EMDR Therapists in Oak Park, IL

Sometimes life can be overwhelming. I am a licensed professional counselor that is passionate about helping clients move through their therapeutic journey to become their best healthiest selves they can be and helping my clients achieve fulfillment in their lives. My approach is compassionate and supportive. I have successfully worked with clients by assisting them to move through anxiety, depression, trauma and substance abuse issues.

I specialize in trauma therapy. I work people who have had a recent traumatic event and those who have a long history of traumatic events. I am trained in EMDR , a researched-based treatment that can greatly relieve the negative effects of traumatic experiences, depression and anxiety. PTSD is a treatable condition, not a lifetime burden! Through EMDR therapy you will make peace with your past and learn how to manage your feelings and emotions as they arise. I offer relaxation training, guided imagery, and mindfulness. I am comfortable working within your spiritual framework and your cultural background.

I support families, couples, and individuals under stress. I work with clients to uncover contexts and patterns of thoughts and behaviors that are causing distress, as well as formulate strategies that lead to visible change. Often, you as the client already know the "answers" but could use support in living those answers out. The end goal is growth; the client should be able to look back at our work together and see a difference.

I work from a systemic & justice-oriented framework, and utilize evidence-based therapeutic approaches as well as psychodynamic principles. This means my passion in treatment is to create a collaborative relationship built on authenticity, hope, and safety to make space for you to be your whole self and access healing from past experiences. I believe in the power of integration- that all parts of you deserve love and compassion. Together, we will address feelings, needs, beliefs, and the body's own wisdom, while also seeing issues in the context of the systems in which you exist.

I bring 25 years of experience in using the effective and compassionate approaches of EMDR , Internal Family Systems, Gestalt and Hakomi Somatics to heal trauma, grief, stresses of illness, depression, anxiety and relationship difficulties. I see my work as helping you bring clarity out of confusion by understanding the dynamic issues that hold you back and thus influence your future planning. This often results in reclaiming parts of yourself in order to come into your inherent wholeness. I adapt a unique blend of body/mind approaches to your specific needs, at a pace that's comfortable for you.

I believe in a person-centered approach. Together, we can explore life’s obstacles without judgment, learn new ways to balance the inner self and create a more harmonious relationship with the world around us. Currently, I support individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, PTSD, complex trauma, grief, and adjustment difficulties. As a lover of learning and education, I earned my Master’s in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago in 2013. Since then, I have committed to learning new counseling techniques and skills that help me support individuals from diverse backgrounds and those with unique life experiences.

Angry, anxious, confused, or depressed because of relationship problems? Feel your partner never listens to you? Keep having the same old fights over and over? Imago Relationship Therapy is very helpful in restoring connection, safety, and romance. As a Certified Imago Therapist I enable each partner to be heard and understood so the needs of each can be met. Usually couples experience some immediate relief from the pain of alienation and begin to rediscover the love that brought them together. If your spouse won't come for counseling, come alone! I also do individual therapy, including EMDR for trauma resolution..

As a clinician, I aim to provide space for people to mindfully connect with their values in order to develop a more fulfilling and values-driven approach to life. My goal is to help each client start making progress starting with their very first session. We may not solve all of your concerns in one session, of course, however, we can assess, start formulating a plan, and begin the process to help you achieve your therapeutic goals. I believe psychotherapy works best when a collaborative and trusting relationship serves as its foundation, and this is what I aim to foster with all clients.

Starting to see a new therapist — or your very first therapist — can be a confusing, daunting process. I get how uncomfortable it feels to be vulnerable with someone you don’t know yet, and I’m committed to honoring the bravery it takes to do that. I’m all about approaching my clients from an accepting, compassionate, and nonjudgmental place. At the same time, I believe truly caring about my clients means helping them see where change is necessary to live more fulfilling, values-driven lives.

Everyone goes through times of struggle and needs someone to listen, reflect and help them move forward. We specialize in working with persons who have experienced trauma, abuse or neglect. Trauma can lead to many life issues & symptoms that we can help you manage & alleviate. Using trauma-informed attachment focused psychotherapy we provide parents with therapeutic skills to help their children heal. I have worked with families, kids, & adults for 25 of years who have various mental illnesses and emotional challenges. Everyone deserves happiness & we can help you through the healing process to restore your mind, body & spirit.

My work focuses on our relationship and skills-building to provide relief for the symptoms that brought you into treatment in the first place while also exploring the powerful impact of early life experiences on the way you view the world and yourself in the present. I believe that the relationship developed between us provides the foundation on which to build insight and self-awareness to help you make the changes necessary to reach your unique potential and create the life you want to live. I approach therapy as a collaborative journey that asks both of us to bring our expertise into the room and use it to reach your goals!

Our life's work is helping clients achieve a better sense of self and happiness...more recently we've recognized that without good mental health providers finding this balance in life can be more difficult and stressful. As a result, we tend toward and Integrative approach and have our clients transform into the people they want to be. We see each client as an individual with many parts to their identity. Utilizing a holistic and systemic approach we help clients reintegrate the parts of themselves to function better as individuals and within their systems. Our focus tends toward a systems-based approach using behavior methods.