Marriage Counseling Therapists in Evanston, IL

Welcome! I'm experienced in helping individual clients and couples address the barriers to the meaningful life they deserve. Whether it's anxiety, stress, panic, depression, a relationship or other concerns, I collaborate with clients to gain more insight and tools to gain relief. Clients often struggle to wade through "the noise" of everyday life to find a path to meaning or contentment. Through the years of doing this job, clients have continually inspired me in showing people's capacity for change. I am level three Gottman method trained for couples and marriage counseling .

Maybe you are reading this because you want something to change in your life. It’s a daring step to reach out to a stranger and trust them. I know therapy can help. It has helped me in my life, and it has helped many of my clients over the years. I offer free consultations with clients before we begin because a good fit is important. Although I have worked in agencies, hospitals and group practices, I think some of my best training has come from navigating a 24 year marriage , raising kids, and launching them into adulthood. I enjoy helping people work through anxiety and depression and get their life back.

My work years ago with adolescents led naturally to working more closely with parents, who often struggle themselves during this turbulent time for their children. A third of my practice is with adolescents (anxiety, depression, academic underachievement, identity issues), another third with parents and couples/ marriage (with or without children), and the other third with individual adults (anxiety, depression, issues of generativity in personal and/or professional lives).

With over thirty years of experience, I love working with couples and individuals who are in all seasons of the life cycle - from young adulthood to later life. I specialize in helping people resolve complicated relationship issues and interpersonal problems. "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results..." is a saying in 12 Step programs. If those words resonate with you, I will be glad to help you try to understand what your patterns are about and how to change them. I am especially sensitiveto understanding clients in their cultural and faith contexts.

On the journey through life we ride the path through an ever changing landscape. We encounter both predictable challenges precipitated by typical life cycle events as well as the unpredictable and unexpected. Sometimes we veer off course, lose our way or hit a road block. Lifecycle Therapy provides the guidance needed to try a new path and find our way forward again.

*I am unable to accept new clients at this time* I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who works with adult individuals, couples, and families. My areas of expertise are with emerging adults dealing with the unique challenges of transitioning into adulthood, couples in conflict or for whom trauma histories exist for one or both partners, and women coping with balancing the many roles they occupy. If you feel disconnected, either from yourself or others, I will join you in a process of being present and experiencing the transformative power of being seen and heard so that you can begin to see and hear your true self.

As a therapist specializing in neurodivergence, Julia has encountered many parents, families, and kids all trying to find clinician that both “gets” the mental health disorder their child is facing while equally understanding autism spectrum disorder, chromosomal differences, ADHD, developmental differences, and the neurodivergence of their child’s mind. Julia saw the huge demands on parents, sought to understand the hopes they have for their children and the hopes children have for themselves. In doing so, she has become a partner with parents, kids and families to reduce the stress of the therapy experience.

“I am accepting new clients. My goal is to help you better understand your thoughts, behaviors and relationships so you can build the life that you always wanted. I approach every client as a unique individual who needs compassion and care to achieve balance and learn the skills necessary for growth. “I believe in the strength of each individual, and their resiliency. I use humor and empathy as we work through difficult times in your life, and provide challenge to help you on your path. “I use an integrative approach, drawing from a psychodynamic and systems-based framework, mindfulness, CBT, DBT and trauma-informed treatment.

You are the expert on your experience, I simply serve as a guide to the process. - Therapy is a partnership between you and me, (and my corgi Bennett who may make an appearance now and then - don’t worry, he’s bound by HIPAA too). - I am honored to be in a position where I am able to support my community. The community served include those struggling with a variety of relationship, intimacy, and sexual issues. I also work well with those who are navigating cultural transitions, such as self-identity / exploration, marriage , blended families, immigrants, and refugees. Navigating various domains of life is tough and you are not alone.

I specialize in couples counseling, family counseling, counseling with men, and premarital counseling. I help clients make meaning of their struggles, articulate their desires, and collaborate to reach their goals. I normalize and interpret conflict in terms of differences, identity, connection, and power issues. Intimacy and anger, stress and time constraints, are often the focus of our work together. I tend to be fairly transparent and strengths-focused. I also specialize in the integration of spirituality and psychotherapy.

The future feels uncertain and we are anxious and depressed from a sense of powerlessness. We have returned to being very busy yet feel lonely and disconnected from others. We rely more on partners/spouses to meet our needs. Our children are caught up on social media and we worry about their chances for happiness and success. How do we manage what feels overwhelming and outside our control? How do we find time to think? Therapy is a space to slow it down and make needed changes in life. I will help you quiet the racing thoughts and create a better understanding of who you are and what you want in your one precious, life.

We all work hard to take care of ourselves and build positive relationships, but sometimes obstacles get in our way. For more than 20 years, I have worked with people to identify and remove those obstacles, so that they can lead fuller and more joyful lives. You may be derailed by the loss of a job or relationship; feel depressed and not know why, or struggle as a parent. I work with individuals, couples and families to pinpoint your concerns and work toward change. My emphasis is on building honest, open relationships and on using insight to fuel change.

I am a very experienced, energetic, interactive psychologist who listens carefully and empathically in order to assist in creating solutions to your life difficulties. For relationship difficulties- marital , pre- marital or employment based- I focus on previous and current relationship experiences to clarify expectations and characteristic modes of interacting that are unproductive and unrewarding. Treating anxiety, depression and low self-esteem and are my forte. I offer evening hours Monday-Thursday to accommodate hectic and demanding schedules. I offer Saturday hours in my Evanston office.

Ajit Samudra is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in IL with over 20 years of experience helping children, teens, young adults, and families. He earned his Bachelor's Degree in Psychology at Case Western Reserve University and completed his Master's Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Indiana State University. Ajit also completed postgraduate studies at The Family Institute at Northwestern University. Ajit has extensive experience working with children, youth, and families in community mental health and school settings. He has helped clients with a broad range of presenting problems, including school problems, ADHD, executive function, and emotion regulation difficulties. He has worked with clients exhibiting anxiety, depression, stress and anger management problems, adjustment to life transitions, self-esteem, and work/life balance in young adults. Ajit is a strong believer in collaborating with clients and families and using a systemic, multicultural lens to help clients cope with stressors and create positive change. He works with individuals, families and couples and enjoys working with clients from a variety of cultural backgrounds.

As a senior hospital-trained psychologist, I enjoy providing insight-oriented care to individuals and families who are curious about how they contribute to their own difficulties in living. I also enjoy consulting on psycholegal matters and mentoring colleagues. I work with many successful people who are struggling in a particular area such as work or marriage . I enjoy working with people to find more meaning in their careers. I also have a subspecialization in addictions. I also use my behavior change expertise to address our addiction to oil and the preservation of our planet for future generations.

My specialty is couple and family counseling, and of course, I also see individuals ages 12 and up. I have significant experience working with children and families who are involved with DCFS. I have helped families deal with issues such as divorce/re- marriage , and child abuse. I also enjoy working with parents who are re-thinking their parenting style and want to work towards a more satisfying relationship with their child(ren).

My advanced training in Marriage and Family Therapy and Sex Therapy provide me with the skills and experience necessary to help you meet your treatment goals. I strive to create a safe, non judgmental, compassionate context for clients to explore their struggles and maximize their growth potential. I work with individuals and couples with a range of presenting concerns, including, but not limited to: relationship distress, sexual functioning and satisfaction, lack of emotional and sexual intimacy, low sexual desire and/or pleasure and hypersexual behaviors ("sex addiction").

If you are experiencing marriage or relationship challenges, a difficult divorced co-parenting situation, or stressful parenting issues, there are powerful skills, and simple shifts in thinking that can give you relief and help you find peace. I believe that the challenges we face are not failures; rather they are opportunities to grow and mature into ourselves. I specialize in relationship work, couples work, divorced co-parenting issues, family relationship work, emotions work (anger issues, anxiety and grief) and individual self-growth, including life transitions. Through my work with high-conflict divorced co-parenting, I have developed tolerance, patience, compassion and skill for working with difficult and challenging relationship dynamics.