I’m a psychiatric nurse practitioner with twenty years of experience supporting people through major life transitions, emotional overwhelm, and the everyday stressors that quietly build up over time. I’ve worked across emergency care, crisis services, inpatient psychiatry, community mental health, the forensic setting, and now private practice. As a busy mom of three, I understand the exhaustion, guilt, and constant decision‑making that come with daily life — whether you’re parenting, juggling work, or simply trying to keep up with everything happening in the world. I enjoy supporting parents and deeply value working with individuals navigating grief, personal growth, and major life transitions. I also have a special place in my practice for bariatric clients who are working hard to change their lives and adjust to the emotional and lifestyle shifts that come with weight loss. My work is grounded in whole‑person care. Together, we look beyond symptoms to understand your habits, stressors, relationships, and the patterns shaping your daily life. I blend solution‑focused work, cognitive behavioral therapy, lifestyle‑based interventions, coping skills, reality‑checking, and practical education to help you better understand your mental health. My approach is supportive, encouraging, and judgment‑free — a space to learn, reflect, and build healthy habits with someone who truly listens. When I'm not working, you'll find me with my husband & our kiddos; hiking, gardening, swimming, playing hockey with the kids, and helping them with reading or homework. I enjoy baking and am making an effort to improve my cooking. Big fan of museums and the beautiful zone 5 forest preserves.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
Our first session should feel like a conversation. You set the pace and I follow your lead. We’ll talk through your history, current stressors, and goals, and I’ll answer any questions you have about therapy and medication. I aim to ensure you find our session approachable, respectful, and centered on your needs from the very beginning.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
I bring a warm, down‑to‑earth, and goal‑oriented approach to our work together. My style is honest, supportive, and judgment‑free, giving you room to show up exactly as you are. I use humor, authenticity, and a mix of therapeutic tools to meet you where you’re at and help you reach a wellness you're striving for.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
Who I Work Best With--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------- I’m a great fit for people who are generally high functioning but feeling overwhelmed, stuck, burned out, or ready for change. • Parents navigating big emotions (their own or their kids’) • Hardworking adults who push themselves to the limit • People exploring identity, purpose, or personal growth • Students and adults figuring out life transitions • First responders, teachers, and healthcare workers experiencing burnout • LGBTQIA+ individuals seeking affirming mental health care • Bariatric patients needing a pre-surgical psychiatric evaluation or who are adjusting to lifestyle and emotional shifts post-surgery. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------- Who I’m Not Currently Taking --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------To keep my practice balanced and ensure I can fully support my clients, I am not accepting individuals with recent inpatient psychiatric hospitalization, active self-harm, recent suicide attempt, or who have a co-occurring substance use disorder. I do not complete FOID evaluations or fit-for-duty exams. I do not complete short-term disability or FMLA paperwork. I am not seeing clients who require daily use of controlled substances such as Adderall, Xanax, or Ambien.
Grief Therapy
Grief therapy, also known as grief or bereavement counseling, is a specialized form of psychotherapy designed to help individuals cope with a wide range of significant losses. Whether it's the death of a loved one, a major life transition, recent move, job change, or the loss of an intimate relationship, grief therapy provides a compassionate space for working through the profound emotional turmoil that can accompany these life-altering events. By working through the grieving process with the guidance of an experienced professional, those in the throes of profound loss can emerge with a renewed capacity to manage their pain and reconnect with the world around them.
Solution Focused Brief Treatment
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy is a strength-based, future-oriented approach that stands in stark contrast to traditional models that tend to pathologize human experience and focus on underlying issues. In SFBT, the client is viewed as the expert on their own life, with the clinician serving as a collaborative partner in the journey towards positive change. Clients are encouraged to vividly imagine their desired future state, and to identify the small, manageable steps they can take to get there, drawing upon their own resourcefulness and resilience. By consistently highlighting the client's capacity for growth and self-directed transformation, SFBT fosters a sense of hope, empowerment, and optimism - key ingredients for sustainable, meaningful change.
19 ratings with written reviews
November 11, 2025
I feel comfortable around Dee. She is kind and listens. She is not afraid to call out something that she is seeing which helps bring awareness to me. I really enjoy her and feel that she is making a difference in my life.
October 28, 2025
Although this was our first meeting, I believe we're on the same page. Dee understands what I've gone through, and continuing our sessions will only improve that empathy.
October 17, 2025
My first session with Dee was really nice! My first impression of her was that she was really welcoming and humorous, which I appreciated a lot since I feel that I can be a bit awkward but she eased the tension very well. She was also really informative and was eager to figure things out with me and find some solutions. You can also tell she's a pretty seasoned and experienced psychiatrist, which made me feel even more reassured that her ideas, advice or solutions were reliable. Thank you Dee!