Licensed to practice in Illinois and accepts 13 insurances. Specializes in Addiction, Mood Disorders, Perinatal Mental Health and 8 more.
(she/her)
New to Grow
I view therapy as a way to get in touch with your inner voice and intuition, which can guide you to answers. I am inspired daily through my work with people as they journey toward improving their lives. My goal is to create a safe space where your story will be heard with the utmost compassion. I'm your committed listener, both for where you've been and where you'd like to go. Through years of experience in various mental health treatment environments, I have developed great respect for what it takes to begin—and continue—seeking a path of wellness.
I like to begin the session with talking about what led to your decision to seek therapy. I want to hear what concerns you have in your life right now and what you have tried that worked for you in the past, and what didn't. Your history is important to me, so we'll cover that to some degree in our first session. We can work together to come up with some potential approaches that will support you in the present as well as in your ongoing therapy process.
I have many years of experience in the field of mental health and have worked at many different levels of treatment. I guess I have seen people's experiences at many different stages of the road to wellness. I do like to create a connection with my clients and consider myself down-to-earth and warm, although I do well with maintaining appropriate boundaries; your path is your path. As I describe my role, I'm a cup holder on the sidelines of the marathon that is your life; there for support but you get to do the work. After all, asking for help is the hardest step : )
I do work well with clients that are exploring their relationship with substances as well as clients who are looking for insight regarding what is keeping them stuck in their life at present be it a mood disorder, past trauma and/or addiction issues. Clients I have supported have been dealing with many of the challenging transitions in their life such as completing a course of education, becoming a parent, entering adulthood, being a caregiver, moving on from a relationship, getting out of intensive mental health treatment, or just wanting to improve their overall experience in life.
I focus on understanding an individual’s lifestyle and social interests, examining past experiences and family dynamics, and encouraging goal-setting and positive behavior changes to overcome perceived barriers and foster a sense of belonging and purpose. I work together with people to develop a strong therapeutic relationship through creating an atmosphere of trust, respect, and collaboration. My hope is for the client to feel understood, encouraged, and accepted. As the client becomes more comfortable in the therapy sessions, we'll discuss the client’s early childhood memories, family constellation (birth order, siblings, parental relationships), and major life events. This discussion will provide insights into the client’s core beliefs, values, goals, and strategies for dealing with life’s challenges. I work to emphasize a person's strengths and provide encouragement to see possibilities and believe in the ability to overcome life's challenges.