You have a hard time asking for help. You believe you should be able to do it all and if you are struggling it is because you aren't working hard enough. You work so hard to be the best mom, partner, daughter, friend, and professional. You feel the weight of the world on your shoulders and you feel like you can't breathe. You sacrifice your sleep, diet, and overall well-being for everyone else. You're starting to get resentful that others can make time for themselves, but you can't. You wonder how you look in the eyes of your partner, kids, and co-workers and if they can tell something has changed.

When difficult things happen--trauma, loss, extreme stress--our brains and bodies have an amazing capacity cope; for example, we are flooded with adrenaline to help us survive or we go into shock to protect from the depths of loss. However, sometimes events overwhelm all our capacities, and we get stuck in those events. Using both talk therapy and EMDR, I can help you understand how your mind and body is attempting to cope, learn how to reduce, tolerate and manage the lingering effects, appreciate and reconnect to your emotions, become more embodied, process past events, and find meaningful purpose and connection in the present.

I know that starting this process can feel overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. Using warmth, empathy, direct feedback and skill building I can help you more fully understand yourself and your relationships and therefore feel empowered to start living the life you want to live. While it is important to minimize daily struggles that get in the way of being fully present in your life and relationships, I firmly believe that healing comes from exploring how our past experiences have affected the ways in which we interpret and interact with our world in the present.

I believe that therapy is a healing process. We find the parts of ourselves that need healing to get to who we want to be and how we want to live. I believe that everyone has the ability to create those changes. In therapy, I focus on providing a safe space and joining you in this work, because I believe that much of healing needs to happen in relationship. My approach is relational, person-centered, and trauma-informed. That means I think the therapeutic relationship is a means of healing, that I allow you to lead the process, and that I am aware of how much trauma can impact our lives. I practice from a social justice lens.

Disorders such as depression and anxiety are often complicated by substance abuse, and vice versa. I'm experienced in treating such co-occurring disorders and other issues in a supportive, open and effective way that respects clients' autonomy and values. What this means in practice is a customized approach to each individual, based on their specific needs, that draws on different therapeutic traditions and techniques. These may include psychodynamic, looking at close early relationships and issues; cognitive-behavioral therapy, untangling connections between thoughts, feelings and behaviors; mindfulness, drawing on ancient mind-body practices such as meditation that neuroscience has increasingly validated; as well as others.

If you have considered counseling and feel it is time to begin a therapeutic journey, congratulations! My initial approach with each client is to join with them in the process of building a safe and trusting relationship, regardless of how and why they come to counseling. I try to provide my clients support in facing and accepting their circumstances with mindfulness and compassion. Issues could include anxiety, depression or loneliness; life's "adjustments," e.g., divorce, illness, job changes; Grief work; Marital/Partnership and Parenting issues; Substance abuse, Addiction/Recovery and Adult Children of Alcoholics issues.

**ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS** Trudy, LPC, holds a Masters’ degree in Clinical Counseling from National Louis University. Trudy assists clients across the life-span, tailoring therapy to meet the specific needs of each individual. She approaches therapy with a holistic perspective, exploring the impact of stress on the mind, body, and spirit. She emphasizes the importance of establishing an open and trusting relationship with her clients. Her goal is to foster a sense of self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-acceptance that will ultimately lead clients to a more fulfilling life.

I provide a gentle, encouraging environment to help clients work on relationship challenges & infidelity, eating disorders & obesity, as well as career & life transitions. I guide individuals through the dating process into healthy relationships. I have specialized clinical experience in helping people recover from addictions of all kinds (food, alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, codependency).

Dr. Feuer is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and the Director of Health Psychology at IPD/DMG. She completed the majority of her clinical training in medical hospitals and outpatient settings. She additionally works as an adjunct faculty member for the PsyD Clinical Psychology program at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Feuer’s areas of expertise include adults (18+) living with chronic medical illnesses, and has particular experience with clients diagnosed with cancer, cardiovascular, and transplant-related diagnoses. She also has experience working with caregivers of individuals living with chronic illness.

Do you feel like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh? Your outlook on life is gloomy at best. When your mood and energy are low, it’s hard to get excited to show up for your life. Maybe you’re attracted to risk, and as such, using drugs/alcohol to the point where it's derailing your life? Does food control you or do you use food to control your life? There’s also the worrier. Does your stomach ache, your palms sweat, or maybe the spinning in your head is nonstop about whether or not to take a certain action. You get stuck in paralysis due to all of your analysis. In all this madness, there’s no time to thrive; merely survive.

Are you tired of feeling anxious and depressed? Do you have intrusive and/or brooding thoughts that may be connected to an old memory or issue that is hard to quiet? Are you tired of feeling miserable and would like to learn tangible and useful techniques that will help take the edge and, in some instances, eliminate these thoughts and feelings? If you are ready to make that change, are open minded to learning non-traditional therapeutic methods, then please reach out to me and we’ll get started! As of now, I am taking new clients with convenient Saturday and Sunday hours. I am providing teletherapy / Skype services.

Are you experiencing difficulties in your relationships? Perhaps you are feeling depressed, lonely, anxious, or you are merely seeking a space to speak freely without fear of judgment. My goal is to meet you exactly where you are and create a supportive, authentic, and warm space that emphasizes your strengths on your journey towards healing.

Thank you for clicking here and taking a moment to learn about those available to help and support your own mental health. To tell you a little bit about myself, I have spent the past 20 years working with children, adolescents, families and older adults. I've specialized in helping people work through trauma, unexpected life changes and the challenges that day to day life presents. I've worked with people having difficulties with Depression, Anxiety and other mood disorders. I've been in practice as a social worker since 2007 and in private practice since 2011 .

Sometimes life can be challenging... therapy may help you to process experiences, memories, relationships, thoughts or feelings that cause discomfort or pain. Perhaps you lost your balance or have a longer term issue you need to manage. We recognize the importance of the therapeutic relationship as a vehicle for positive change; and our approach is client-centered and interpersonal, yet solution focused and evidenced based. We are very empathic therapists and our safe, confidential, and non-judgmental therapies will make it easier for you to explore your world.

I come to each client interaction with a deep respect for the courage and perseverance that is required for self-reflection and emotional growth. Entering therapy is difficult and may often happen when we are at our most vulnerable emotionally and experiencing dissatisfaction with our current life situation. Acknowledging and respecting the self as powerful creates a therapeutic environment that is compassionate, collaborative, and empowering.

Suffering is an experience shared by all humans across all walks of life. How we choose to cope, and the meaning we extract from our experiences, is what differentiates us from one another. I believe all individuals possess the strength, skills, and abilities to grow towards wellness and live fulfilling lives; sometimes all that is missing is the right guidance. We all have a story to tell. Let's work together to create a narrative that is true to your strengths, and focus on the characteristics that make you uniquely you!

I am a compassionate and effective clinician with over 30 years of experience providing counseling services for youth and families experiencing emotional and mental health challenges. Using a flexible and strengths based approach, I guide clients to clarify goals, overcome barriers, develop skills and coping, and strengthen support networks. I actively use education and skills development to build your own healing power. I work effectively with teens navigating the stresses of development; parents working to raise healthy, confident children; young adults making important life decisions, families going through conflicts and transitions, adults working through deep injuries or doubts.

My clinical work is focused on perinatal care as it relates to women's mental health, postpartum depression, transition to parenthood, grief/loss, fertility issues, adoption, anxiety disorders, and couples counseling. I completed my master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Adler University in Chicago. Now, I am in my last year of my Ph.D. in counseling education and supervision. I am a researcher in counseling women of collectivist cultures, specifically Middle Eastern women. My research explores mental health concerns related to women in general as well as societal concerns, such as acculturation.

There is hope and healing; even though it might not feel like it. I have experience working with children, teens, and young adults dealing with everything from anxiety and relationship issues to trauma and sexual abuse. It would be a privilege to work with you or your child towards healing, tailoring the counseling process to best fit your needs.

You are "good enough." Good enough as yourself, as a mom, partner, friend, daughter, and colleague. You are worthy of a life full of self-love, purpose and fulfillment. You deserve not merely to survive, but to flourish. It is not in spite of, but because of our struggles that I believe we all have the capacity within each of us to flourish. Showing up as your brave self today is a huge step in making yourself a priority.