Therapists in Buena Park, Chicago, IL

I primarily work with individuals and couples moving through life’s unique challenges. I have experience working with individuals who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community and clients who are neurodivergent, working to operate in a neurotypical society. I am sex & poly knowledgable. I have experience working with anxiety, depression, trauma, identity exploration, and relational issues. Before working as a therapist, I was an actor and artist, where my strengths of empathy and curiosity were developed.

I am a queer-identified, licensed clinical social worker with over ten years of experience working with individuals, families, and groups of all ages and genders in a variety of therapeutic settings. I believe that our relationships and connections with others are at the heart of our well-being. Utilizing empathetic validation and reflection, I collaborate with clients to strengthen their connection to themselves and others. “One of my primary goals is to hold a safe, non-judgmental space for my clients to explore and express their feelings, and to also embrace the power of sitting together in silence.”

I enjoy supporting children, adolescents, and adults with identity exploration and affirmation. I am also passionate about working with folx struggling with anxiety, depression, and mood; navigating boundary work and life transitions; and coping with overall difficulties that accompany the human experience. I value the therapeutic relationship as one of the most powerful tools in the healing process and I strive to create a warm and culturally responsive space where you will feel heard, understood, and empowered.

Are you tired of feeling anxious? Feeling stuck or overwhelmed ? You are not your anxiety. But somedays it feels like your anxiety is running the show. Lately, it seems like your mood controls all aspects of your life. As soon as you open your eyes in the morning, you are already feeling anxious and exhausted! You have tried many things to find relief and have done your best to figure it out on your own. A part of you, worries that you are stuck with this for life, while another part of you knows it can get better. You are tired of feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and avoiding situations this is your opportunity to change your life.

Change is never easy,but with the assistance of a therapist, you can start to learn skills to move towards your goals. Some of these skills include effective communication, mindfulness, relaxation, and changing negative thought patterns. In my work with couples, I focus on teaching communication skills and understanding underlying issues that effect the relationship.

The issues that I help folks with include substance use, co-occurring disorders, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, trauma, body dysmorphia, & interpersonal relationships. I firmly believe that evidence-based psychotherapy, focused on one’s identity and their own experiences, can provide individuals with the agency they need to live the best version of their lives. It is critical to me that those I work with know that their uniqueness is part of what contributes to their strengths. Furthermore, it contributes to the strength-based approach I believe best helps individuals learn to love themselves in society today.

Are you dealing with recurring relationship problems, overwhelming anxiety or panic, paralyzing perfectionism or procrastination, intense sadness or anger, unhealthy habits, illness or somatic symptoms, or identity concerns? I am dedicated to helping individuals and couples on a path toward better self-understanding, emotional attunement, empathy, responsibility, and agency. Our goal would be to uncover shaping life experiences, identify patterns, and work on enhanced flexibility and intentionality in choices and actions. In my therapeutic approach I rely on relational, classical, and bodymind psychodynamic perspectives.

I believe in creating safe space for self-expression and exploration in a collaborative and affirming way. I have worked with individuals navigating gender and sexuality identity exploration, polyamory struggles and dynamics, sexual trauma – including religious trauma and family of origin trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, HIV+ status, domestic violence, ADHD, suicidality, and milestone transitions. I have also worked with couples around family of origin conflict, communication struggles, parenting, navigating polyamory and kink, gender and sexuality expansion, as well as various role changes across the lifespan.

Hey ya'll! I'm Gwen (she/her), a Licensed Social Worker with roots in Chicago. With a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Northeastern Illinois University and a Master of Social Work specializing in mental health from Loyola University Chicago, I'm here to walk alongside you on your journey to healing.

To meet my clients where they are, I find it necessary to practice cultural humility and honor the client’s personal values, while offering resources on self-regulation, community empowerment/social justice, and healthy relationships. In my time as a clinician, I have worked with adults from a wide range of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. More specifically, I have experience working with LGBTQIA+ populations, eating disorders, sex positivity, substance use, religious trauma, depression, anxiety, single event and complex trauma, family dysfunction, grief/bereavement, relationship problems, and Borderline Personality Disorder.

Congratulations! By looking at this site, you have already taken the first step to your healing process. Psychological struggles can feel so isolating. Psychotherapy is a powerful method for restoring wellness and facilitating both short-term and enduring changes. I utilize a collaborative approach with my clients, which provides them with a non-judgmental and compassionate safe space to feel empowered to take action and change.

Everyone can use a little help when things get complicated; conflict is a part of everyday life. Therapy is a space to genuinely connect and develop a deeper understanding of yourself, your emotions, your experiences, and your thoughts. Making the decision to start therapy can be a hard one. Whether you’re looking to work through trauma, relationship concerns, anxiety, or difficult emotions; my goal is to help you reach your highest potential, while helping you work through any barriers or obstacles along the way.

Challenges can overwhelm our ability to cope. My objective, as a certified psychotherapist, is to assist in managing these issues safely, in a stress- free environment. Treatment is tailored towards the individual's needs. My job is to support you through the process of change in order to feel greater security and self-esteem. I use psychodynamic, relational and CBT approaches. I specialize in mood issues - anxiety, depression and chronic feelings of isolation being among the most common. I am a certified drug and alcohol counselor and have spent years helping clients grappling with substance abuse.

We each have the power to create a life that honors us, and sometimes we need a little help navigating the process. In our work together, we will explore the landscape of our experience and the parts of ourselves that bring about challenges in our lives. Nothing is wrong with you: you are simply dealing with challenges the best way you know how. Its in my nature, and my role, to foster a comfortable, and safe environment to create authentic connections so that we can effectively work through your difficult life experiences.

As a psychologist, and a mental health professional providing counseling for over 15 years, I am committed to offering individuals and couples effective and compassionate psychotherapy and consultation services. My approach entails a relationship that is warm, empathic, and supportive with psychotherapy that is informed by the latest scientific findings on what contributes to lasting improvements in mental health and overall well-being. My work is empirically-informed, sensitive, and customized to the unique and diverse needs of my clients.

"I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well." Diane Ackerman. As a therapist, I want all of my clients to experience the width of life. No life is not without its difficulties and solutions are within your reach.

Every individual and couple who has ever sought my services worked diligently to navigate life as best as they can until they reached an impasse. They feel depleted, frustrated, confused, unfulfilled. Stuck. This is human, and I view those seeking my services as individuals, not diagnoses. Therapy is at its core, conversational. As such, my primary aim is to create a setting in which it is as comfortable as possible to explore the most sensitive areas of your life. Some of the primary issues I treat are depression, work stress, anxiety, substance use, trauma, life transition.

Transitions in life such as birth, illness, death, divorce, aging, or career change, can be exciting, but also, devastating, confusing or scary. There can be a variety of reactions to these challenges, and at times having to make choices can leave you feeling stuck or depressed, and unable to make a decision. My passion is guiding women through these life transitions with compassion, empathy, and support. As a Clinical Social Worker, I have learned how important it is to get to the heart of an issue and work toward resolutions, skills I learned working with patients experiencing life altering illnesses.

I believe that every person should live up to the potential that they see in their vision; not through the lens someone else ascribes to them. For this reason, I approach each therapeutic relationship as being one of a joint partnership. It is a privilege to work alongside individuals who have recognized they no longer have to work through challenges of life alone. I bring over 5 years of experience working with diverse client demographics with variety of concerns including anxiety, self -harming, grief, depression, psychosis, eating disorders and substance use. My approach is trauma informed, with an emphasis on strength based.