Bisexual Therapists in Chicago, IL

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I will support you in building your body-mind connection to deepen your inner strength and capacity to confront the challenges life brings you. As a dance/movement therapist and licensed clinical professional counselor, I merge the felt experience with cognitive processing to support full integration in your healing process. We know that the body remembers all it has experienced. Let's give your body, brain, and heart the opportunity to work together to help you heal. I will support you in building the skills, insight, and ability to face the hard stuff and find your power, hope, and confidence to keep building a life you will love.

Is your mind racing, always worrying about the future or regretting the past, and you want to be more present in the here and now? Perhaps you hold resentment in relationships because you find yourself giving more than you receive. Do you struggle to name your emotions and tell others how you are feeling? Or maybe life is just so overwhelming you need a dedicated space to process it all with someone who you can trust being vulnerable with.

You may feel your true, joyful self is hidden under layers of depression, anxiety, guilt, or shame. Maybe you’re trying to figure out how to achieve your dreams of living the life you were meant to live. Maybe you’re trying to deal with being alone for the first time, or again. Or maybe you’re trying to manage a relationship that has gotten very tense, or is long distance. You may have had a negative experience with therapy in the past. I'm a solution focused therapist working with an incredible team and if I can't help there'll be someone on my team who can.

At some point in our early childhoods, we learned (whether communicated directly or indirectly) that we must sacrifice a part of our authentic selves in order to be worthy of love. Even as adults, this shame around our true selves continues to hold us back from feeling deeply connected with others, living by our values, and finding internal peace to buoy us through uncertain, stressful times.

Has life thrown a lot at you? Maybe you’ve successfully gotten through past difficulties, only to find your old ways of coping no longer serve you. Let’s work together to find your healing. With warmth and acceptance, I work to unlock your connection to and trust in your strengths, wisdom, and creativity. We'll shape an understanding of who you are, where you’d like to be, and what tools work for you to build skills and find solutions to your goals. Using my foundation in the neurophysiology of stress and trauma, I will partner with you to cultivate cognitive and body-based tools to cope and find new responses to present challenges.

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?

I strive to develop a collaborative environment with each client so they can feel safe and comfortable discussing what brought them to therapy, identify their goals, and take steps to building a meaningful and rich life. I am interactive in the therapy process and support clients with practical tools and strategies to challenge old patterns, while incorporating new skills that aim to improve the client's ability to live more intentionally and authentically. I employ elements of ACT, DBT, and CBT to respond to the unique needs of the individual.

Life can be challenging, and everyone has times when they feel overwhelmed and need some support. In my work, I provide a caring, nonjudgmental environment for adolescents, adults, couples, and families to speak openly about their lives and to explore their true selves. Therapy is meant to be collaborative, so picture me as a trusted guide walking beside you as you face what comes next. I specialize in working with young people, polyamorous/nonmonogamous people, and folks in the LGBTQIA+ community. NOTE: I AM currently taking new adolescent, couple, or family clients!

In broad terms, anyone interested in Jungian psychology, the the theory and practice developed by Carl Jung, may resonate with my approach. We’ll talk through whatever you want, but I’ll also encourage you to delve beneath the surface. Specifically those who identify as Queer, those interested in the healing power of psychedelic medicines, those who identify as Christian and those interested in couple work may find value in my approach.

My therapeutic approach is client-centered, strengths-based, creative and collaborative, one in which I often incorporate meditation and somatic work, informed by Internal Family Systems (IFS) theory. I seek to create a therapeutic environment where you will feel heard, validated and understood. We live in a society where we often feel we should weather stress alone but sometimes having someone truly hear you and see you makes all the difference.