Therapists in Whiteside County, IL

BZA Behavioral Health is an inclusive, highly specialized group of clinicians dedicated to the emotional and behavioral wellness of the individuals and families we treat. We value the diversity & unique experiences of each person & it is our mission to have comprehensive & individualized types of treatment options to best match those personal needs. Services we offer include (but are not limited to) neuropsychological/psychological assessment, psychiatry, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), EMDR, & art therapy. We work with clients of all ages to utilizing strength to cope with life's challenges.

Taking NEW clients. “Our lives can become messy things. When this happens many of us invest the majority of our energy into holding our exterior lives together, while throwing the scraps to our internal life. I practice from the belief that when we are lost in the emotional weeds it is faster and less painful to have a guide who knows the weeds counsel us back to emotional stability than it is to wander in the hopes of stumbling onto a healthier path. I strive to provide counseling with warmth, peace, joy, hope, and love with God's grace by accepting who you are where you are while being mindful of your hopes and goals.”

I help parents, children, families, and couples who are frustrated, angry, and hurting to heal and connect in a healthy way, rebuilding their relationships to bring harmony to themselves and their families.

I have seen the positive healing effects of counseling not only in my personal life, but in the life of my clients. Everyone is unique and has their own highs and lows, and I love being with people when they are in both spaces. I want everyone that I work with to feel like they are understood, heard, and that they matter. I strive to be able to provide a space for everyone to grow into their best self.

Are you looking for a therapist that you can easily relate to? Someone who is easy to talk with? I am that therapist. Having overcome much adversity in my own life, I have the capacity to truly understand clients. I offer individual, child, couples, family, pastoral, and group counseling. The techniques I use in therapy are evidence-based. These include: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Therapy, Existential Therapy, and Narrative Therapy.

I am passionate about empowering people to express themselves in an open and honest manner. One main theme that drives what I do is the ongoing search for personal meaning and self-worth, something each of us has a natural right to seek out. I specialize in Play Therapy with children ages 3-11, particularly involving emotional regulation, anger management, behavioral issues, anxiety, and depression in children. Finally, I enjoy working with adolescents, teens, and young adults dealing with anxiety, depression, grieving, and other interpersonal issues.

Our experienced team of therapists has been helping clients achieve their best self, better relationships, and a more balanced life since 2012. The more common struggles we help clients overcome are anxiety and depression, trauma and PTSD, relationship problems, and parenting challenges. If you have been wrestling with these or other issues, we are here to help. We work with older kids (8+), adolescents, adults, couples, and families. Most of our therapists are EMDR trained (EMDRIA approved) and also use other effective approaches including CBT, DBT, and systemic approaches.

It is easy to become sidetracked from the things we value most by the busyness of life. Has your relationship with your spouse lost its spark? Are you angry with little hope for a positive future? Do you feel defeated when trying to interact with your teen/child with everyday battles? If you are a person of faith and long to be your best, I can help! As a Christian Licensed Therapist, I have helped hundreds of families work through personal & relational conflict and challenging circumstances.

Elyse is an experienced clinician with a passion for helping children, teens, families, adults, and couples overcome life’s challenges. She has had the privilege of working with clients in various schools, private practice, and community mental health settings and she utilizes a variety of therapeutic techniques to meet the needs of each of her client’s. She acknowledges that therapy is hard work and is constantly humbled by the strength her clients demonstrate throughout the therapeutic process. Elyse approaches therapy with a warm and genuine care for others which allows her clients to grow in a meaningful and purposeful way.

Our clients enjoy humor, are honest, and are wanting to try new things if it makes sense to them. Some want relief from depression, or various forms of anxiety including trauma and grief. Others struggle with addictions and addictive behavior and are looking for ways to feel more in control. Or, they have concerns about their kids, ADHD, autism, or other behavior, and would like someone to come along side them to help support them or their child. Services are also available in Spanish. Christian counseling can be requested. Prefer Communication Coaching to Therapy? Find our app (MinuteMood.com) on Google Play and Apple Play stores.

Many of the people that come to see me have in someway either lost their way in life and are tired of settling for the crumbs. Some come because of their lives have become out of balance and in some cases out of control in the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual areas. Others, because they are in a tremendous amount of emotional pain. My goal is to help you find a healthy way of dealing with whatever the issues, in effective ways, that are keeping you from reaching your highest potential and to heal the obvious and not so obvious wounds that might be preventing that from happening.

Successful counseling occurs when you find a therapist you can connect with, who makes you feel heard and values your thoughts and goals for the future. A positive therapist who enjoys learning who you are, and building on your strengths. If you allow me to walk with you in your struggles and victories, I will give you fair and honest feedback, and will challenge you to attain your goals. My Masters Degree from Aurora University, my rich work experience, as well as my own life journey give me valuable insights and wisdom that help me relate to my clients.

Dr. Ramirez has experience providing individual and group therapy to adolescents, young adults, and adults. She engages clients in therapy with enthusiasm, warmth, and compassion. Dr. Ramirez specializes in working with individuals who struggle with drug/behavioral addictions, bipolar disorder, depression, trauma, and psychosis. Further, she enjoys working with co-occurring disorders and acute mental health symptoms where she utilizes an empathic and strength-focused approach. Creating a safe space for her clients is her utmost priority, recognizing the challenges that are innate to those suffering with mental health disorders.

Donna aligns closely with Adlerian, Cognitive behavioral and Dialectical Behavioral therapy. Adlerian theory has been shown in research for treating multiple mental health conditions: anxiety, depression, grief, eating disorders, personality disorders, schizophrenic, and substance abuse disorders. Adlerian theory suggests that people are driven by a need to feel that they matter, and they belong. How do you want to grow as a person, what are your dreams and goals? Donna is passionate about offering a non-judgmental, supportive environment to men, women, couples and children; ages four and up.

SOCIAL MEDIATOR-THERAPIST: Social Mediation lends third party neutral support to prepare and empower family members to have a voice; and to prepare to heal the raw wounds of relationship conflict, betrayal and broken trust; Social mediation addresses some of the following problems: Depression, anxiety,alcohol abuse, abuse of prescription medication, trauma, alienation in marriage, family, or community,divorce,narcissism, sex addiction, partners’ trauma, shame, gaslighting, betrayal and broken trust,restoring trust, and revitalizing sexual intimacy, conflict over parenting; and adult child issues over parents’ elder care.

Life is hard. Everyone walks through tough times, and no one should have to do it alone. It is my goal to walk with my clients through trials and see them emerge a stronger, healthier version of themselves. It takes courage to ask for help, therefore everyone who walks through my door is treated with respect and met with empathy and compassion.