Therapists in Wilmette, IL

As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I am extensively trained to work with individuals of every age and stage of development, along with additional specialized training for couples and families. I apply a systemic perspective and strength-based and resilience approach with clients, while blending evidence-based theory into practice. I work with life stage transitions, marital satisfaction and intimacy issues, high conflict, anxiety, depression, divorced or remarried or blended families, anger management, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, multi-cultural communication, stress management, family of origin issues, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trauma, spiritual development, and work/life balance.

Approximately 50% of my clients have an addiction or are friends/family of an addicted individual. I am able to help you assess the addiction, understand how it is affecting you and your family, and help you develop a plan for recovery. If you are already in recovery, your counseling can further help you understand any underlying issues that may contribute to or drive the compulsions. This may include such things as anxiety, depression, life stressors, trauma, to name a few. I have a positive approach that focuses on strengths and success, building on those assets, more than pathology.

Change is hard. But change is necessary when we find ourselves in situations where we feel sad, anxious, angry or stuck. My ultimate goal as a therapist is to help you develop more options in life -- to help you realize your potential in love, work and play. This involves the development of new ways of thinking, feeling and behaving. I will be your collaborator in this process. I will strive to create a safe, empathic and non-judgmental environment that will allow you to identify and explore your current struggles. Working together, change is possible.

You've been feeling distressed. Maybe it's because you're concerned that an important relationship grows more conflicted or distant no matter what you've tried. Maybe it's because you're wrestling with thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that interfere with your everyday life. Finding a good match for therapy is essential to your success; you want someone who will be a knowledgeable, caring guide. Working with your personal strengths, I will join with you to find the solutions you need. Asking for feedback, listening empathically, and answering your questions are ways I collaborate with you from the beginning.

I'm fully empathic with the emotional suffering that comes with being human. I always approach whatever my patient comes in with from the perspective that they are right to be having the emotional experience they're having; i.e., there ARE reasons for it. No judgment. No blame. As I engage in a therapeutic alliance with them, we explore together for understandings and meanings to learn those reasons, which no one can do alone. Thru the alliance with me as a trusted professional, my patient gains early symptom relief and is fostered in higher functioning thru feeling better, within ever increasing depths of emotional learning.

I view psychotherapy as an opportunity for personal growth and greater self-understanding. While it is important to address specific issues in the here and now, often the process can also lead to broader gains in self-awareness and life satisfaction. My approach is collaborative, supportive, and tailored to each person's unique needs and goals. I will work with you to address your concerns, overcome obstacles and find greater personal satisfaction.

How we make sense of our life experiences and deal with life's challenges is important for all of us. Adoption adds a layer of complexity. Issues of attachment, trauma, loss, race/identity, behavioral regulation, self-esteem and the impact of difficult/unknown early history take on added significance as children grow and mature into young adults. At The Cradle Center for Lifelong Support, I work with all members of the adoption circle My expertise is in strengthening children and their families by improving attachment, communication and understanding through individual/family therapy, parent coaching and education.

All of us -- women and men, young and old, poor, middle class and upscale folks, minorities and majorities -- have to deal with complexity. As a therapist I help heal hurts from the past, assist clients in managing present challenges, and work collaboratively to create more satisfying future lives. The people who see me for individual, couples and family therapy represent a culturally diverse group. Their difficulties range from anxiety and depression, to stress disorders, OCD/OCPD, relationship problems, employment issues, and bereavement. Many of these women and men report quick progress in better managing their personal, family, academic, and work lives.

My approach derives from psychodynamic, family systems, relational and cognitive schools of psychotherapy. I want to help my clients achieve greater clarity about their circumstances, choices, relationships, and ultimately, themselves. I am highly engaged and attuned, warm, enthusiastic and personable. I find that when clients feel seen, deeply understood, and accepted, their internal compasses become more finely tuned, enabling them to make life choices that better align with their values and personal nature. These changes become vehicles for developing new ways of thinking, feeling, and relating to others.

When children struggles with their feelings, the whole family feels it. Whether they have big emotional displays, are fighting back, acting out, or shutting down, parents can end up struggling, too. You don't know how to make it better for your kiddo and everything you've tried has hit a wall. That's where I come in. I provide therapy for children ages 3-12 in the form of play therapy, which is therapy that's tailored for each child to meet them where they're at developmentally.

As a trauma informed therapist, I aim provide culturally sensitive and empowerment focused therapy when working with individuals, couples, and families. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Earlham College and Master of Arts in Counseling from Illinois School of Professional Psychology. I utilizes empathic listening and supportive techniques to help explore concerns and goals.

Through research, education and clinical services, The Family Institute at Northwestern University is one of the nation's leading relationship-based behavioral health organizations committed to strengthening and healing the whole family system by bringing together the right partners to support children, adults, couples and families across the lifespan. As researchers, educators and therapists, we work with our clients and PARTNER TO SEE CHANGE. By weaving together 175 therapists and therapists-in-training, we create a high quality, collaborative system of behavioral health care. One that gets results.

From the moment a teenager or young adult becomes my client, I am dedicated to providing expert, optimal care as well as empathy and accessibility. As a psychotherapist and an advocate, my collaboration with additional health providers, psychiatrists and school administrators and educators is often pivotal to my clients' success.

For over 15 years I have worked with children, teens and adults managing difficulties with social, emotional and behavioral difficulties. The diverse experience with each age has given me insight to share in the therapy room with you. I address each challenge with great care and energy to help move toward growth with you or your child to find understanding and greater ways of coping, being in relationships and thriving.

Children, teens, and adults each approach their problems from differing levels of life-experience and developmentally varied problem-solving skill sets. They also have differing neurological availability to the resources and strategies that their brains can employ. At Collaborators, Inc., we work with people where they are in time, place, development, neurology, and life space. Hearing people process their experiences in this way, and joining with them in making sense of challenges, relationship issues, conflicts, and family history issues makes for a context where people can find new ways to explore their world with confidence.

People often search for a therapist when they feel like they've tried everything and it's just not working well enough. It can be hard to see a situation clearly when you've been immersed in it for so long. I help people to take a step back, so they can see things more objectively. Through psychotherapy, people can find internal strength and resources they didn't know were there. They can then start to see new perspectives, both of themselves and their situations, and can begin to make changes.

I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 25 years of experience helping people with a variety of presenting problems. Are anxiety, depression, health or relationship issues making you feel "stuck" and keeping you from living the life you want right now? I work collaboratively with my clients building on already existing strengths to help reach the goals of behavioral and emotional growth. My approach is integrative, and I find using cognitive/behavioral and family/systems thinking to be most effective in helping my clients.

I have extensive experience working with school-aged children experiencing social, emotional and behavioral difficulties. I provide full psychological assessments as well as individual and family therapeutic intervention typically working with children and their families engaging in intervention strategies to better moderate struggles related to ADHD and Mood Disorders. Additionally, I also work therapeutically with children experiencing peer difficulties and social skills deficits consistent with a Nonverbal Learning Disability, ADHD and Mood Disorders.

I am a firm believer therapy can assist individuals, couples, and families achieve personal success when a safe and consistent environment is provided and when therapeutic interventions and techniques are tailored. I have a variety of clinical experience working with children, adolescents, and adults from diverse populations in settings such as a crisis center, college counseling centers, inpatient psychiatric hospital, community mental health centers, forensic outpatient program, and private practice. With that said, I continue to love assisting others in their journey and feel honored in witnessing growth and transformation occur.