Therapists in Chicago, IL

As human beings we know life has a way of creating challenges we may find difficult to face on our own. I firmly believe each of us possess fundamental inner-strengths that can not only help us cope with these challenges, but flourish and thrive together. My goal as a therapist is to come alongside clients in a compassionate nonjudgmental stance to help identify your strengths and how to translate them into meaningful growth both within yourself and in your relationships. I value using a mind/body approach and a warm, relational atmosphere in therapy. I am LGBTQIA+-affirming, sex-positive, kink and poly-friendly.

Therapy is a space to explore who you are, were & want to be. Change and growth can be scary & difficult but also beautiful & freeing. My hope is to help you move through that process in the way that works best for you. Working toward a greater insight and awareness of our experiences can help us to embrace and enhance connection to ourselves and others. I provide culturally & racially conscious therapy services using the social work adage of beginning where my client is. I see my role as being present with my clients as they face and navigate the grey areas of life, while increasing agency, sense of self & healthy coping skills.

I work with people who are seeking to better understand themselves and to deepen their connection to themselves and the world around them. I believe that the seeds of a felt sense of aliveness already exist within you and therapy can provide the opportunity and safe container to nurture those seeds. My work is informed by a background in the creative arts, as well as advanced training in the feminist relational model of treating trauma, Internal Family Systems (Level 1 in progress) and Somatic Experiencing (completion of 3 year training program).

What circumstances shifted you into this specific moment in time...to bring this bio into your awareness? Was it the guilt that has consumed you since morning of how you didn’t show up exactly how you envisioned being the best parent...or that you have become conscious to the burden of unrealistic expectations upon self and have decided to courageously dive into the depths of your shadows? Perhaps you have questions about self you never have had before and feeling like no one can relate. All you would like is for someone to hold space while you allow emotions like sadness or anger to flow and feel you are able to cry without shame!

I believe clients deserve a space where they can be unapologetically seen, heard and witnessed. I bring this belief into my work to allow clients to experience and explore whatever they are carrying with them. This work is done on a foundation of collaboration, curiosity, trust and compassion.

You get a pit in your stomach when you think about, discuss, or engage in sex; you no longer or never enjoyed it. You have pain, erection, arousal, or orgasm issues and feel stuck. You're curious about trying on a sexual identity or playing in kink/BDSM. You have out-of control or shameful behaviors, dilemmas, porn use, or masturbation problems. You don’t know how to talk to your partner(s) about sex, let alone pulling their load more at home. Religion or the feeling of shame greatly limits you. You just can’t communicate. You can’t trust or forgive them – you’re too hurt and angry. Let me engage you in sex and relationship therapy.

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.

Embarking on therapy requires bravery, and I'm here to support you every step of the way. Specializing in anxiety, depression, trauma, self-esteem, and life transitions, I offer a blend of somatic-based, CBT, and solution-focused therapies. Whether you're a teen navigating the complexities of adolescence, an adult dealing with life's challenges, or a couple seeking to strengthen your relationship, my client-centered approach prioritizes your unique needs and goals.

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.

I believe that we humans heal in the context of relationship and that therapy is the process in which we find our way to our whole selves. In the therapy room, I join with clients to co-create their unique path to wholeness by realizing their inherent strengths and utilizing them to developing a 'tool belt' of strategies for which to work through life's struggles. Together we orient to the client's inherent capacity to gain mastery of their own functioning from the lens of their truth.

I am a compassionate trauma-informed therapist that primarily works with individuals struggling with trauma/PTSD, ADHD, neurodivergent issues, relationship issues, chronic pain, physical disability, partner violence, substance abuse, anxiety, stress, depression, cultural identity, cultural/intergenerational conflicts, family conflicts, and other issues. As a daughter of South Asian immigrants, I have always been interested in working with traditionally overlooked communities. I have worked with individuals with dual diagnosis, domestic violence survivors, veterans, and LGBTQIA individuals.

Hello! I am a bilingual therapist passionate about working with clients from different backgrounds and cultures. Since 2014, I have been offering services to clients who have experienced trauma in their lives and who have experienced intense emotions of sadness, fear, anger, worry, low self-esteem, or affecting their interpersonal relationships. I offer clients a safe space to process their feelings and experiences, teaching them skills that can help them regulate their emotions and improve their quality of life. I believe healing occurs by creating and promoting a safe therapeutic relationship.

Welcome! I'm Macauley, a passionate and dedicated therapist committed to guiding you on your journey towards emotional well-being and personal growth. I believe in the transformative power of therapy, in tandem with mind-body practices, and am here to support you in navigating life's challenges with empathy and understanding. I firmly believe in the interconnectedness of mind and body. Together, we will explore the integration of traditional therapy with yoga, meditation, and somatic practices, unlocking your potential for healing and growth.

As a queer, sex-positive and neurodivergent affirming therapist, I am passionate about working with folks whose experience is shaped by feeling "different"- due to sexuality, gender, ADHD/Autism, or relationship orientation. Many of my clients experience interpersonal challenges including social anxiety, people-pleasing, and fears of rejection. I am here to provide gentle feedback about the ways you can be kinder to yourself and practice firm but flexible boundaries.

Are you tired of experiencing the same old anxieties, fears and doubts? Are you ready to explore the difficulties in your life in order to break free from them? Whether you are struggling with intimate relationships or career goals or the state of our world, you deserve a space to process, learn and heal. Utilizing an organic blend of Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Somatic Experiencing, Attachment Theory and Trauma Informed practices, you and I will work together to create the healthy and vibrant life you deserve.

If you're reading this you may be at a place in life where you are feeling disconnected from yourself and/or those around you. Maybe feeling lost or having a hard time prioritizing your needs? Allow me to invite you to journey back home to yourself. My name is Michelle Brown and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker whose core value is mental and emotional wellness through holistic, intentional living. The work I've done over the last 10 years, inside and outside the therapy space, is rooted in personal and intergenerational healing.

Welcome, my name is Erika! My work focuses on providing culturally responsive, anti-oppressive, and affirming therapeutic services to BIPOC and LGBTQ+ folks experiencing anxiety, depression, generational trauma, immigrant struggles, and race/ethnic identity exploration. I work from a trauma-informed lens that explores childhood experiences, relational attachments, cultural environments, and how the brain/body is developmentally affected through traumatic experiences. I integrate somatic approaches such as EMDR, parts work, DBT, the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) and mindfulness to address and process trauma.

I collaborate with participants to plan creative solutions and positive coping behaviors in order to address a wide variety of experiences, including: anxiety, depression, life transitions, relationships, self-esteem and self-worth, stress, symptoms related to post-traumatic stress, vicarious trauma, being in relationship with a trauma survivor, substance use/ abuse, self-care, and addressing negative coping behaviors. I have worked extensively with survivors of sexual violence, people who have experienced domestic violence, combat Veterans, and other survivors of complex trauma.

I am committed to creating a safe and healthy environment for clients to grow in self-awareness, curiosity, responsibility and authenticity. I use a variety of client-centered treatment modalities in my work depending on the individual client's needs, including Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Somatic Experiencing. I believe in the mind-body connection and work to incorporate the body's knowledge in treating a variety of presenting concerns including anxiety, depression, trauma, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders and life transitions.