Therapists in Naperville, IL

Hello! My name is Maria, and I am extremely passionate about helping individuals struggling with eating disorders to rediscover happiness and fulfillment in their lives. I have spent over 25 years providing psychotherapy to individuals, couples, and families enduring the burden of an eating disorder, and I have served as the President of ANAD (The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders) for 13 years. My experience across residential, inpatient, and outpatient settings has provided me with a foundational understanding that every person has a unique path to healing - it is an honor to walk that path with you.

Gabriel A. Cardenas, MFT, MA is BILINGUAL in SPANISH and ENGLISH, Gabriel’s greatest passion is to bring healing and transformation to individuals and families who have experienced a TRAUMATIC or STRESSFUL experience. Gabriel has vast experience in treating people who struggle with DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, ANGER, and TRAUMA using cognitive behavioral therapy. He employs a family systems approach to address communication and relational issues with families. In addition, Gabriel loves to work with COUPLES who want to achieve their RELATIONSHIP GOALS—believing that a love that’s alive is also constantly evolving.

I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Naperville, IL. I work primarily with individuals of any age, and I am especially fond of working with young adults. My specific interests include trauma, family of origin issues, identity development, shame, and relationship issues. I also value walking alongside clients who are in transitional seasons of life, as I believe these are often the seasons when our identity is challenged the most.

Sometimes life makes it feel like there are limited options, and our feelings can be overwhelming. However, in the face of pain and suffering, we have the power to choose how to engage with these hardships. There is freedom to choose our responses, and moving forward with committed action is empowering. I would be happy to collaborate with you in the therapeutic process, to explore feelings, learning coping skills, and maintain healthy responses. In life we may feel content being still, making lateral moves, or at times pivoting. As we navigate your views of self, thriving, living we can face carpe diem, pluck the day.

I am Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and founding partner of Compass Behavioral Health and Wellness, LLC, who is passionate about empowering individuals and families to achieve personal growth, improve emotional regulation and foster positive relationships. I enjoy utilizing my training on attachment and brain development to assist in coping with the effects of trauma, loss, divorce, disrupted attachments, adoption, depression and anxiety. Using a collaborative and relational approach, I strive to help individuals and couples establish and maintain healthy relationships, as well as strengthen their ability to cope with stressful life events

I often work with people who are facing a major life transition and/or who are feeling "stuck." Whether that is a career change, divorce, having a child, or a major illness (just to name a few), therapy can be incredibly helpful in finding the ground beneath your feet by figuring out what your goals are and how to get there. I also work with a lot of individuals who have survived some type of trauma, including major medical illness. I find that the big "why are we here?" questions can often be important to address after traumatic experiences.

TELEHEALTH SESSIONS now available! As a nation, we are being inundated with conflicting information, and you may find yourself feeling stressed, lonely and even overwhelmed during this time of uncertainty. Some of you may be thinking, "And I thought I was anxious before COVID-19!" You may be looking for help in better navigating your reactions, anxiety and depression, especially now as your emotional responses may feel especially strong. I specialize in both providing the "whys" behind these emotional reactions and the "hows" to promote lasting change.

Elyse is an experienced clinician with a passion for helping children, teens, families, adults, and couples overcome life’s challenges. She has had the privilege of working with clients in various schools, private practice, and community mental health settings and she utilizes a variety of therapeutic techniques to meet the needs of each of her client’s. She acknowledges that therapy is hard work and is constantly humbled by the strength her clients demonstrate throughout the therapeutic process. Elyse approaches therapy with a warm and genuine care for others which allows her clients to grow in a meaningful and purposeful way.

I provide therapy that is collaborative, understanding and humanistic, where I work together with patients to customize therapy so it is tailored to the patient's unique needs and goals. I work with people to address a range of issues, including depression, anxiety, traumatic stress, problematic substance use, shame, loss and grief, relationship difficulties, sexual and gender identity issues, job and academic stress, adjustment challenges to situations such as divorce, new parenthood, stepparenting, adoption and challenges managing and coping with serious health conditions such as infertility, autoimmune disease and cancer.

For over 35 years I have worked with individuals, couples and families to solve problems, improve relationships and make life transitions. In this time I have learned to respect the uniqueness of each individual and family, as well as the abilities and courage they bring to the challenges they face. My approach is friendly, straightforward and solution-focused, but with appreciation for the variety and complexity of factors that may be involved with the issues that folks bring to therapy. I enjoy collaborating with clients to manage stress and modify the patterns of thinking, feeling and acting that concern them.

My clinical experience includes working with adolescents, adults, couples, and families. I have worked in various settings such as inpatient, residential centers, community mental health, and private practice. I graduated from Loyola University in 2009. It is important that clients have the freedom of self-expression and are not rushed through the therapeutic process. Working collaboratively, we will identify a framework that is validating and promotes growth. My approach is honest, empathetic, and relational in order to help clients gain self-awareness.

I choose to approach therapy in a way that addresses each unique person as a whole with many complex components contributing to their current state. Through empathy and genuine interaction, I seek to understand each person in the moment. I provide a warm and caring therapeutic environment that lets clients explore the problems they are looking to change. My goal is to help clients make changes to find happiness and fulfillment by offering interventions and information for success.

I have 30 years working with Individuals, Couples and Families as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist as well as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. I am a Certified Rapid Resolution Therapist. I am passionate about helping people achieve balanced and healthy lives. I see myself as a collaborator and work along side my clients to effectively help them obtain their goals. I have a fundamental belief that people have the ability to help themselves. I believe respect for others, along with compassion and humor provide an ideal environment in which clients can express themselves.

I believe there are three major components to a well-balanced state of mind - they are Love, Purpose, and Value. If either is missing, you could experience some level of mental distress. I specialize in working with the average person trying to earn a living and take care of their family. I treat individuals who struggle with anger, depression, self-esteem and other interpersonal concerns.

How We Treat One Another Matters: For better and for worse, across our whole lives, we operate in relationships. Our views of our "self" and how we relate to others develop from how we have been treated in relationships. Our capacities to love, to learn, to become our best, all emerge optimally within healthy relationships. Likewise, wounds of heart and soul emerge from ways we have been treated and/or choices we have made which have hurt us, sometimes very deeply. Persons who have experienced relational trauma and/or overwhelming life stressors are ideal candidates for clinical services at Gateway.

I seek clients who are open to discovering their story and how it led them to their current circumstance. I am best able to nurture a relationship with a client who is aware of their reason for seeking support and is comfortable with a direct perspective to realizing their goals. My approach to working with adolescents, adults, couples, and families is centered on the philosophy that we are experiencing components of our personal story daily. When we conclude a chapter, it can impact the next chapter. By understanding our experiences and crafting our next steps, we can shape our story.

When you feel that something in your life needs to change, getting started can be overwhelming. My desire is to help identify strengths and explore solutions in a safe, non-judgmental atmosphere. It is important to me that you feel free to share your feelings. I enjoy helping adults, couples, and teens cope with the normal yet at times painful transitions in life such as marriage, parenting, blending families, adolescence, divorce,empty nest, relational issues, and self-esteem struggles that plague people with histories of abuse (physical, sexual, or emotional).

If you are struggling with feeling overwhelmed, anxious, depressed or experiencing increased life stressors due to work, family or other responsibilities, psychotherapy can help. Strengthening your interpersonal, behavioral and relational strategies will bring you relief. Together, we will explore how the complex patterns of your experiences are affecting your current life challenges, emotions, and behaviors. Whether working with children, adolescents, teens or adults, my approach is to be compassionate and attuned to your unique set of needs, providing a space for you to feel understood, appreciated and learn self-acceptance, ultimately achieving more effective strategies for dealing with life's stressors.

Are you looking to increase your sense of effectiveness with family, work, and friends? I assist individuals and families in sorting out what current and past factors may be contributing to their situation, in order to resolve issues and create space for healing. I am a psychotherapist experienced in working with adults, children and families with a variety of concerns. With adults and teens, my approaches include insight-oriented and cognitive-behavioral therapy. When working with children, I often use play therapy and parent coaching.