Therapists in Park Ridge, IL

SPACE for new BCBS Blue Choice/ PPO and Aetna PPO Illinois clients. It's an honor to be trusted with some of the most difficult and personal areas of people's lives. I respect how challenging it can be to come to therapy and speak to a stranger. Many people say they don't want a therapist who "sits quietly and nods" while they talk. I provide a comfortable and safe space for people to share their concerns, and our time together can be conversational and direct. I can be an active partner in your choice to move forward in your life. Therapy is a place to explore together, improve the quality of your life and expand your choices.

Life is messy. Relationships are messy. Parenting . . . really messy. Whatever it is that's going on, perhaps your situation is leaving you anxious, depressed, discouraged, and maybe even a little hopeless at times. I Imagine you're here because you don't want to feel this way anymore. You're ready for something - anything, really - to change. Maybe someone encouraged you to reach out because they're worried about you. Maybe you're worried too. The good news is it doesn't have to be this way. It's your life to live. Let's work together to find out who YOU are and what matters most to you.

I have experienced profound change and healing in my life. I see how my most significant shifts have been due to the incredible help I have been blessed to receive. I feel called to serve as your guide, and share the gifts I've been given on my journey. I really believe in your unique process and that you have what you need to heal yourself. Support and guidance are essential for you to most deeply discover what you are seeking. I look forward to assisting you in reaching your next level of growth.

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 Are you withdrawn, unpredictable or irritable, releasing your feelings on the ones you love most.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.

At The Juniper Center you will find LGBTQ centered care. We are owned and directed by a therapist and a member of our community. Your name, your pronouns, your identity belong to you. Helping you heal belongs with us. You don't want to have to hide any of who you are. Whether your gender does not match your body, your identity does not match your gender, you love someone born the same sex as you or you love someone who is working their way through these issues, we are here to help. Perhaps you are a parent wanting to understand your child, or to help your child find a positive way through confusing issues.

People often come to therapy seeking strength and motivation to improve their lives and simply to feel better. I will work with you to discover and connect with what motivates you in a warm and practical atmosphere that supports self-acceptance, growth and confidence in your own unique abilities. A strong connection with self (values, boundaries, strengths, wants and needs) is the foundation for our meaningful connections with others. Trauma, life transitions, and the general messiness of life can sometimes require us to re-connect with self in a new way. Talk therapy can provide the space to create new connections.

Maybe you or someone you care about seems to have lost control of your ability to drink, take medication, eat, gamble, have sex, use the internet, play video games in a way that is not disruptive or harmful to you or the ones you love. Is someone telling you that your behavior is a problem? Are you unable to consistently predict whether or not you can stop once you start? Do you find yourself planning, thinking about or engaging in the behavior when you need to be attending to other things in your life like relationships, work or school?

Meghann Richko is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Yoga Therapist, and Fitness Professional. Her emphasis is on methods for managing a variety of conditions including but not limited to anxiety, depression, stress reduction, eating disorders, body image issues, mental and emotional disorders, improving nutrition, muscular skeletal issues, stress related illnesses, injury rehab and prevention, preventative health, and the psychological aspects of pain and pain management.

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.

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 AM NOW OFFERING SECURE TELEPHONIC COUNSELING DURING THIS CRISIS. I provide positive and action oriented, directive therapy to help you through depression, anxiety, relationship,and school and work issues. Treatment is focused on achieving goals-emotional, spiritual and physical to live an abundant life. Life does not have to be hard! I am an advocate of positive psychology and the Law of Attraction--there is no upside to negativity, I help my clients get back on a positive path.

Life gets complicated. You have been trying all that you know how to do to make things better for yourself or for someone you love but have run out of energy, ideas or both. You may have a relationship with someone you love but just can't seem to get along. You may be a parent trying to best figure out how to help a child or teen who is having problems. You may feel burdened by sadness, fear or stress.Or, perhaps you have old wounds that seem to keep interfering with you creating the life you want.

Life gets complicated. You may be trying all that you know how to do to make things better for yourself or for someone you love but have run out of energy, ideas or both. You may have a relationship with someone you love but just can't seem to get along. You may be a parent trying to best figure out how to help a child or teen who is having problems. You may feel burdened by sadness, fear or stress.Or, perhaps you have old wounds that seem to keep interfering with you creating the life you want.

All of us experience the feeling of being stuck in some way, perhaps frustrated by challenging life circumstances, discouraged by unfulfilling relationships or just generally stirred up by the vague sense that something is just not working. Through the course of my experience, I have come to believe deeply in the power of the therapeutic relationship and the way in which a collaboration with a thoughtful, compassionate and dedicated therapist can be the catalyst for real change.

Are you ready to take the next step in your life? I provide therapy to those who want to overcome struggles and trauma in their lives. I have experience aligning my person centered approach with individuals, families, couples, veterans, ex-gang members and professionals in the field of social work, nursing, and therapists.*At this time I am not available for new clients. Waiting list only.

Mari Richko is the owner /founder of Center for Authentic Living in Park Ridge IL. a holistic hub for mental health and wellness. She has worked in the holistic health field for 25 years and applies her background in Body Focused Psychotherapy to her work with clients. She is known for treating eating disorders, depression, anxiety, grief, trauma, spiritual transformation and transitions. She incorporates mindfulness, body mind acupressure, shiatsu, nervous system work, IFS( Internal Family Systems), and Traditional Chinese Medicine to facilitate a conscious connection with our inner experience, a place of curiosity and healing.

The experience of intense and often painful emotions is a normal part of human existence, sometimes this struggle can become so overwhelming it begins to greatly impact one's ability to function, maintain and improve interpersonal relationships, and lead a valued life; leaving us feeling stuck. Therapy allows us to process these emotions, stop the experiential avoidance, and develop more constructive and adaptive ways of dealing with life's challenges and transitions. Through a collaborative, empathic, and values-based relationship, we can work towards increasing one's psychological flexibility, behavioral workability, and coping skills to live a life worth living