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Christine Spuhler, LCSW - Illinois Therapist at Grow Therapy

Christine Spuhler

Christine Spuhler

(she/her)

LCSW
30 years of experience
Solution oriented
Warm
Empowering
Virtual
In-person
Stableway Couns...

I am a Bilingual (Spanish) Clinical Social Worker. I am experienced in working with a variety of issues including immigrant and minority issues, trauma, brain injury, PTSD, abuse, infertility, chronic medical illness, attachment, grief and loss, adoption, ADHD, anxiety, depression and coping with divorce and co-parenting. I received my Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and my Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Chicago. I am EMDR trained and have worked extensively with those who have lived with chronic trauma experiences. I have lived in Bolivia, Guatemala and Spain. I use a variety of interventions, including art and drawing, to spur the introspection process on the path to healing. I strongly recommend combining a mind and body approach to help you connect with and reveal your true inner self.

What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?

During our first session, I hope to explore some of your story and what you have been struggling with. I will allow you to set your pace and focus. My goal is for you to experience a safe and accepting space for comfortable self expression and emotional vulnerability when you are ready.

Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.

Although I grew up in a small town of approximately 3,000 in rural Wisconsin, I was blessed with the opportunities of living in Bolivia, Guatemala and Spain, and have spoken Spanish at home for more than half of my life. My friends and family hail from countries around the world and my celebratory events often resemble the United Nations. I am immensely grateful for this diverse reality which has given me a profound perspective of humankind and the world we live in. It is from these global relationships and their stories that I have been able to develop my strong trauma-focused work.

About Christine Spuhler

Identifies as

Specializes in

Serves ages

Licensed in

Accepts

Address

Stableway Counseling Services, 444 S Rand Rd Ste 302, Lake Zurich, IL, USA

Appointments

Virtual & in-person

My treatment methods

Psychodynamic

Our history of relationship experiences impacts the individuals we become, externally and internally. Exploring the residuals of these histories and interactions can assist us in perhaps reinterpreting what occurred, our responses and our resulting functioning. We may reform notions of power, responsibility and maturity.

Somatic

As humans, we have the most complex brain of all mammals, however, we are still mammals. As mammals, our homo sapiens sapiens bodies are guided by the mammalian survival response of fight-flight-freeze, despite Western concepts believing that logic and intellect are superior to our other mammalian response. This survival response is inherent to our interactions with others, developing complex neuropathways of safety responses created by our relationships and experiences. Experiences of threat, fear, trauma begin in our genetic history and in the womb. They are imprinted as physical/sensory (most often sub-conscious) memories on our mammalian bodies. If left unaddressed, difficult sensory memories will continue to guide and impact our ability to function in the world. Somatic therapy addresses these sensory memories.