Therapists in Niles, IL

Currently, there is no wait list for appointments. I am a clinical psychologist with a special area of interest and expertise in anxiety, trauma, anger and addictive behaviors. I specialize in guiding people through difficult past experiences, navigating current worries, and replacing unhealthy habits. My approach involves promoting recovery, facilitating emotional growth and building coping skills to gain renewed clarity and to take on life's challenges. Through the delivery of research-supported therapies, I focus on examining difficult thoughts/emotions, promoting self-compassion, and developing healthy and loving relationships.

Are you looking for an Asian therapist who sees and hears you? Do you experience complicated feelings due to the racial dynamics around you? Are you trying to understand the ways your body responds to emotions or trauma? Through a collaborative relationship with me, you will learn not to fear your own emotions but to empower yourself. Your survival strategies, cultural identities, inner strength, and creativity deserve to be honored and validated. A trusting and loving therapeutic relationship with me will help you rediscover your self-love, self-compassion, and confidence while sharing your life stories.

I believe that only by establishing deep human trust can any plan to help be healing in therapy. Listening with my heart is what I most strive to do. Without such listening and commitment who will let you in to stand beside them as they near the perils of this world, and this life? I am deeply grateful for all such sharing when it is reached. Additionally, I am utterly committed to lifelong professional learning, which, at its' best, makes helping more trustable and more powerful. It has been my pleasure and honor to have taught in this inspirational field at the college level. Join me, please, in this heartfelt undertaking.

I am motivated to help clients find authentic self-expression & new paths for growth. I bring experience in social services supporting clients in harmful relationships, building relational skills & enhancing safety. Being fully seen & understood is a uniquely liberating experience. My emphatic approach, warmth, and attuned listening help create a safe space where you can relax. As you become freer, you become compassionate, ultimately approaching your concerns effectively & more creatively. I am committed to providing services that are trauma-informed, culturally-sensitive, & inclusive of diverse identities, expressions & practices.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist who will offer you a safe, caring, and supportive environment. In my 20 + years of clinical experience, I believe having a mutual and reciprocal therapeutic relationship is one of the first steps for growth and change. I value your input and will work with you as a team to help you identify and achieve your goals. I have a strong background in treating children, adolescents and adults with issues related to mood, relationships, adjustments to life transitions, anxiety, work or school performance, medical issues, eating disorders, substance abuse, stress, parenting, and other psychological disorders.

My areas of expertise include treating Trauma, Depression. Anxiety, and Substance Use Disorders. I am currently living abroad, so my availability to meet for individual therapy sessions via telehealth would work well for someone who has a non-traditional schedule. I take a trauma-informed approach, working with each client on things such as resource building (developing coping skills or identifying strengths they have, for example), relationship building, and gaining a stronger sense of self. For individuals who are seeking residential Trauma treatment, I also provide services for Yatra Trauma Treatment Center in Thailand.

You might be struggling with a painful relationship right now, feeling alternately drawn to and pulled apart from a particular someone. It may be a spouse, parent, sibling, child, friend, even co-worker. Or you might be involved in the often-difficult process of individuation, "growing up," sorting through who you are and who you want to be in the world, distinct from your roles as daughter/son, spouse, parent. My family-therapy skills have proven useful in healing relationship traumas such as abuse, affairs, or divorce, as well as with more general complaints of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and anger.

I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with over ten years of experience working with individuals, couples, families and children, contending with a wide range of issues, from mild adjustment difficulties to more chronic issues. I believe that a successful therapy experience occurs within a unique therapist-client relationship that is safe,collaborative, empowering and person focused. I draw from a range of treatment approaches to tailor treatment based on the presenting problem, current research, and the specific life circumstances and personal attributes that are unique to my clients.

I specialize in substance abuse. I am a seasoned counselor and for the past decade my focus has been on working with individuals, groups, families, and couples who are struggling with substance use. I have led others to a life of understanding themselves and their relationships with substances. I have led many to make sense of the insanity that surrounds the disease of addiction.

My practice involves helping individuals, couples and families identify,and build strengths and resilience, while identifying and shifting issues that constrain the fullest potential of stability, satisfaction and joy. I am collaborative and relational in style. I have experience working with issues including, anxiety, depression, trauma, loss, eating disorder and addictions. My approach involves the provision of support, understanding and encouragement to enhance awareness and success for the creation of meaning and satisfaction. My style is interactive and I offer strategies and feedback to enhance client's achievement of goals.

I work to create an atmosphere that is safe for my clients. I may use humor, ask more questions, make comments. As we progress, I will suggest new ways to approach situations and problems. Sometimes I teach my clients relaxation techniques. We talk. I listen. Sometimes I teach or even pray with my clients. In my office, folks are invited to be direct, to be honest, and to know that there will be no judgment of them for revealing their "dark side." Their challenge is reveal who and what they are. Mine is to make it safe.

   •    COVID-19  UPDATE:   http://margaretgrau.net/covid/    •     I help people to discover the best within themselves, and to use their strengths to overcome internal and external obstacles to success. I am interested in working with a wide range of clients and concerns. My approach is to work collaboratively to resolve conflicts that may be impeding your progress.

My therapeutic approach is client-centered, strengths-based, creative and collaborative, one in which I often incorporate meditation and somatic work, informed by Internal Family Systems (IFS) theory. I seek to create a therapeutic environment where you will feel heard, validated and understood. We live in a society where we often feel we should weather stress alone but sometimes having someone truly hear you and see you makes all the difference.

Live the life you want! In 20+ years of working with clients, I have developed a clinical style based on how I would like to be treated if I were the client; a respectful, relaxed atmosphere providing excellent care - sometimes even fun. I work collaboratively to clarify my client's problems and resources, to address their concerns and help them get to where they want to be in life. I don't label my clients and often see myself as a type of teacher or coach. Additionally I worked for 7 years in a major corporation and understand the real world.

I (Dr. Crystal Bauer) am a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder of the Anxiety Wellness Center of Chicagoland. I have been specializing in the treatment of anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related disorders to individuals across the lifespan for nearly a decade. I have extensive training in cognitive-behavioral therapy, specifically exposure therapy/exposure and response prevention (ERP), behavioral activation, behavior modification, mindfulness and other CBT techniques. Through these modalities, you learn how to identify and challenge unhelpful thinking patterns, respond in a more effective manner, and learn how to tolerate and accept discomfort.

I've found it helpful in my practice to be direct and to the point, while maintaining professional and nurturing relationships with my clients. I believe strongly in modeling healthy boundaries, and helping clients to strengthen their own. I love what I do, and I know my clients can sense that. I think my clients can also sense the great respect I have for them. Asking for help is never easy. Especially when one feels vulnerable.

Are you facing challenges with relationships, a life or career transition, finding work/life balance or managing your stress? Do you feel disconnected or "off-track" from who you want to be in your life and relationships? Perhaps you feel ready to make a change. I can help you get started. Call now or use this secure form to reach out: https://www.empathic.com/cp/client/register?clinic=451.

I believe that counseling can be a space for you to explore the obstacles that are getting in your way of achieving your goals. In treatment we will focus on what is working in your life and build from those successes to help you make the change you want to make.

I have been helping people overcome life's challenges for 20+ years. I utilize a strength-based individual supportive approach to life stressors, family conflict, and behavioral issues. I work with adults, adolescents, and families struggling with a full range of issues, including those related to drug and alcohol addiction. I have experience with the adult and juvenile criminal justice systems, drug courts, the Health and Human Services systems, and the local school systems. I have provided individual and group therapy to the criminal justice population, as well as group therapy to those involved in out-patient substance abuse programs.