Trauma and PTSD Therapists in Park Ridge, IL

Founder of the Holistic Therapy Institute, Dr. Cynthia Yesko is a counselor and educator with over 30 years’ experience helping clients rework old stress patterns that can interfere with health and wellness into more updated patterns that make it easier to navigate ordinary stressors and extraordinary challenges. The institute offers counseling and am education program for professionals. Dr. Yesko specializes in trauma , clergy abuse, and betrayal trauma . She uses techniques such as meditation, mindfulness, progressive relaxation, guided imagery, and deep breathing to help reset the body’s relaxation response.

I believe everyone has an inherent capacity to change, find solutions, heal from pain, and create a purposeful life. Using a strengths based approach, I collaborate with clients to identify issues that are most troubling to them and tailor the clinical experience to best fit the clinical needs. I strive to a provide down to earth and accessible environment that will foster a confidential professional relationship, which in turn provides a solid foundation for personal growth. A client best suited for my practice will be someone who wants to be heard and accepted, and someone who appreciates feedback, observation, and validation.

Everyone deserves empathetic help and support. Clients who are experiencing addiction or are in recovery, as well as their loved ones, are my specialty. Clients affected by anxiety, mood disorders, and trauma are also a population I frequently work with, especially younger adults. No matter what you are coming to therapy for, I strive to build a collaborative relationship with my clients, and to help you to cultivate the changes you are seeking for your life and overall well-being.

My name is Michelle Waters and I am a licensed counselor (LCPC) and art therapist (ATR). My passion is to help people find their inner power and cultivate the true self through art and talk therapy. I believe that creating art with my clients provides a safe space to discuss issues that might be challenging to talk about otherwise. Therapy is tough, but embedding art in that process takes some of the pressure off and helps develop positive and healthy coping skills. Some of my favorite materials to work with include ceramics, drawing, comics, painting, crochet, and sewing.

I am passionate about helping individuals, couples, teenagers, and young adults who struggle with anxiety, depression, relationships, have experienced trauma , or grief and loss, seek to have a more integrated, meaningful life. I view the therapeutic relationship as a shared experience and honor the intrinsic value in all people. I am inspired by the strength and resiliency of my clients, and practice from a place of compassion. My goal is to help clients recognize their strengths, and learn the skills they need to become agents of happiness, fulfillment, and change in their own lives.

I utilize a trauma -informed integrated approach that tailors to the needs of each client. I support clients seeking to learn skills to develop inner strength, find self-awareness, and improve mindfulness. We will collaborate on techniques and treatment goals that allow you the freedom to begin the healing process of the body, mind, spirit, and recovery. As a veteran, I also provide support to veterans and first responders. In my experience with addiction, trauma , PTSD , and life transitions, I find that encompassing acceptance, compassion, and autonomy brings healing and improves the quality of life.

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor. I obtained my two Master degrees in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Forensic Mental Health Leadership from Adler University in Chicago, Illinois. I also completed my internship training with the YWCA Evanston/Northshore, Unaccompanied Children at Heartland Alliance, and Tuesday’s Child working primarily with children, adolescents, their parents, and women. These internships have made me multiculturally competant and aware. Social justice is a term she does not take lightly and incorporates with each client. As an Adlerian alumni, being a social justice practitioner is a must.

It takes a great deal of courage to share your experiences with someone, and I am honored to walk this journey with you! Together we can explore how current (and past) stressors and uncertainties may be impacting your lived experience. I aim to co-create an open and warm therapeutic space of collaboration where we can unfold your experiences and culture while strengthening insight, healthy coping skills, and self-compassion. In this process we can explore a holistic understanding of your self in the context of your relationships and the world. I offer easy-to-use, HIPAA-compliant TeleHealth/teletherapy services.

Do you sometimes feel like you can't get beyond events that have happened in your life? Do you feel troubled or haunted by them despite your best efforts to move on? Are you withdrawn, unpredictable or irritable, releasing your feelings on the ones you love most. You may feel like you can't control your emotions or life. We work to help you understand what is happening in your brain and body that prevent you from digesting what has happened and to help you put it in the past, to move on. At The Juniper Center, we're helping you live your best life.

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Do you have trouble staying focused, concentrating, functioning normally? Most people that seek out my expertise do because they're either in crisis or struggling, and within a few sessions, they are feeling more in control, more peaceful, and more aware of their capabilities to manage their lives and relationships better.

As a LCPC, Mediator, and Clinical Supervisor with over 15 years of experience, I focus on the resiliencies clients already possess and offer tools and interventions to help overcome barriers. Some areas I specialize in are anxiety, depression, trauma , major life events, divorce and familial conflict, and LGBTQ specific issues. I have worked across different levels of care and understand the importance of a trusting, therapeutic relationship. I partner with individuals to focus on their strengths, reflect insight from the past, and find new ways to work through present challenges and toward goals for the future.

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.

Sometimes life's problems can seem overwhelming, or make us feel stuck in place. I would enjoy helping you find a way beyond whatever is holding you back. Even as losses seem to block or narrow our paths forward, I have to believe that exciting challenges and possibilities continue to draw us onward, if we can hold fast to the notion that we humans, working together, are forever capable of growth and change. I can especially help you with aging, transitions, depression, anxiety, trauma , and religious/existential issues, as well as affirmative approaches to LGBTQI+ concerns.

Do you experience moments that are confusing and overwhelming? Do you find yourself searching for answers to overcome obstacles that prevent you from living your best life? Therapy is an avenue to explore your unique situation and assist in obtaining skills to find success. Utilizing various evidence based approaches, one can become empowered to manage life challenges.

My specialty is connecting! Connection is the key to all relationships and especially the therapeutic relationship. Also, as a Play therapist, I am uniquely qualified to treat children and teens and have special expertise in working with challenging behavior as well as trauma or difficult life circumstances. I also include parents in the therapy process in order to ensure they have the skills and support they need for success! Connecting in therapy, with both children and parents, creates lasting changes and positive growth!

Many people avoid seeking help for fear that they or their children will be labeled. My motto is: "Peel off the labels and see the person underneath." I believe you are a person with unique needs, strengths, and challenges, that there are complex reasons you are living the life you are living today - AND, you can improve. Emotional pain and problems are just as natural and normal as physical pain and problems. When we let go of the labels we have about ourselves, our problems, or therapy in general, we can begin healing the pain and resolving the problems.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience working with children ages 3-18, with a variety of emotional and behavioral issues. I specialize in working with children who have experienced trauma , particularly abuse and attachment trauma . I have a nurturing, yet directive style that helps children and families to feel at ease, as I believe that safety in the therapeutic relationship is most important. My passion lies in helping children emotionally heal, and helping parents to play an integral role in this process. I know that it is difficult to ask for help for your child, and feel privileged to do so.