Anabelle Doulas
Welcome! I am Anabelle Doulas, LCSW, CADC, Owner & Therapist of ARD Therapy, PLLC. I provide person- and family-centered, trauma-informed, evidence-based, and culturally-responsive therapy services throughout Illinois and Michigan. Therapy is your space—shaped entirely by what you need in this season of your life. I partner with children, adults, and families experiencing challenges related to mental health, substance use, or tough life circumstances. With extensive background across community health, inpatient, and residential care, I offer compassionate support grounded in person- and family-centered care. It is important to me to affirm all identities. Whether you are looking to process past experiences, gain clarity on the future, or build concrete tools for the present, our session can be a space to navigate your heaviest moments and celebrate growth.
First session
The look and feel of the first therapy session can depend on your immediate needs. We can spend the majority of the time getting to know each other, and talking more about what the therapeutic space looks like or we can begin talking about your immediate needs. In general, the first session typically consists of us both getting to know each other. I may ask some questions about what you are hoping to get out of therapy, your past experiences with therapy, as well as how things are going in different parts of your life (like home, work, and school). We will begin discussing what your ultimate goals are for the space, and how we will both work toward those goals. Because building a complete picture takes time, this initial intake and goal-setting process often organically carries over into our first few sessions to ensure our work is fully tailored to you.
Strengths
I provide a warm, validating, and nonjudgmental space as a means to seek understanding about the "why" of what you have experienced and figure out the "what now". Depending on your preference and goals, our sessions can be structured, open-ended, or a flexible combination of both to meet your changing needs. I integrate a variety of clinical specialties into my work, such as: -Cognitive & Behavioral Therapies: CBT, Trauma-Focused CBT, DBT -Expressive & Play Therapies: Play Therapy, Sand Tray Therapy, Trauma Art Narrative Therapy (TANT) -Support for Caregivers & Families: Parent Management Training (PMT), Youth Mental Health First Aid -Crisis Recovery: Psychological First Aid, Skills for Psychological Recovery, Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) Whatever brings you into therapy, we will build a path forward that feels authentic and aligned with your personal goals.
Ideal clients
Throughout the past 13+ years, I have worked with individuals (children, adolescents, young adults, and adults) and their families as part of their therapeutic journeys, providing mental health assessment and diagnostics, individual therapy, family therapy, and group therapy. I have worked in a variety of different settings, often in higher levels of care and settings in which individuals have not had a choice in their treatment providers (such as community mental health, residential treatment center within the child welfare system, residential treatment center within the juvenile justice system, and inpatient psychiatry). I feel comfortable and confident with the spectrum of presentations and diagnoses (e.g., no former diagnoses, depression, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, bipolar disorder, psychosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, complex trauma, substance use disorders, intellectual and developmental disorders). I work to validate and affirm all identities. Your therapeutic journey can and should change over the course of time, just as you change. I am comfortable with transitioning alongside you on that path.
Treatment methods
Trauma-Focused CBT
I am a trauma-informed therapist. That means, I bring in perspectives of attachment (like our early relationships) and trauma (the big or bad things that have happened) to understand the "why". Taking this approach leads to less shame about the way you think, feel, and react to things. The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) piece helps guide self-understanding of these patterns, and teaches practical skills to both heal and regulate what is coming up for you.
Strength-Based
I believe we make the “most right” choice for us based on the information and resources we have at the time. I have not met anyone who has been effectively "shamed" their way into sustained change. I believe that we can and will make different choices once our information or resources change. A strengths-based perspective builds on those strengths, and works to capitalize on them to support your growth and healing.
Motivational Interviewing
Motivational Interviewing can sound formal, structured, and potentially intimidating. In reality, it’s simply about curiosity. I ask questions to help me understand your unique experience, and within the safety of therapy, those thoughtful questions allow you to reflect deeply on your personal values, goals, and desires for growth. This approach is never forceful or judgmental. You are the expert on your own life and your own healing, and my role is simply to meet you where you are and walk alongside you. By honoring your autonomy and focusing on your strengths, Motivational Interviewing helps bridge the gap between where you are today and where you want to be—at a pace that feels safe, sustainable, and entirely your own.
Play Therapy
Play is a child’s natural language. For children and adolescents, the deep work of therapy is often done most effectively through play—using art, toys, and sand tray work to express internal experiences and practice new coping skills. Traditional talk therapy can feel intimidating or exhausting, especially after a full day at school spent sitting through lectures and completing worksheets. Play removes that pressure, making therapy an engaging, low-stress space where young clients can heal without fatigue.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
Like CBT, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) fosters deep self-understanding. I like to blend the compassionate core of DBT into our sessions by focusing on its four key skill areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Together, these strategies create a practical toolkit you can use in daily life to feel more grounded, in control, and resilient.
Location
Virtual sessions