Therapists in East Rogers Park, Chicago, IL

I offer a holistic, individualized approach to therapy centered around the client-therapist relationship. My training is in relational psychodynamic psychotherapy; however, I use a variety of therapeutic interventions including art therapy, breathwork, yoga for trauma, meditation and mindfulness. I believe in empowering each individual through psychoeducation around sleep and diet, attachment styles, the mind-body connection, etc. I have extensive experience in working with trauma, including survivors of domestic violence, emotional & sexual abuse as well as complex childhood trauma. I see adults, adolescents and families.

Often, people come to us without having explored psychological concerns in a sophisticated way. If they had past therapy, they were at times disappointed that it did not go deeper, as it left the greater meaning (the "roots") of their symptoms unexplored. As psychodynamic therapists, however, our goal is to see comprehensively, with thoughtful attention to the subtle depths and intricacies of your experience. In so doing, we can help to both resolve symptoms and impart meaning to your experiences, even those thoughts, feelings, and emotions that are often deemed painful or meaningless.

To me, therapy is a team sport. I'm there to help create a space and relationship where you feel safe exploring the things that are happening in your life. Maybe that thing is identity exploration, depression or anxiety that just won't quit, or figuring out how survive and then thrive after a big trauma. All of this is big stuff. I'm here to help you hold it and find a way through it. I have plenty of tools that I can bring to bear (questions, coping skills training, identifying patterns, and reframing situations), but ultimately, my approach centers around you and what you need to be successful, however you define success.

You matter. I seek to highlight & build upon your unique strengths with a focus on overall wellness in mind, body, spirit & community. I believe we all have the tools to reach our highest potential. I aim to understand what might be getting in the way of you being your most authentic, talented self. I specialize in helping others access & heal their pain by engaging the nervous system to unlock trauma & emotions to release them. Body integration allows us to feel alive & open to get more of life. I blend evidenced-based practices such as somatic, breathwork, mindfulness, EMDR, CBT, & EFT under a psychodynamic therapy lens.

You are capable of taking charge of your own healing process, and my role is to help you find the channels and tools for healing that work best for you. Confronting emotional wounds can be a powerful, overwhelming, and often painful experience, and I strive to provide you with an empathic and judgment-free space where you can process these emotions freely. Utilizing a trauma-informed and strengths-based approach, I harness the power of the therapeutic relationship to help you work toward recovery, empowerment, and overall well-being.

I am a licensed professional counselor working with adolescents, adults, and couples who struggle with anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, life transitions, relationship concerns, low self esteem, body image, and difficult family dynamics. My goal is to provide a safe and empathetic therapy space where you feel heard and understood as we navigate your journey towards growth and healing.

My career as a therapist has afforded me opportunities to work with individuals from all walks of life. I immigrated to the United States from Kiev, Ukraine and feel intimately familiar with the challenges faced by all of the groups I mentioned. I am able to work with children, adolescents, adults, couples and families and treat a wide variety of presenting issues including anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, adjustment difficulties, grief / loss, relationship problems, family conflict, and addiction. I am proud member of Chicagoland’s Ukraine Community and am fluent in the Russian and Ukrainian languages.

My clients tell me that I really listen to them, am a down-to-earth person, and am able to help them through very difficult times of their lives. I am an energetic and positive person, yet can calmly help clients find creative solutions to tough problems and areas where they feel stuck somewhere in their lives.

Life transitions can be difficult to navigate alone. There may be grief, confusion, sadness and anger, fear, or any combination of these feelings. There is no circumstance too small in which to seek help from a professional clinician. I believe that my role as a therapist is to help you reach beyond your potential helping you access your own gifts and talents to get you through difficult times and draw meaning from life's challenges. I enjoy working with folks of all ages and incorporating art, music, and writing into the therapy process. I am trained in EMDR and currently in training for Somatic Experience.

Are you feeling unfulfilled, stressed, or hopeless? Do you desire to find purpose, direction, or simply understand yourself better? Many of our feelings and thoughts are outside of our awareness and continue to influence our everyday choices. Left unattended, these feelings and thoughts can come out in unhealthy ways – often resulting in depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and/or low self-esteem. As a result, we can feel powerless to change our current circumstances and end up self-sabotaging what we want out of life.

I aim to provide a non-judgemental holding space fueled by curiosity for your experiences. We are in a particularly interesting time where community and support is needed more than ever to help us navigate the world. Therapy is one piece of the puzzle to more sustainable wellness overall. In therapy we are allowed space to explore the meaning we’ve made from past experiences, societal expectations, and world views. I’ve worked in residential facilities for young families and community mental health with ages throughout the lifespan.

We are a niche therapy practice specializing in culturally responsive therapy, PTSD and anxiety, adoption, attachment trauma, and complex family issues and dynamics. We see couples, families, and individuals. We understand how issues in childhood, issues in our relationships, and conflict within our family dynamics can contribute to depression, anxiety and PTSD. We are a neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ affirming and provide therapy in English, Spanish and French.

Are you having difficulties in your relationships? Are you experiencing stress from work or school that you cannot manage? Are you just feeling that you are stuck in life? I can help you find the answers to these problems in therapy. When I work with my clients, I focus on increasing their personal strengths and work toward discovering solutions to their life issues. My goals are simple- to help my clients make meaningful life changes and gain mastery and stability in their lives.

I have over 30 years experience in doing therapy with children, teens, and adults. More than half this time has been spent helping children and teens, and their parents, deal with social/emotional difficulties of childhood and adolescence. Areas I have been focusing on include school performance, peer relationships, parent-child relationships, self esteem, anxiety issues, and depression. I also have considerable experience in working with family issues, including divorce, and in working with individual adults who are experiencing anxiety, depression, self esteem, or relationship issues.

Are you caught in a cycle of anxiety? Whether you're navigating relationship challenges, constant pressure to succeed, or concerns about addictive behaviors, anxiety can make anything feel insurmountable. But there is hope for improvement. I am here to support you with practical and effective techniques to manage stress while building a fulfilling and sustainable life. You can achieve a sense of peace and clarity. Together, we'll delve into your values and choices, uncovering the resilience you've gained from past challenges to help you reach your objectives.

It is my goal to provide you with a safe, therapeutic space to unload and explore your needs, worries, and fears whatever they may be. The path to healing is unique for each of us. We will work collaboratively towards meeting your goals and needs, and in doing so, make your life more comfortable and satisfying. It is my hope that each person who meets with me feels accepted, as I respect each individual's culture, gender, race, religion, and sexual identity.

Today’s environment makes many assumptions about the nature of psychological health, oftentimes seeing depression, anxiety, or other psychological concerns as only problems to be avoided and eradicated. However, there is much that our symptoms can teach us about ourselves and our world. In fact, they may even hold the key to our psychological well-being.

I enjoy working with people in a safe and supportive atmosphere where a person can be who they really are. As individual's lives are often complex and surely unique, I work collaboratively with clients to learn about their reasons for seeking therapy as well as to enliven and deepen the therapeutic process through greater self-reflection. Ultimately, I believe that human beings are self-healing, and that the symptoms and contexts that lead a person into their therapeutic journey can often teach and bring meaning in ways that enhance psychological wholeness.

I believe in a therapeutic relationship that is nurturing, supportive, and energetic, where folks are free to question, grow, and change. As a queer therapist with lived mental health experience, honoring your story is important to me. As such, I am always looking for new ways and perspectives to approach the intersections of identity, history, and values. I often look for patterns and adaptations you might not see, and seek to bring them into the room respectfully and with the utmost sensitivity to your needs.