Therapists in Oak Park, IL

Have you been feeling overwhelmed? Are you finding it difficult to manage all of life's stressors? Are you a parent that is concerned Covid-19's impact on you child's development? If so, you are not alone. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and Art Therapist. My area of focus is children and adults with anxiety, depression, mood, or behavioral issues. I have clinical experience working in a therapeutic school for children with social, emotional, and intellectual disabilities. Additionally, I also work with veterans. As a veteran, I am uniquely qualified to help navigate the issues facing service-members.

I see adults for both individual and couple's therapy addressing many common areas of concern, including: stress; anxiety; depression; relationship issues; intimacy & communication; self-esteem & identity issues; work & life satisfaction; meaning & purpose; and general unhappiness. My style is direct and collaborative. I use a flexible approach that is adapted to each individual or couple. My approach is especially effective at getting to the root of issues, sorting through the conflict and confusion, and portraying what the trouble is in a clear new light.

Are you tired of the same old, same old and ready for real change? Do you want to find a new career? Have better relationships? Learn to manage time? Do better in school, reduce stress or start building positive habits? If any of these apply to you, then you are ready for coaching. Time to stop living an average life and get ready to take off. Here is one of my career coaching clients, "I thought I was okay at interviewing but after meeting with Pat, I was great! I had the interview and ended up getting the offer the next day. I just started and absolutely love my job."

My goal as a licensed clinical psychologist is to help you reach your optimal level of emotional and interpersonal well-being. I embrace a biopsychosocial approach because it helps you solve problems, cope better with pain, manage stressors that bother you, and teaches lasting and effective self-care skills.I approach therapy with empathy and a thoughtful analysis of your situation: it will be a safe place to explore old and new patterns of behavior as you learn adaptive coping strategies for dealing with relationships, mood problems, anxiety and fears, stress, chronic pain/health concerns, and distressing habits.

For over 40 years I have been successfully helping couples, families, and individuals change their lives for the better. My action-oriented approach begins changing unhealthy patterns of interaction immediately. It is my passion to help my clients find new strategies for dealing more positively with life's challenges in order to live happier and more fulfilling lives.

I have been working in the mental health field for over a decade with a diverse array of clients: adults, adolescents, children, families, couples, groups, foster care, substance abuse, mental illness and more. My office is conveniently located near public transportation and off street parking is available. I offer day, evening and weekend appointments and will work with you, or your insurance, to assure coverage. I would like the opportunity to build a collaborative therapeutic relationship with you and provide you with the support, honesty and understanding we all need to grow.

Reaching out for help can be difficult. It takes courage, vulnerability and hope to seek support and be open to seeing things from a new perspective. I specialize in treating anxiety, grief, depression, and family coping. I work with individuals, couples and families to help them find greater fulfillment from life and relationships. My therapeutic style is warm, empathetic, culturally sensitive and client/family centered. As a former medical social worker, I honed my therapeutic skills while working directly with medical professionals and their patients.

Do you struggle in your relationships with those you care about? Do you find yourself getting really frustrated, even doubting yourself when talking to your family or friends? Struggling to cope can lead to feeling anxious, depressed, or even having panic attacks. When we feel overwhelmed, and frequently second guess what we do and say, it makes all of life's challenges so much harder. I'd like to help.

The majority of my training and work experience has specifically focused on the assessment and treatment of psychological trauma. I believe my job is to walk alongside my clients as they unpack their traumatic experiences, while providing continued safety and validation, all at their own pace. I have extensive experience in evidence based treatments for PTSD and have been successful in treating a wide variety of individuals. I have also completed specialized training in maternal mental health. I treat women dealing with mental health issues that come up during and after pregnancy, such as anxiety, depression, and OCD. I also help women navigate pregnancy loss, infertility, and traumatic births. As a mother myself, I am passionate about working with other mothers struggling with mental health issues related to pregnancy or the postpartum period.

I believe in everyone's resilience and capacity to change and grow. I strive to foster optimism and hope so you can envision your possibilities and options in life, motivating you to try something new or different to change yourself or your life. I work collaboratively with you to explore, make sense of, and help navigate issues with relationships, work-related stress, school performance, grief, adjustment to illness, dealing with immigration or relocation, and other changes we go through.

My specialty is providing therapeutic services to children and adults. I utilize a client centered approach to join with my clients in the therapeutic process and offer gentle, non-judgmental support through the journey of therapy. I meet you where you are.

Each of us has the capacity to heal ourselves. Sometimes life stressors, transitions, and personal experiences interfere with this capacity and lead to anxiety, depression, or feeling off-balance. For children and adults alike this feels confusing and scary at times. In our work together, I will provide a space where I am fully present to guide the client towards reconnecting with their healing self. Using an attachment-based approach, we will collaborate to expand one's capacity to manage stressors and increase resiliency.

Taking steps to improve your quality of life may begin with reaching out to a therapist. I welcome you to give me a call! I have built my therapeutic practice upon the guiding principles of support and collaboration. We will work towards determining challenges and obstacles in your life and create a plan that is individualized to your needs. I take a functional approach to healing and help clients determine underlying challenges to health and wellness. I truly enjoy providing a space to help clients gain insight and understanding in order to move towards balance with improved quality of life.

LifeSpan Counseling & Psychological Services offers services to children, adolescents, adults, couples and families. I am a bilingual (Mandarin) Clinical Psychologist. My style is warm, practical and straightforward. I specialize in the treatment of depression, anxiety, autism, substance-related disorder, ADHD and trauma. I have worked extensively with culturally diverse school-aged children (5-18), and I also enjoy working with and providing support and coaching for the parents/caregivers. I use a collaborative approach with clients of all ages to help develop treatment goals that are observable and developmentally appropriate.

Are you worried, sad, or stressed? Are you concerned about your child or your family? Are you wondering if counseling might help you or your family? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then let's explore further to see how I can best serve you and your family. I help young people, emerging adults, and parents learn and use creative problem solving skills to better cope with anxiety, depression, behavioral issues, trauma histories and attachment and relationship challenges.

Life is all about relationships--beginning with the one you have with yourself. My goal is to provide a safe place for you to explore your underlying feelings leading to a better understanding and acceptance of who you are and who you can be. I will provide you a supportive relationship as you re-gain control of your life. Changes within often change relationships with others and that can be challenging, even frightening, yet rewarding. We will work together to strengthen emotional bonds with loved ones, cope with grief and loss, deal with trauma, and maintain a sense of inner balance.

Very rarely in our lives are we given the opportunity and the space to truly look at ourselves, where we have been, and the person we are looking to become. At Kate Giandonato & Associates, we create an environment where you can safely look at yourself, relationships, and potential barriers to achieving your goals. Our relationship-based training in Social Work + Child Development has given us the background to notice and work through the conflicting messages, thoughts and emotions present not only in the parent-child relationship, but in every relationship. We work with our clients to better understand and negotiate these most important relationships.

Providing a confidential, supportive environment where a client is heard and understood is extremely important, and I take this responsibility very seriously. Developing a relationship of trust is crucial to the process of change for clients of any age.

Our providers have Master’s degree in counseling and social work. Our experience has been in the area of mental health both inpatient and outpatient spanning over the past 30 years providing individual psychotherapy for adults, adolescents, couples and families as well as EAP counseling support. Many of our providers have also enjoyed doing group therapy for Stress management, adult partial hospitalization program, co-facilitating parents group, case management, crisis stabilization, and in-home counseling.