Psychoanalytic Therapists in Chicago, IL

Psychotherapy and psychoanalysis should be an investment in creating a life. It should be a goal-driven partnership between the two people in the room. In the therapeutic process we find new goals and have to reassess priorities, shifting back and forth between concrete issues and more abstract concerns with the continued effort of reducing emotional pain and finding a way to live in the world. If you have a question, please email me at zak(at)zakmucha.com or call 773-273-0474 and we can plan for a meeting over the phone or in person. I will be glad to answer any questions regarding fees and insurance.

Everything has felt meaningless lately. Another week sleepwalking through the motions at work and dreading your time at home. Since that event, you’re not even sure what any of it is for. The people around you have noticed a change in your behavior; you’ve stopped socializing and have become gloomier. You had no idea how devastating this loss/change would be or how much it would change your life. Now, nights are spent restlessly staring at the ceiling. You barely eat and can’t remember the last time you exercised. Painful thoughts flood in without warning and overwhelm you. Life has become colorless, and you don’t see a way forward.

Life can be filled with moments of profound beauty, joy, and excitement as well as deep pain, loss, and isolation. Often these emotions can feel overwhelming. My therapeutic approach is to help you find meaning in the fullness of your experience and to assist you in managing the intense emotions that may come along the journey of life. I have experience treating a wide range of clients including children, adolescents, and adults.

I work with clients who feel unhappy or stuck in their relationships, their careers, and even life in general to find ways of living that are more honest, authentic, and satisfying. I offer a non-judgmental and collaborative environment where our conversations will help you to recognize how to find meaning, wonder, and joy in your life. An exploration of each person’s unique moods, pleasures, distresses, and challenges can lead to novel and transformative experiences.

I enjoy working primarily with individuals who have a history of interpersonal violence. I especially feel honored to journey with those navigating their relationships as they work through their trauma history. I recognize how one's racial, cultural, and faith background impact recovery and welcome integrating these components in therapy. I also take time to explore how childhood experiences shape the individual and current relationships. My hope is that, through our time together, you will gain greater insight into yourself, which will contribute to your flourishing and the flourishing of your relationships.

A positive working alliance between a psychologist and patient is crucial for growth and development within the clinical context. Therefore, it is key for each patient to seek out a psychologist whom they feel comfortable and connected with. I offer an initial consultation at no charge in order to determine if the right fit exists. If after a consultation it does not feel like a good fit, then I will help you find a clinician who provides one. As a licensed clinical psychologist, with more than seven years of clinical experience, I have an extensive background working with adolescents, adults, and families.

Many people turn to psychotherapy for help with anxiety, depression, painful relationship patterns, or sometimes just the feeling that something is missing from life. If you struggle with anxious or depressive feelings, or with frustrating relationship patterns, then I would recommend that you consider a free phone consultation. It might help to know that, with motivation, many people can make progress immediately towards overcoming internal roadblocks and becoming more effective in their work and relationships.

As your psychotherapist, you can expect I'll collaborate with you from our first point of contact to understand what's getting in the way of a higher quality of life. I work with warmth and emotional authenticity, drawing on advanced psychoanalytic training to thoughtfully treat depression, anxiety, psychosis, personality disorders, and chronic relationship stress. All of your thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and fantasies are welcome in therapy - nothing is off limits. I approach each treatment with highly individualized care, and I'll work with you to chart a course for growth based on your unique needs.

Psychotherapy relieves emotional distress by cultivating one's innate capacities to think and grow. We all negotiate the world in idiosyncratic ways developed over the course of our lives, and emotional suffering results when such initially adaptive measures no longer suffice to meet our emotional needs. Understanding the origins of repetitive unsatisfying relationships, low self-esteem, anxiety, and other psychological symptoms allows one to make more informed decisions about how to meet these needs authentically and effectively.

Hali is a Postgraduate Fellow at Lakeview Center for Psychotherapy. She holds a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University. Hali specializes in working with anxiety, depression, and perfectionism. She also works with queer and trans clients. She is committed to incorporating social justice into her therapeutic approach, and promotes vulnerability in therapy so clients can feel accepted and understood. Hali provides psychoanalytic and integrative psychotherapy for adults, couples and adolescents.

During the lifespan people can experience suffering or emotional pain. Some are in need of relief from the manifestations, or even symptoms, of emotional pain. Others are curious to understand the source(s) of the suffering. Exploring emotional pain and its origins can lead to knowing oneself more deeply (including talents and other positive qualities). Some considering therapy are seeking to enhance their abilities to relate to significant people in their life. Any of these are good reasons to consult a well-trained and experienced therapist. I am available for such consultation, which can lead to a collaborative plan tailored to you in order to explore and ease any of the above impedances to leading a more satisfying and meaningful life.

Psychodynamic therapy focuses on providing a safe environment from which a therapeutic relationship can grow. Through this experience, feelings and thoughts outside our everyday awareness come alive and can be used for self-understanding and growth. As a result, change tends to occur. I assist clients with a range of life situations and emotional concerns, and am interested in working with individuals who have difficulties in relationships, with anxiety, depression, and self-esteem, and who have experienced parental loss and trauma.

Our unhappiness is often due to repeating patterns, the "whys" of which can be puzzling to ourselves and others. These patterns prevent us from experiencing joy and contentment, enjoying healthy intimacy with others and living a meaningful life. I am committed to offering therapy that allows you the space in which we can look with honesty and self-compassion at your unique history, patterns and circumstances with curiosity and openness. I see my role as facilitating and accompanying you on a journey of self-discovery. My goal for you is to "be who (you) are and be that well."

My name is Manya, and I am trained in psychodynamic, psychoanalytic psychotherapy. My approach is to form a relationship with each person I see, taking special care to note any patterns in a person's history or present that may be holding them back or causing unnecessary pain or conflict. I take great care to notice how the past is informing the present and to provide the insight needed to develop and maintain healthy relationships, behaviors and feelings.

Too often psychotherapy focuses on causality, pathology and cures. However, rather than being "sick" or 'broken", often we are just lost inside ourselves or relationships. Everyone is a unique person with their own story, experience and perspective. The goal of therapy is to achieve a deeper awareness of where we are, to discover internal meaning for our many experiences, and to experience a life worth living. While working towards that awareness, I feel that it's also important to teach healthier coping skills to assist in dealing with the anxiety and day to day stressors that bring individuals to therapy.

It takes courage to change, especially if you’re unsure what needs to change or how to change it. Psychotherapy can help you better understand what you want to change in your life and how to pursue those changes. In psychotherapy, we work together to develop a better understanding of you and the psychological problems bringing you to therapy. I see therapy as an opportunity to clarify what you want from life, better understand the unconscious emotional and relationship patterns keeping you stuck, and discover more fulfilling ways to relate to yourself and others.

***Please note: I do not currently have openings for new clients and I do not anticipate availability within the next few months. Please feel free to contact me if you would like assistance with referrals or if you would like me to contact you when I have availability. Thank you.***

Feelings of depression and anxiety, or family and work conflicts can become overwhelming. Talking about your thoughts, feelings, dreams and experiences during the therapy hour helps relieve emotional suffering and increases your capacity to tolerate and manage difficult feelings such as anger, panic, grief and a sense of isolation.

I practice interpersonal psychoanalytic psychotherapy, which means I learn about you by examining your relationships while gaining insight as to how you relate to the world and yourself. My approach to therapy is rooted in harm reduction, intersectionality, and awareness of systemic oppression. I like to work with adults and have special interest working with the LGBTQIA2S+ population, trauma survivors, religious trauma survivors, couples, neurodivergent individuals, and those who are struggling with substance misuse.