Therapists in Peoria County, IL

Connection matters; we weren't meant to go through life's hurts and challenges alone. Oftentimes we get this connection through friends and family, but sometimes we need more than that. Sometimes it feels as though we are stuck in the spot we are in without hope of things changing. I understand that it's difficult to take that step towards counseling. My heart is to create a space to feel heard, understood, and to gain hope as we walk through those stuck points together.

No one is meant to go through this life alone, although it may feel this way. If you have been struggling lately with situations, events, or mental health symptoms, you are in the right place. You’ve taken the first step in looking for a counselor, and many times that can be the hardest step. My passion is supporting my clients through person-centered, cognitive behavioral therapies and empowering my clients with the necessary tools they need to succeed. I incorporate client interests, such as reading, music, sports, art, and writing, into our sessions to best support clients as they are working through the therapeutic process.

"Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways." I enjoy working who are struggling to cope, adjust or heal from anxiety, depression, trauma, personality and/or family issues. I use a broad range of theory in practice to address client concerns and moving them into wellness.

These difficult and unprecedented times are causing an increase in anxiety and depression. I am a Christian who is a counselor. I work with people of all faiths as well as those who do not have any particular spiritual viewpoint. It is my aim to treat all of my clients with compassion and integrity. I will take the time to get to know you, and help you get to know yourself. Throughout the decades, I have practiced a variety of counseling techniques that we can tailor to suit your individual needs and personality. "Welcome to your life... only better!"

I strive to accompany each client on their journey to a place of personal freedom that allows for deeper healing, developing meaning-making, and trusting relationships. I am passionate about cultivating a space where individuals, couples, and families feel heard and understood in the therapy room.

My background is working with children and adolescents, as well as some work with adult women. I have worked with clients with a variety of mental health needs. I particularly enjoy helping children with emotional and behavioral regulation, helping teenagers gain insight about the kind of person they want to be and helping adult women manage the stressors of everyday life.

If you're looking for a counselor, chances are life's been rough for you lately. Maybe tasks for work or school have become overwhelming or some of your relationships have been collapsing. Our society has had more than its fair share of tense and even volatile events especially in the last few years, and those traumatic events certainly can affect us on a personal level.

Not a single one of our lives has escaped pain, hurt, rejection, loss, or other traumatic events. It’s a part of the world we live in; a part we cannot evade. Each generation, the trauma becomes more complex, as it builds on the previous generation’s unresolved trauma. It presents itself as depression, anxiety, fatigue, sleeplessness, trouble concentrating, self-destructive behaviors (including addiction), physical illness, overwhelming guilt or shame, and the inability to form healthy relationships. But it doesn’t have to continue. You can loosen the hold that it has on your life. You can end the cycle of generational trauma.

Life is full of twists and turns and ups and downs. I am here to help you through the peaks and valleys of your journey through life. Oftentimes we find life being unmanageable, I strive to create a compassionate, non-judgmental space to begin healing. Whether it is exploring difficult emotions, planning for the future, or working through the past, together we will work toward being the person God created you to be.

Accepting new clients. I enjoy working with clients of all ages and backgrounds to develop individualized treatment strategies and use measurement-based techniques to ensure that we are on the right track. I am a proud Christian, devoted husband, and loving father to four children. I am a licensed and board certified Clinical Psychologist with nearly 20 years of experience providing psychological assessment, treatment and consultation to Department of Defense and other U.S. Government personnel across the world. I am a proud Army veteran, who served 11 years on Active Duty, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Are you ready to work through past hurts or unresolved issues so that you can have more peace in your life? I want to help you develop more insight into some of your unresolved issues you may be struggling with so that you can feel better. Do you want to feel more confident in yourself and work through negative beliefs you may have been struggling with for years? I want to help you and be that supportive and empathetic person to guide you through those things.

Sandi Kellerstrass, owner of and therapist for Syndeo Counseling is a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) with nine years of therapeutic experience. She holds a BA in Leadership and Management and an MA in Counseling from Lincoln Christian University. Sandi has prior field experience in community-based counseling, foster care and adoption preservation.

I believe that we are all placed in a specific place and time for a greater purpose. Life is hard and many of us lose our way and this leads to confusion, lonliness and often we develop addictive and maladaptive behaviors to deal with our issues. Our issues are real but we go about solving them in a nonproductive way. I help a client look at alternative ways of living often pulling from his strengths and encouraging him to incorporate spirituality as a guide. I am a Christ follower and incorporate His teaching into my own life and therapy.

During our lives we all experience different obstacles, relational issues, pain or grief, or some sort of life challenge; and at times we need help as we walk through that period of our lives. My mission and passion is to provide the highest quality Godly counseling and psychological services to children, teens, adults, couples, and families. I seek to provide a caring, safe, confidential, and healing environment, for my clients. I am dedicated to a therapeutic process that ministers to the whole person.

Do thoughts like "I can't shake my past", "I don't think this pain will ever go away", or "I'm stuck" preoccupy your mind? Often, when something traumatic happens, it can get trapped in your brain with the original picture, sounds, thoughts, and feelings. Since the experience is stuck there, it continues to be triggered whenever a reminder comes up. It can be the basis of a lot of discomfort and negative emotions. We can process those memories so they are no longer disturbing using an evidence based treatment called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy.