Couples Counseling Therapists in Chicago, IL

I offer Individual, Marital, and Family Therapy; Divorce Mediation and Court appointed Custody Evaluations as well as Court ordered clinical services such as Anger Management. I have over 35 years of experience offering services in English and Spanish. My goal is to assist clients explore feelings, beliefs, or behaviors that are of concern to them, challenge problematic thoughts and reactions, and work towards happiness and conflict resolution. In sessions we will identify aspects of your life or yourself that you would like to change, improve positive thinking and set realistic goals.

I’m here to assist you on your path to change and making a better life for yourself. Whatever the reason you are seeking counseling at this time, there is hope, there is healing and you are not alone in this fight. My goal as a therapist is to provide you a safe, empathetic space so that you can feel seen, heard, and empowered to make the changes you seek in your life. I work with individuals and couples utilizing a mix of therapeutic approaches, primarily Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), the Gottman Method, Motivational Interviewing and Mindful Self Compassion.

Hello. All of us experience challenges and hardships in our lives. These challenges could make you feel disconnected from people around you, sad, overwhelmed, or alone. You may be reacting to hardships that are happening in your current life or in the past. Whether the issues are current or past, it affects your emotional well-being today. I believe therapy helps us understand our emotions, especially how these emotional struggles happen at the particular time in our lives.

I believe that every person can benefit from receiving counseling at some point in their lives. We all face struggles with achieving our goals, understanding and overcoming our past hurts, or resolving conflict with others. It can be extremely helpful to have a compassionate, objective person to talk to when these issues arise. I truly enjoy developing a caring, supportive relationship with each client. This connection can then be the foundation for facilitating understanding, growth, and positive change. I enjoy working with clients to identify their strengths and develop realistic, achievable goals.

With a strong belief in human resilience, I work with individuals who feel stuck and limited by life's challenges. By developing a safe and trusting relationship with my clients, I empower them to find the strength within themselves to make positive change.

One of the bravest things you can do is begin to understand your own story! I believe that everyone should feel seen, heard, and affirmed! It is incredibly natural to feel overwhelmed in our present world. Yet, life is way too short to surrender to unhealthy relationships, self-esteem issues, rough life transitions, trauma, grief, anger, depression, or anxiety… to name a few. I strive to help you achieve whatever solutions and life change you are looking for while finding purpose in all your life areas and experiencing yourself in new ways. I am dedicated to keeping couples healthy, relationships loving, and individuals balanced.

I'm a licensed clinical psychologist in the Chicagoland area. I work with adults in individual therapy to help them improve their mood, overcome fear and anxiety, navigate life changes, and improve their relationships. I also work with couples to help them communicate and manage conflict better, increase intimacy, and strengthen their bond.

My practice specializes in helping clients actualize their personal goals. In my approach I attempt to empower clients to modify their thoughts and behaviors in ways that help them meet their particular goals. I also maintain sensitivity to a clients cultural background. I specialize in helping clients with relationship difficulties, anxiety/stress, depression, and impulsivity. I have extensive experience working with children with behavioral challenges and have developed a free app on managing bullying that is available in the apple itunes store (Hero App).

My focus of working with my clients is to present an integrative, wholistic approach that incorporates one's spirit, personality, hardships, and positive thinking. It is very important to me to meet client's needs according to what is occupying their lives and help increase positive thinking, increase self-esteem, decrease negative thoughts and feelings that might be interfering with their over all quality of life. It is my goal to help each client meet their maximum capacity to reach their potential goals, feelings, and happiness.

People tell you to “just get over it.” As if you didn’t wish that a thousand times a day. You can white knuckle it for a few days, but the nightmares always return, and it all comes crashing down. Lately, your spouse has been looking at you differently. You wonder how much longer they’ll stick around. You’re desperate to get away from the images in your head, but the memories come flooding back at any moment. The flashes of memory set your hands shaking and make the room spin. You try to block them out by isolating, drinking, and distracting yourself, but you know that’s only a band-aid. You need the memories to stop.

In psychotherapy, I am a supportive listener who helps clients to uncover blind spots where difficulties lurk. I teach healthy coping strategies, and I coach people to try out new behaviors in their daily lives. I further help individuals, families, and couples to shore up inner resources to face life's challenges effectively and with a stronger sense of self-worth. I also guide individuals toward a better understanding of their feelings and emotional states. Finally, my approach focuses on breaking problematic interpersonal patterns and striving to be more autonomous and self-governing in one's day-to-day life.

My passion for counseling began early in my life, and I always had a curiosity to better understand the intricacies of human behavior and emotions. While I began my journey as an elementary school teacher, I soon realized I wanted to assist in helping people heal and find happiness. I am passionate about helping my clients achieve their goals and live their best lives, and believe that counseling can be a powerful tool for personal growth and transformation.

I work with adults of all ages & various backgrounds. I facilitate clients growth to develop a more meaningful life & find ways to manage difficult situations. I can help you learn to be assertive and establish boundaries, identify patterns of thoughts & behaviors that hold you back, impact your relationships, or keep you from living in the present. People often want to have a deeper connection with themselves or their place in the world. This can all be explored in therapy! People come for different reasons. We will work together to figure it out. Maybe you just want to come once, or establish a longer therapeutic relationship .

I'm passionate about helping folks struggling to give themselves grace and kindness, which is crucial to moving in the direction of the life we want, whatever that may look like for each individual. I work from a sex-positive, stance to help individuals and those in relationships facing the barriers and challenges in a monogamy-centric world. I’m here to partner with my clients to emphasize strengths and foster holistic wellness whether that client(s) is facing depression, anxiety, relationship issues, shame, fear, and or one of the many other challenges that come with being human in today's world.

Years of working with people who have struggled with trauma, depression, anxiety and eating disorders have given me proof of the human capacity for insight, change, growth and connection. I partner with every client to understand and move beyond the maladaptive patterns that get in the way of a life filled with meaning, hope and confidence. Replacing coping mechanisms that are no longer effective is a transformative and formidable process that you do not have to figure out or experience alone.