guide them on their journey of growth. Through the therapeutic experience, we learn how to accept all parts of ourselves, allowing us to build a deeper sense of compassion, curiosity, and confidence. My clinical style is built on mutual trust. I focus on building connections through empathy, warmth, humor, and honesty. I strive to help you identify and build upon the strengths you already have in order to create the change you’re seeking.

My working model is positioned from a trauma informed, holistic, strength-based approach to understanding how we are able to cope with life and grow to be resilient. I base my clinical interventions in art therapy principles and both traditional / non-traditional approaches to understand clients' inner world and foster self-expression and trauma processing.

If you are looking for an experienced therapist who is compassionate, insightful, positive, supportive, humorous and directive, then contact me. In addition to teaching coping skills and parenting skills, I help clients to better understand themselves and to fully accept themselves so that true joy can be found. I specialize in eating disorders, substance abuse, behavioral disorders and am a trauma informed therapist. I see ages 7 upward for either individual or family counseling. These sessions can be remote or in-person at either the Ravenswood neighborhood office in Chicago or at another location in Lincolnwood, IL.

I am passionate about my work as a therapist, specializing in practice with with children, teenagers, and parents. I believe that while kids are doing the best they can, they cannot always recognize the tools within them that they need to thrive. I work to help children and families utilize their strengths, develop insight and understanding into their struggles, and give them tools to help find balance.

I welcome adults of all ages and experiences to my practice, and I most often work with people who are suffering from feelings of depression, anxiety, loneliness, or hopelessness. I have particular experience working with those who have trouble forming/sustaining friendships or romantic relationships, those who feel deeply inadequate, and those enduring major life changes such as breakups, conflicts with family/friends, changes in one’s professional life, the birth of a child, and more.

We love our work and we are very committed to be a part of the global community that strives to bring an effective blend of experience, expertise, and action to the counseling process in order to provide genuine healing and wholeness to children, young adults, adults, marriages, and families. Over the last eighteen years or so we have learned wonderful therapy approaches such as EMDR, somatic work, CBT, Sandtray, Theraplay, ACT, and others. We understand that each person needs to receive an individualized approach and this involves going beyond Western approaches... Our family legacies, our ancestors, our history matter....

I strongly believe in every individual's ability to bring about meaningful changes through self-awareness. A trusting relationship between a client and therapist offers a safe space to reflect on our experiences, our histories that we carry with us, and the way in which these histories impact our present experiences. I understand that every client's personal journey is unique; therefore, my approach is tailored to fit the specific needs of each client.