Therapists in Wauconda, IL

My mission is to help promote healing from within, as well as emotional support, and behavioral change. As humans, we can get stuck in the past or future. As a truly empathetic, genuine, and nonjudgmental clinician, I can provide you with a safe environment to explore and process the nature of your issues that may be keeping you in a state of suffering. I have experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and families. I am trained in techniques effective with issues including mood disorders, emotional disturbance, family conflict, behavioral disturbance, anxiety, and many other issues affecting your everyday life.

If you have been anxious, depressed, confused, or overwhelmed, I am here to help. I am committed to provide a safe and supportive space for you to explore, heal, and thrive. I will assist you with understanding how your experiences and values inform your decision making, communication with others, and choices of coping skills. I will collaborate with you on finding healthier approaches and more effective coping strategies. I am determined to use my education and experience to help you become more resilient.

Welcome! I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and PhD Candidate in Illinois and Montana, and specialize in attachment & relational trauma, eating disorders and anxiety. I am currently a PhD Candidate at the Institute for Clinical Social Work with my dissertation research and study focusing on attachment trauma and eating disorders. For individuals working on improving their relationship with food and body image, I practice solely through a Health At Every Size (HAES) approach.

Often we want something to be different in ourselves, our relationships or in our lives, but we don't know how to make it happen. I will work to create a supportive partnership with you in order to bring about a decrease in self-defeating and unproductive emotions and behaviors. My extensive training and 30 years of experience allows me to guide clients in the process of revealing and removing the roadblocks that stand in the way of accessing their full potential and taking positive action.

The ideal patient is one who is one in pursuit of growth and desire to become more fully themselves. A willingness to discover and develop awareness of yourself is fundamental to our therapeutic work. As we honestly, kindly, and compassionately explore and learn about those inner processes, we will bring healing and conscious changes to the present dynamics and behaviors which have led to seek out supports. As we move closer to closure with a positive outcome, we will incorporate changes in how we relate to Self and to others, and set forth to live a more authentic and fulfilling life.

I enjoy helping people to feel more control over their lives. I am very curious about people’s stories. How can we edit our thoughts to feel better? Is there a different way to think about this problem? Sometimes I use humor to lighten the mood, but I will always uphold professional boundaries. In fact, I love to teach ways to set clear boundaries in our families and our workplaces. I have worked with many trauma survivors, and they describe feeling less trapped in shame spirals, with more confidence and fewer flashbacks.

My focus as a therapist is to help individuals who have experienced trauma, anxieties, and depression. Through the therapeutic relationship, I work with people to increase their personal discovery and gain access to the expression of authentic emotion. I believe we are innately designed to survive, and sometimes our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are negatively enacted. My framework identifies that each person is doing the best they can in the moment and it is the therapist’s job to investigate additional moments of resilience, persistence, and self-compassion toward healing.

It can be difficult to ask for support, especially when you aren't sure how it all works. I will work with you to create a treatment plan that makes sense to you and meets your unique goals. I value a person-centered approach to treatment where you and I work as a team to address the issues you want to explore. I believe that you have the answers to your struggles but need a safe space, support, and guidance, in order to achieve your goals.

Have you ever felt “stuck” in your life and not sure how to move forward to make positive changes? I strongly believe that when we cannot make changes to our situation, we need to make changes to our thinking and perception, which requires exploration and support. When we can make changes to our situation, it can be risky and scary and best done with plenty of planning and validation. I am passionate about helping people make these “shifts” in perception and situation.

Whatever you're facing, when you're in therapy with me, you can bring your mess. No need to have it together, or know where to begin. Your therapy is customized to you, so it starts with learning your story and understanding your needs. Then, we work together toward the changes you want to see.

"I am equipped to assist you in developing new coping strategies to reduce your suffering, effectively adjust to challenging realities in life, and help you gain a sense of healing and adequacy as you move forward in your life. Using an integrative therapeutic approach, I quickly adapt to your needs and personality. I will connect with your story to develop an understanding of your unique circumstance rather than imposing my beliefs or perspectives on you. My highest values in counseling are a nonjudgmental understanding and a nuanced compassion for you and your circumstances. Through these skills and principles, we can achieve fresh perspectives and transformation.