Ariel Swanson
Hi, I’m Ariel Swanson, LCSW! I believe therapy should be a place where you feel heard, supported, and comfortable being yourself, but also a place where meaningful progress happens. My approach is down-to-earth, honest, and compassionate, with a little humor and gentle challenge when needed.
I usually start sessions with a simple, “What’s going on?” and we go from there. Sometimes you just need space to talk things through, and other times you might need me to be more direct, ask tougher questions, or challenge patterns you may not recognize.
I work with individuals navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, emotional regulation, and life transitions. I use approaches including EMDR, CBT, and DBT, but recognize that therapy isn’t one-size-fits-all. I’m not here to tell you how to live your life or simply agree with everything you say. I’m here to help you better understand yourself, recognize patterns, work through challenges, and make changes that feel meaningful to you. My goal is for therapy to feel like a genuine conversation while still helping you move forward.
First session
Our first session is really just a chance for us to get to know each other. We’ll talk about what’s been going on, what brought you to therapy, and what you’re hoping to get out of it. You don’t need to prepare anything, have the right answers, or know exactly where to start. I’ll help guide the conversation, and you can share what you’re comfortable with. I know starting therapy can feel a little awkward or intimidating, especially when you’re opening up to someone you’ve never met. That’s completely normal, and I don’t expect you to feel comfortable sharing everything right away. My goal is to keep things relaxed and conversational, not make you feel like you’re being interviewed. There’s no pressure to figure everything out in one session or have a plan for what comes next. We’ll take things one step at a time, and hopefully, you’ll leave feeling a little more at ease about the process.
Strengths
My sessions are warm, relaxed, and grounded in real conversation. I’ll often start with a simple “What’s going on?” and take it from there. Some days you might need space to process, while other days I may ask tougher questions or challenge patterns that are keeping you stuck. I adjust my approach based on what you need, while keeping your goals in mind. We’ll talk early on about what you want to get out of therapy and identify a few areas to focus on. I believe in keeping things realistic and manageable rather than trying to tackle everything at once. As things change, we’ll adjust along the way to make sure our work continues to feel useful and meaningful.
Ideal clients
I tend to work best with people who overthink, feel overwhelmed, or are used to holding everything together even when they’re struggling on the inside. Maybe you’re constantly worrying about things you can’t control, putting everyone else before yourself, having a hard time in relationships, or finding yourself stuck in the same patterns. I enjoy working with people who want to better understand themselves, work through things they’ve been carrying for a while, or figure out how to manage their emotions without feeling so overwhelmed by them. Sometimes you know exactly what’s bothering you, and other times you just know something needs to change. I appreciate working with people who are open to different perspectives, willing to be honest with themselves, and understand that growth can be uncomfortable. You don’t have to know exactly what you need from therapy or have everything figured out before starting. We’ll work together to make sense of what’s going on, identify what you’d like to change, and take it from there.
Treatment methods
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
I love DBT because of its emphasis on interpersonal skills and radical acceptance at its core. We can’t always change the way things are but we can learn to pivot and cope.
Solution-Focused Brief Treatment
Let’s set goals and figure out where we need to go to achieve them. Solution focused brief therapy allows us to prioritize one or two goals and hone in on making positive changes and improvements.
Strength-Based
We want to focus on empowering you, identifying your strengths and using those to move forward in your journey to recovery.
Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma is so unique to every individual and being trauma informed in practice is imperative.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing is a modality that allows us to take negative memories impacting us to the core and reprocess those to take the "sting" out of them.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Woman
Top specialties
Mood Disorders
Personality Disorders
Trauma and PTSD
Other specialties
Anxiety
Bipolar Disorder
Coping Skills
Depression
First Responders/Healthcare Workers
Life Transitions
Self Esteem
Serves
Adults (18 to 64)
Elders (65 and above)
Individual Therapy
Man
Non-binary
Transgender
Woman
Doesn't specialize in
Family Therapy
Licensed in
IllinoisLicense 149020435