Bisexual Therapists in Chicago, IL

Has Openings- Sometimes we lose our way, have parts of ourselves we wish to change, or long for better relationships. While I work with everyone, I have specialized in working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, and queer individuals. As a result, I am familiar with how the world around you can make it difficult to get your needs met. Therapy provides a space where we consider your unique experience without judgment or criticism and help you find a path forward that is inclusive of your needs. I offer an affirming environment to help you pay attention to what you really want and who you really are.

Lucas specializes in working with individuals and couples who identify as part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer population. Within the LGBTQ population, he has further expertise in working with those who wish to address the implications of their trauma history, HIV/AIDS-related health and wellness, Depression, Anxiety, issues related to Aging and Substance Abuse and Dependance related disorders.

Who you are… straight, transgender, bisexual, lesbian, gay, queer, genderqueer, questioning… is an essential part of our work together. I welcome your whole self, supporting traditional and non-traditional families: blended, multiracial, multigenerational, foster, poly, leather, and members of kink communities. Therapy promotes healing, growth, and change. We'll focus together to understand your thoughts and behaviors. Our work together will help you develop new coping skills. Growth happens by reinforcing your strengths and values, increasing your self-awareness, and help you build a tolerance for distress and ambiguity.

For over 30 years, I have accompanied others on their journey towards greater self-awareness, more fulfilling relationships, and exploring the needs and challenges of maintaining sound emotional, physical and spiritual health. My experience is particularly helpful when working on self-esteem issues, depression, grief and loss, relationship struggles, and faith and spiritual development. My clinical work draws upon skills developed while working as a hospital chaplain, pastoral counselor, bereavement counselor, youth counselor and a mental health therapist in a social service agency.

As a psychologist, my goal is to help you uncover your true potential and help you find ways to be your best self. While we can't change difficult situations of the past, we can use them to better understand and resolve the current challenges in your life. By working collaboratively, we will work to adjust behavior patterns or negative perceptions that may be holding you back from experiencing a more fulfilling and meaningful life.

Monica is a psychotherapist at Emerge Counseling Chicago intent on helping individuals who are experiencing anxiety or depression stemming from relationship, self-esteem, and identity issues. Monica grounds her approach in relational-cultural therapy, fostering a space where clients are invited to be their true selves in the room and grow to feel comfortable with all aspects of their being. Navigating a world where relationships with others can be impacted by your relationship with yourself and your identities, Monica strives to create a space where clients can explore and build confidence in who they are.

In therapy, it feels essential to look at not only our own thoughts and emotions but also the expectations set by our environment. I utilize affirmative, trauma-informed, and relational lenses to encourage insight and explore assumptions impacting how we engage with the world around us. My clinical and research focuses relate to sexual identity, gender diversity and transition, and ethically non-monogamous relationships. Aside from these, I work often with anxiety, depression, communication, conflict management, boundaries, trauma, life transitions, discrimination, substance use, and premarital/marital counseling.

We all have areas of growth and great strengths. My approach to therapy honors your strengths and uses them to enhance personal growth. I have a passion for working with people who experience issues related to identity, life transitions, depression, anxiety, and relationships. I want to assist in helping you reach your goals and long-term emotional health. I have experience working with diverse communities in a variety of mental health settings. I specialize in working with those who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community and have additional specialized experience working with those who have experienced trauma.

For more than 35 years, Center on Halsted has helped Chicago's LGBTQ community and caring allies meet their behavioral health needs. Our team of therapists offer individual therapy, group therapy, and letters of support for gender affirming surgeries. Our Behavioral Health phone line operates as a bank of information about our services (including scheduling an initial screening), community resources, and possible referrals. These services are offered both in English and Spanish.

I specialize in helping people sense into what is beneath the surface to better understand what is driving the problems they haven’t been able to solve. Perhaps you've been unable to make progress on a goal, feel stuck in unfulfilling relationships, or can recognize recurring patterns in your life. You may be trying to disrupt intergenerational cycles of abuse of simply wanting to connect more deeply with your family and loved ones. I work with people who are establishing healthier behaviors in their life, coping with grief or trauma, exploring changes during the perinatal period, or seeking more fulfillment in their relationships.

I believe our mental health is deeply impacted by our collective narratives, particularly in the context of our environment(s), our access to resources, and our experiences of privilege & oppression. Therefore our work together will be centered in your wholeness, examining and holding how all of these positions & experiences have shaped, and continue to shape, your life story & lived experience. What are the stories you tell yourself about who you are? What stories have been assigned to you w/out your consent? How might your life be different if you reclaimed & rewrote these stories?

Counseling can strengthen your ability to recognize and make choices in your life that align with the person you want to be. I can help you cope with difficult emotions and develop a strong sense of self-compassion and acceptance. I am most passionate about addressing concerns related to anxiety, depression, trauma, and sexual health. A significant portion of my career has been focused on serving LGBTQ+ people and communities, and I pay close attention to cultural factors and the ways in which they impact a person's vantage point in this world.

Life rarely goes as planned. When we stumble on our journey it can often be hard to get back up on your feet without a little extra help– and that’s what I’m here for. Counseling with me is a deeply collaborative process. Together we will explore your values, meaning, and goals in life to help you live the way you desire. You are the expert of your own experience, I will help you to gain insight, make helpful changes, and express yourself in ways that make you feel heard and authentic.

I have an appreciation for complexity and understand that most of us live a life full of contradictions - striving for goodness, happiness, prosperity, low drama, and quality relationships. I get to witness clients create a foundation of safety from which they can pursue their personal and relational goals. I have a passion for working with both traditional relationships and alternative lifestyle clients, as individuals or couples. My clients are often unraveling past traumatic and toxic relationships or simply navigating the unknown with the goals of creating new, healthy patterns of communication, safety, and intimacy.

Each of us arrive into therapy for different reasons - seeking support, safety, connection, exploration, or change. Whatever the reason, when we enter therapy, we bring our whole self with us – body, mind, and spirit. Within my work, I center this holistic connection while expanding awareness, reclaiming safety and power, exploring purpose, and redefining our relationships to ourselves, others, and the world around us. As a dance/movement therapist and licensed counselor, my approach merges verbal processing and creative/body-based techniques.

I practice from a strength-based, insight-oriented, and collaborative approach individualized to meet the unique needs of each client. I offer an empathetic, supportive, and accepting environment for my clients to feel heard and understood while also challenged and inspired to take on new perspectives, ways of thinking, and daily practices. Therapy is a process that can provide tools to relieve immediate stress, but also an opportunity to explore the underlying meanings, behavioral patterns, and relationship dynamics in order to lead a life of authenticity and genuine fulfillment. My clients also strive to positively impact society.

You have the answers - my role as your therapist is to collaborate and bring your capacities and experiences to the forefront. My personal identities (i.e. latine and South Asian), along with my education in psychology, religion, and social work, inform my practice through an anti-oppression lens that is affirming of people on the LGBTQIA2S+ spectrum, people of all sizes, genders, racial, and religious identities, parenting and non-parenting people, diverse relationship structures, kinksters, people who have been incarcerated, and people who work(ed) in survival economies (i.e. sex work).

I offer therapeutic interventions with warmth and compassion, focusing on strengths to help identify opportunities for change and actualization. My primary areas of experience include depression/anxiety and other mental health concerns, substance use/recovery, and concerns related to gender or sexuality. I see therapy as a journey aiming to get deeper understanding of oneself, relationships, and the world around us.

Making the decision to enter therapy is not an easy one. It demands courage, vulnerability, and a deep sense of self-awareness. I'm here to support you as you navigate life's challenges. I specialize in working with individuals and couples in the queer community, especially those who might be questioning their relationship with their sexuality, gender, or substance use. Whether you're grappling with anxiety, depression, life transitions, relationships issues or trauma, I'm here to offer guidance and understanding without judgement.