Therapists in Darien, IL

My approach to therapy is guided by humility and respect for each person's unique experience and goals. I have particular interest and experience in working with survivors of trauma; people experiencing depression, anxiety, or borderline personality disorder; and young adults facing challenges in the transition to adulthood. I have worked in inpatient, college counseling, community mental health, and private practice settings.

Find yourself wanting to make sense of your behaviors and/or struggles or your child's? Curious why we act or react in certain ways? We have experiences and we all hold our own perception of those experiences which ultimately leads to behaviors. I work with clients to teach strategies, coping skills, and lead clients on a journey to a deeper understanding of themselves. I work with children, adolescents, and young adults to help them understand their interpretation of the world and how they function in it. Often times the therapeutic work involves parents due to their large influence on the client functioning at particular ages.

Are you feeling that issues in your life are too stressful or painful to cope with on your own? Do you struggle with depression, anxiety, guilt, anger (your own or some else's), mood swings, trauma (rape, combat, incest, other) OCD, relationship issues, or other emotional difficulties. Maybe you are wondering about your purpose in life or struggling with your spirituality. You might feel you are alone in your suffering. I am a Clinical Psychologist dedicated to providing a compassionate and respectful environment where you can explore these and other life issues that are causing you distress.

I provide psychotherapy for children, teens and adults. I have expertise in providing counseling for issues such as anxiety, OCD, low self esteem, dependency issues, depression, and PTSD. I provide a team approach to counseling that is tailored to meet each individual client's needs while creating a safe and validating environment to help client's grow and achieve their potential.

Just as we exist within an external system; family, work environments, neighborhoods, school community, we have a personal internal system within each of us. These two systems influence each other throughout every day of our lives. Just as our minds need to understand our external systems like the rules at our office or school, we need to understand the interaction of the parts within ourselves. This may be a difficult concept to wrap your mind around because we live in a world with such external rules. What would it be like if we lived by the knowledge of the internal and external systems ?

I have experience working with a variety of different age ranges and various presenting issues. I have extensive experience treating depressive disorders, anxiety, social anxiety, autism spectrum, anger, and personality disorders. Most people I have treated want to be able to manage their symptoms, realize their potential, and live their best lives. I believe that my job as a therapist is to provide them the tools they need in order to succeed in symptom management. I also believe in helping clients with empowerment and encouragement so that they can truly see how special they are and what purpose they serve by being in this world.

Not feeling like yourself lately? Unresolved struggles can lead to a variety of symptoms that make life more difficult to handle. Maybe you've been holding it all inside for longer than you care to admit. You want to talk to someone, but are having a difficult time finding the right person in your family or friend group. You don't have to continue to bottle your feelings and potentially let them build up until they explode in an unhealthy manner. I know that taking the step to begin therapy can feel scary, but seeking help can be the first step to taking back control of your life.

My motto is "try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud". I enjoy working with individuals, groups, and families from all ages seeking ways to grow socially, emotionally, and behaviorally. I welcome all "walks of life" from various cultural backgrounds who are facing challenges with trauma, mental health disorders, autism, intellectual disabilities, youth in care, family dynamics, and many more. This office provides Telehealth Services (e.g., Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Texas) and face-to-face sessions.

As a biracial human, I understand the juggling process between developing identity while also finding a sense of belonging within communities. Doing this on top of just simply learning how to be an adult and manage emotions can be a difficult juggling process! I prioritize the awareness of various factors like multiculturalism, oppression, trauma, and neurodiversity when working on deepening your understanding of yourself and reintegrating the connection between your mind, body, and spirit. Due to these factors, I bring my genuine personality to help build trust in the therapeutic relationship.

As a neurodiverse clinician with chronic illness, Willow brings their whole self to working with their community. Their goal is always to give clients the opportunity to feel seen, heard and supported. They are non-judgmental, caring and somewhat goofy. Willow has experience working in a variety of settings around grief, identity development, trauma, anxiety, depression and disability concerns, and has training in trauma-informed play therapy and utilizing expressive arts in therapeutic work. Their approach is grounded in attachment-theory, narrative therapy, harm reduction, disability justice, and family systems theory.

Are you a queer or trans person who struggles to find a therapist who understands you? Do you find that you often have to educate therapists, who are allies, but don't quite have the cultural understanding of someone who's a part of the community themselves? We are here to help.

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.

I embrace an eclectic and wellness-based approach to therapy, incorporating elements of Art Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Brainspotting, Mindfulness, Play Therapy, and visualization to help my clients better navigate their life’s journey. Clients suffering from anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, emotional dysregulation, or sensory processing disorders can also benefit from the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) which is a “bottom-up,” short-term, auditory intervention based on the Polyvagal Theory. The SSP helps restore the nervous system, thereby reducing stress and enhancing social engagement and resilience.

Life can be tough. Have you been struggling with overthinking, grief and loss, feelings of hopelessness, substance use, or other debilitating issues? These problems can affect your relationships, career, social life, and other aspects of life. Don't lose hope! You are strong and resilient. It's okay to outreach for support when we need it.

I love seeing toddlers and children of all ages, parents, and adults. I am very helpful when it comes to becoming a little braver and having more compassion for yourself, especially if you've gone through some very hard times. I also love helping new mothers and young children co-regulate and get the most out of early childhood.

Navigating psychological distress can disrupt our ability to lead productive, prosperous lives. Whether you're grappling with grief, managing a chronic health condition, experiencing relationship or parenting challenges, questioning faith and spirituality, or facing issues related to sexuality and intimacy, finding relief is paramount.

When you or your child/teen is struggling, you want strategies to combat challenges NOW. At North Shore Family Services, we empower kids, teens, and adults to learn tools, so they can succeed independently. Our goal is for children, teens, adults, parents, and couples to learn skills to be successful with school, peers, work, and family- long after therapy ends. We assist with IEP and 504 plans to help our children/teen clients succeed where they spend most of their day- out of their parents' sight. Parents are our partners in helping kids and teens learn life skills.

Accepting new individual and couples clients. I strive to offer a safe space for clients to understand, manage, and harness the power of their emotions, allowing for more fulfilling relationships with themself and others. I am a postdoctoral fellow with several years of experience treating clients from diverse backgrounds and across the lifespan. I have particular areas of specialty in trauma, eating concerns, identity work (particularly gender and sexuality), anxiety, and relational difficulties. I operate from an integrative lens that allows treatment to be tailored to fit each client's unique needs and background.

Possibly one of the most overlooked yet effective approaches to taking care of yourself is the simple act of listening–listening to yourself, listening to your body, and having someone you trust listening to you. Listening is where I like to start – to ensure that before anything else, I take the time to understand who you are. Each individual takes a unique path and one of my goals is to embrace that in a collaborative and open treatment experience. I take a nonjudgmental and empowering approach to ensure that my clients are strengthening their sense of self while acknowledging the past and present challenges.