Somatic Therapists in Chicago, IL

Does it seem you have everything, yet you feel empty? Are you finding it difficult to be as motivated as you once were? Do you overwork yourself or define your worth by your achievements? Do you struggle to relax? Do you need help reaching your goals or creating a better work life balance? Would you like to communicate confidently? Perhaps you'd like to openly express the love and joy you feel without inhibiting yourself. Change is possible. If you've tried traditional talk therapy with limited results, I encourage you to consider somatic psychotherapy.

It is incredibly brave to come to therapy, and I do my best to honor that courage and vulnerability by meeting you where you are. Holding deep regard for the impact trauma and systems have on us, one of my primary goals within our therapeutic alliance is to work to deeply see you, hear you, and learn of your experiences. And, to engage with you around the wisdom you already have, supporting you to listen to your body, your strengths, and your inner resourcing. I appreciate being able to work towards a more compassionate understanding of the self and relationships on a mental, emotional, and somatic level.

My approach to therapy is integrative, helping the body and mind work together towards healing. I draw from holistic and somatic therapy techniques, practical neurobiology, yoga philosophy and meditation, mindfulness and mindful imagery, and frameworks of anti-oppression and intersectional feminism. I welcome folks who want to weave a spiritual or energy work component into therapy. I love talking with clients about tarot, astrology, the chakra system, nature, ancestral healing, intuitive gifts, and any other forms of energy work. If you connect with a practice that I'm not familiar with, I would love to learn about it from you!

Are you feeling overwhelmed and exhausted by carrying so many feelings and experiences? Often, our experiences and the accompanying emotions and thoughts can feel too heavy to hold all by ourselves. That’s where I come in. In my own experiences as a clinician, the process of co-creating a safe, trusting holding space with a compassionate and caring helper who listens to understand you can offer profound healing and transformation.

I’m passionate about working with individuals to address issues such as emotional regulation, complex trauma, self-esteem issues, intergenerational conflicts, and many other issues. Partially because of my own cultural background, I work mostly with different generations of Asian immigrants, multicultural individuals, and other marginalized communities. If you are having trouble managing the stressors and challenges in life, or if you have had difficult life experiences that still affect your emotional well-being today, I’m here to support you to break through the emotional barriers and re-discover your potential and strength.

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 trained in practicing therapy through a holistic, anti-oppression, social justice framework. My research is mostly regarding our bodies, as they pertain to culture, sexuality, religion, oppression and body image. I help people work through shame in regards to their body and sexuality. My commitment to this work is ongoing, both personally and professionally. In my work with clients, I have focused on anxiety, depression, abuse, trauma, spiritual development, mind/body connection, chronic illness, relationship issues, and identity issues concerning race, gender, and sexuality.

I am offering both virtual and in-person counseling services. I specialize in treating the issues that arise from unresolved trauma, difficult early life experiences, pre and perinatal trauma. My goal is to support and empower my clients by using an integrative and collaborative stance, incorporating my background in psychodynamic psychotherapy with body-centered and mindfulness-based techniques. It is my hope that by equipping my clients with the skills to develop their own self-awareness, self-compassion, clarity, and peace, they can go on to experience more meaningful and fulfilling lives.

We all have an innate ability to heal and grow to live authentic and fulfilling lives. Sometimes difficult life experiences & societal structures cause us to disconnect from this inner healer. Our work together will be a collaborative, insight-oriented process, to help you work through some past or current issues & make empowered, well-informed decisions in the present & about the future. I focus on creating an open, culturally sensitive & non-judgmental space for clients. I lean on your existing strengths to determine an approach best suited to you and also incorporate somatic -focused techniques to enhance the mind-body connection.

I am holistic and interpersonal counselor who aims to treat the whole person as opposed to just managing a diagnosis. I pull on knowledge and tools from several modalities, such as Cognitive Behavioral, Mindfulness and Breathwork, Somatic Experiencing practices, Energy Psychology, and Internal Family Systems or "Parts Work" to address unhelpful patterns and issues at their root on the physical, mental, and spiritual levels.

Are you ready to attune to your own story and needs? Are you looking for ways to heal and grow the way you interact with yourself, your loved ones, and others? Individuals and couples use the therapeutic space as a microcosm for gaining insight, practicing new skills and responses, and fostering healing and growth to overcome challenges with thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, learn how to identify and change patterns that continue to get in the way of the relationships you envision, and practice how to lean into speciality support during conception and fertility journeys, pregnancy, and postpartum.

I view therapy as a pathway for growth, transformation and healing. I have an open and affirming approach to counseling and provide culturally- and trauma-informed care for women, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ adult clients. My 20+ years of combined experience in for-profit, non-profit, hospital and private practice settings have contributed to my collaborative and compassionate approach to therapy. I specialize in assisting Millennials and Gen X clients with depression, anxiety, work-life balance, trauma, as well as queer identity and exploration. I offer support to experienced counseling clients and those seeking therapy for the first time.

The current state of the world can feel overwhelming, confusing, and scary. Those of us who hold marginalized identities have to work extra hard to feel safe, valid, and empowered. LGBTQIA+ communities, folks with different abilities, people who are a marginalized gender, as well as those who would like to explore their whiteness and their privilege- I am right here with you. Past traumas can often impact how we are able to show up for ourselves and others. We each have the ability to find our unique path to fulfillment and wholeness.

I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP), and Art and Yoga Therapist practicing in the Chicago Area. I work to provide a safe and collaborative space for you to explore your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in order to facilitate meaningful change in your life. The root of my work is assisting others to discover, strengthen, and grow inner peace. If you feel grounded in yourself, it's so much easier to ride out the obstacles - big and small - that life throws at you. I believe the process of change is not a straight line or one-size-fits-all model.

Life, though beautiful, is also marked by all sorts of suffering, and my job is to help you heal and grow from that. I am an attachment and trauma-informed Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), who works with individuals, families, and couples, to address communication; couple and family conflict; relational and attachment trauma; infidelity; family of origin issues; self-development and identity; PTSD; depression; anxiety; and a host of other problems that arise in life.

Thank you for being here! Helping you accept and love yourself so that everything in your life reflects this vibration is my purpose. I'm trained in psychology, art therapy, neurobiology and human relationships, and I make things fun and delightful in session. Bringing in somatic playfulness and supportive co-regulation is the best way to heal emotional trauma.

These last few years have been really hard on our Bodies. Have you felt more disconnected from your Body? Are you looking for how to be more gentle & kind towards your Body? As someone who lives in a larger Body, I understand firsthand what it’s like to live in a world that is constantly telling us to become smaller. Your Body deserves to take up space - the world needs your voice and your story. Let’s work together to find a way to make Your Body Your Home.

I welcome all parts of you into our work. Using therapy as an experimental space we’ll explore your passions, strengths, & sources of joy. We’ll also explore the relationship issues, harmful stigmas, difficult emotions, and ongoing patterns that are keeping you feeling stuck. Together, we'll examine your choices and imagine a new way of being. I often work with artists, activists, healers, and service industry folks to find meaning & purpose during this strange time. My goal is to help you feel nourished & supported so that you can open to new possibilities of healing.

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 own immigrant experience from Taiwan allows me deeper empathy with people navigating challenging life transitions and relating to different cultures, and even new relationships. 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, in your world and in your relationships.

Every person deserves to be valued for who they are and where they are in life. Life challenges can lead us to feel disconnected from ourselves. There can be great value in reclaiming our entire selves, with all we have been through and currently face, while stepping into the unknown. Being truly witnessed can help us reconcile our realities, regain hope, and remember our gifts. I wish to honor your life by offering a warm, accepting haven for you to exist, unpack, discover, heal, and co-create your life in light of who you are and the unique opportunities and challenges you experience. You deserve to feel at home with yourself.