Dance Movement Therapy in Chicago, IL

Do you want to create change? Do you want to learn how to make intrapersonal and interpersonal shifts in order to move through your life with more ease? With 30 years of experience, I am a seasoned dance/movement therapist. However, I not only offer body centered approaches but a variety of other creative modalities such as art making, role play, and creative writing to awaken our healthiest parts. I have consistently witnessed the power of incorporating these non-verbal and artistically expressive techniques into the traditional counseling process.

In a time of struggles or life transition, you may feel stuck, unsure, or overwhelmed. I believe in your resiliency being within you, sitting within your body, and I will guide you in exploring your inner power with compassion, safety, and empowerment. I value cultural humility and believe in a holistic approach that is centered on you and your experiences in our therapy sessions. I integrate collaborative insight-driven discussion and movement-based interventions, which helps me to address both your physical (body) and emotional (mind) needs in a neutral and non-judgmental manner.

When you live with trauma or emotional pain—or just plain feel lost—it can be difficult to manage your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Together, we can sort out what is and is not working for you so you can feel in control and step into your authentic self. You can find a sense of balance and peace as we navigate the patterns you have fallen into and develop opportunities for healing and a new way of being in the world. As a therapist fluent in American Sign Language, I work extensively with the Deaf community. I am passionate about working with Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in a way that respects their culture.

Hi! I work with people longing for more clarity, self-trust, self-worth, balance, joy, intimacy, body acceptance, and self-compassion. Often my clients have an idea of what they need, but struggle to connect knowledge to action and embodiment. They may feel overwhelmed by relationships, responsibilities, and/or expectations, and want help staying true to themselves amidst life's demands. They may have strained relationships with their bodies, and long for more ease. I welcome people across the neurodivergent spectrum. My work is trauma-informed & culturally-humble, so I will take time to get to know your unique story.

I am comfortable working with a wide range of issues, and working with me is best for clients who are interested in not only talking through their problems, but physically moving about them and getting a felt sense of everything that’s going on. As a dance movement therapist, I think the body can be a marvelous source for solutions and insights, when the movement is approached in a way that’s comfortable and safe. Talking is also an important part of the process, as we are whole mind/body systems, and we work best when both are accessible and well connected to each other. Resolving and integrating the past is part of the work.

Have you been feeling alone or tense? Are you looking to make some changes? I know what it feels like to want to let go of the behaviors and thoughts that no longer serve you. Let’s start with acceptance and honoring every part of you, as the only way over is through. You are not alone. I can support and help you navigate this process.

I am a clinical counselor and dance/movement therapist, and that means I use both talking and movement to help my clients explore ways to find balance and achieve positive change. I frequently work with adults and couples to help improve communication patterns, process grief and loss, integrate trauma, and find stability during all of life’s ups and downs. My goal is to help you find balance and live a life that you create, want and deserve. I use verbal and non-verbal cues from my clients to help them understand how they process their experiences and interact with the world. Web info: www.kinespherecounseling.com

Have you suffered a recent loss or are impacted by painful experiences from your past? Do relentless "what if" thoughts plague your mind, leaving you wondering if OCD is the culprit? Perhaps you've grappled with both, feeling overwhelmed by shame or fear. Maybe you are a helping professional (therapist, doctor, nurse...) and are experiencing burnout from working in intense settings. As a specialist in trauma and OCD, I'm here to provide the support you need. My approach is rooted in collaboration, honoring your strengths and nurturing the connections already within you.

Therapy is a truly unique journey. I believe in the power of the mind-body connection and seek to help clients understand how their experiences affect their whole system. Connecting with clients brings me joy and I strive to cater my skill set to meet your specific needs. Often, I invite creativity in to help you heal and grow into a more integrated version of yourself. Movement is a helpful tool to build more awareness, but I also recognize that moving and exploring creatively in a therapeutic setting can be challenging. My hope is to help you feel more at home in yourself while finding a soft landing to do the work.

Whether you desire to make changes, heal wounds or develop a more genuine and authentic life, Aimee invites you to partner with her in creating a safe, supportive space for reflection and growth. Examine, explore and discover how maintain a more gratifying and joyful lifestyle. As your story unfolds, she tailors a wholistic approach that meets your personal needs, goals and aspirations.

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.

Maybe you have tried traditional talk therapy, yoga, or self-help apps but you haven't found that sense relief from stress, anxiety, depression or grief. Grounded in the use of mindfulness and the creative arts therapies - art, movement, music, and drama - we believe the steps towards clarity, growth, and empowerment are about much more than talking. We are constantly thinking, feeling, sensing, expressing, interpreting, and responding to daily experiences. Your sessions will holistically explore all of these parts of your experience while gaining new skills to cope with stress, trauma, relationships, loss, or a new life change.

I primarily work with clients living with ADHD, anxiety, and navigating various life transitions. We'll spend the first few sessions getting to know one another, and I'll be paying attention to your verbal and nonverbal communication. Together, we will process your feelings and experiences in order to help you gain more insight and develop a plan that helps to address your desired areas of growth.

I work with adults navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, identity exploration, life transitions, career development, and body image. I enjoy working with creatives and adults in life transitions. I take a relational, trauma-informed approach, and I use my dance and movement background to integrate embodied paths to healing. Your journey may shift as you go, and I will honor all of the recalibrations that make you exactly who you are today: a nuanced, complex, unique individual who is worth knowing.

There is so much in the power of therapy as a process that invites curiosity, creativity and play. I prioritize the innate ability to express vulnerabilities and needs through non-verbal, auditory, kinesthetic, and visual ways which I process with dance/movement therapy, sensorimotor therapy, TF-CBT, and other creative therapies. I strongly believe in the transformative power of art, especially for those who haven't found the language or words to express themselves yet. I honor the creative process and how it can initiate our own journey towards care and healing.

I believe my role as a therapist is to help you hold and find meaning in your pain, and delight with you in what is playful and pleasureful in your life. My approach is warm, direct, and collaborative. I am interested in creating a genuine, transparent and accountable relationship with you. My hope is that within our relationship we can identify and interrupt harmful patterns that may emerge in your relationships and reinforce patterns that bring you joy and connection. Therapy is inherently political, and I aim to engage with my clients in ways that are liberatory, anti-racist and affirming of their intersecting identities.

Olivia has worked with clients of all ages with various levels of trauma experiences, narcissistic/ sexual/ physical abuse survivors, attachment difficulties, life transitions, codepedency, depression, anxiety, grief, and familial/peer relationship concerns. Practicing both personally and professionally from an anti-racist/ anti-oppressive lens and being LGBTQIA+ affirming, Olivia honors the intersectionalities of identities, lived experiences, and the ways in which these experiences are held in our bodies. She uses movement and expression to promote holistic healing that can aid with how these experiences show up in our bodies.

You have felt unseen and unheard. But you know deep down that you are worthy. I know that you are. The challenges in life you once were able to navigate with ease are now more daunting than ever. You have turned to avoidance, substances, shopping, you name it! But none of these are helping. What you need now is someone to empathize with you. Someone who gets it, to see you and support you while you examine those unpleasant feelings and sensations.

Suffering is often the result of less than nurturing relationships and experiences. Fear can become imprisoned in the body. Family and culture can dictate how safe it is, or not safe, to express and be yourself. My immigrant experience from Taiwan allows me deeper empathy with people navigating life transitions and relating to different cultures and new relationships. At Embodied Way Psychotherapy PLLC, I strive to empower individuals within the context of systemic injustice and complications. My work is to provide compassion and wisdom so that you can feel fully alive and authentic in your body, your world and your relationships.