Women's Issues Therapists in Chicago, IL

I have over ten years of experience in behavioral health. I have previous experience working with children, adolescents, and adults in hospital settings and mental health community agency settings. Areas of treatment include but are not limited to; anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, self esteem issues, identity conflict, Latinx concerns, multicultural concerns, first generation acculturation conflict, intergenerational trauma, trauma and vicarious trauma (for psychotherapists and caregivers) I specialize in working with Women's issues and use a Women's empowerment framework.

I have worked with families and individuals for the past 20+ years helping them with child and family issues. As a psychotherapist, I work with those in all phases of life to help them better understand themselves and feel more balanced, healthy and confident. I focus on helping people through periods of transition from dating, marriage and children to divorce, illness and bereavement as well as women's issues as dictated by different life stages. My other areas of experience include career transitions, adaptation to today's changing job market and developing interviewing skills. I also specialize in grief therapy.

I am honored to accompany people on the very personal journey of growth & healing. Life is not easy; it takes courage to share your vulnerabilities in order to unpack hurt, identify inner strengths & hope, and create solutions towards change. My first step is to truly understand your experiences, your perspective on the world, and the unique intersecting identities you bring into the therapeutic space so that I may offer insights or strategies specific to your situation & personality. I frequently treat self-esteem, shame, identity or relationship concerns, women's issues , codependency, and those with a history of family violence.

I practice through an integrative approach grounded in client-centered, relational cultural and feminist theory. I bring a compassionate, warm, and authentic presence to my relationships with clients. I understand and empathize with your challenges and work alongside you to help alleviate pain and suffering. I do this by creating a safe, nonjudgmental space in which you feel comfortable exploring emotional and relational challenges. I help you recognize your strengths and resilience to empower you in and out of the therapeutic room. We all have an inherent ability to heal, we just need the right tools in order to do so.

I know that starting this process can feel overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. Using warmth, empathy, direct feedback and skill building I can help you more fully understand yourself and your relationships and therefore feel empowered to start living the life you want to live. While it is important to minimize daily struggles that get in the way of being fully present in your life and relationships, I firmly believe that healing comes from exploring how our past experiences have affected the ways in which we interpret and interact with our world in the present.

I have always held a passion for the therapeutic process and understand the power of therapy. I believe the therapeutic relationship between client and therapist is essential for progress to be made. There is no one size fits all therapist! I take a person centered approach as well as recognizing the need for coping skills and mindfulness. I strives to create a safe environment through authenticity, trust, directness, and of course a little humor. Through this, I believe that one can achieve a state of contentedness and peace that we are all constantly searching for.

I believe it is a great honor and privilege to accompany my clients on their journeys of healing and self-discovery. Informed by a background in the arts, education, and community organizing, my approach is at its core systems-informed, intersectional, humanistic, and client-centered while drawing on ACT, CBT, and solution-focused interventions. With an interpersonal style marked by warmth, acceptance, sincerity, and dry humor, I use the therapeutic relationship as a space to create authentic connections, empowering clients to harness their own unique strengths, talents, and life experiences towards growth and integration.

My primary goal as a therapist is to provide an affirmative and supportive environment in which you feel comfortable exploring and experiencing true authenticity within yourself and in navigating that authenticity across relationships and different spaces. I believe that by living the most authentic version of ourselves we can then embrace experiencing the full range of emotions that life offers us, including difficult emotions and thoughts, unpleasant memories and unwanted urges and sensations, with courage, radical acceptance and deep compassion.

Entering an intimate space with yourself is no easy task. But with the help of someone you trust, it makes the journey a bit easier to embrace. It is my belief that my job as a therapist is to help my clients connect the dots within their lives to enhance their mental health. This is done by unpacking, exploring and examining roadblocks from our past that are preventing us from being present in the present. This type of awareness helps to foster continual growth & grants access to understanding the story behind our behaviors.

I use a strength-based approach and believe that every individual has a set of unique strengths and abilities that can help them through life’s difficulties. I believe strengths are just as important to discuss in therapy as are the so-called “presenting issues” which brought you into therapy in the first place. I have a great appreciation for other people and my treatment is viewed through a multicultural perspective which allows me to have awareness and sensitivity to my clients’ diverse backgrounds and experiences. My ideal client is looking for a partner to help them in the change process.

I am a humanistic, client centered psychotherapist. I understand that living with symptoms that feel overwhelming can rupture confidence in yourself and in your ability to handle life's challenges. My goal is to help clients repair and deepen this trust in themselves over the course of therapy. No matter how great the challenges, I believe that we are all capable of growth and healing. As your therapist, I will walk beside you in this process. I will help you rediscover and build upon your unique strengths, voice, spark and purpose.

I strive to use interventions that meet the specific needs of my clients in a safe, comfortable, and nonjudgmental way. I often use a cognitive-behavioral approach (CBT) in psychotherapy as I help my clients adjust and overcome maladaptive thinking patterns and behaviors. I also utilize dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) and other therapeutic modalities as a way of teaching clients important coping techniques to manage their stress and navigate their challenges. My goal is to help my clients learning healthy ways of living and a positive mindset to overcome challenges.

Accepting new clients in June - People often enter therapy feeling anxious, depressed, confused, or unsure of how to deal with a change or loss. I believe therapy offers a safe environment to express yourself freely, deepen your understanding of yourself, and make positive long-lasting changes in your life. My therapy approach combines warmth, compassion, and humor. Through this, I can provide you with ​support and guidance to help navigate through life's challenges. Clients enjoy having a space that is dedicated just to them to process their emotions.

******I will be on maternity leave beginning 11/1/21 and will not be taking new clients until I return in January 2022******** I have found the heart of therapeutic work lies in meeting clients where they are and supporting individuals as they identify what they already know to be true. I view every client through a strengths-based, trauma informed, and holistic lens. I believe in a compassionate, integrative approach to managing life's challenges and overwhelm with a focus on mindfulness-based work. I also strongly believe in healing by integrating the cognitive, physical and spiritual elements of the self.

Have you found yourself struggling with your relationship with your body and food? Do you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, sadness, self-doubt, or struggling to heal from painful past experiences? Perhaps you even desire more connection with others in your life, but find it difficult to show your authentic self out of fear that you may not be “enough.” If so, know that your experiences matter and that it is possible to live a life that feels meaningful to you. As human beings we all need support and guidance in our lives and deserve a sense of peace. Therapy can be a remarkable way to heal and live more authentically.

If you or someone you love is struggling with finding their value, misplaced identity, has experienced sexual trauma, or is battling with low self-worth and broken relationships, I would be honored to walk along side you to offer a new experience of freedom and healing. If having genuine and authentic relationships with friends and family, being free from the wounds of the past, and having peace even when life's circumstances are hard are some of your goals, I would love to meet with you and discover how I can walk along side you in order to achieve purpose and experience life in a meaningful way.

We all have challenges in life and having a person whose only vested interest is in you can be infinitely helpful when figuring it all out. My clients are the driving force in therapy and it is their plan that is most important. I assist clients in identifying the areas of life that are working well to enhance other areas and begin to make changes to improve situations. By utilizing mindfulness strategies and challenging potentially distorted thinking patterns, clients become more at peace and satisfied in life.

Many of us often struggle to overcome difficult experiences and the challenges of life, but it is important to know that you are not alone. I am dedicated to creating a safe, nurturing space where we can work together to explore issues and move forward with new, more adaptive coping skills. My goal as a therapist is to provide each client with compassionate psychotherapy that leads to satisfying changes, restoring balance, and living a more meaningful life.

*Not Accepting new clients* Seeking help for life's challenges is a courageous step. I am committed to helping people live happier and more fulfilling lives. Together we will set individualized goals to meet your needs and find solutions to your problems. I am integrative in my approach to therapy and work with clients to better understand how certain thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and interpersonal issues contribute to distress. My style is interactive, collaborative, warm, and relational. I provide clients with a supportive yet challenging environment to attain a better understanding of self and of one's goals and values.

I have had 30+ years of counseling experience with individuals, couples and in support groups mainly in medical settings helping people and their families cope with cancer and other difficult medical diagnosis. My other specialties include working with people around issues related to self esteem, communication, relationship improvement, identity, life transitions, and women's issues . I have special interest in working with couples and running support groups as well.