LCSW, 9 years of experience
Hello my name is Gabby Wnek and I am a licensed clinical social worker based in Illinois. I have been practicing for 8 years. I help adults with anxiety, depressing, stress, and burnout. I help clients identify where they are feeling stuck, educate clients on the nervous system, and provide tools and techniques to regulate the nervous system. My approach with client is very practical so that clients can have a toolbox of skills that they can use for the rest of their lives.
Our first session together is going to be information gathering. I want to understand what is going on and the reason that are you seeking therapy. I will ask questions about your symptoms, how long symptoms have been happening, and what your goals are going to be in therapy. I will ask you about your past, including any past traumas, family mental health history, if you are on any medications, and your current living environment.
My greatest strength as a provider is that I practice what I preach. Everything that I suggest and educate clients on I have personally used or use in my life. I have been through debilitating anxiety and chronic pain. I have learned how to calm and regulate my nervous system and continue to heal the chronic pain. I know that it's like to feel out of control and to want to change. I really understand mental health issues. I provide a safe container for clients, empathy, understanding, and a non-judgmental environment. I can also push clients when I feel like they need it.
I love working with clients that are ready to change and have motivation to create the life that they want. I love working with clients that are sick and tired of feeling sick and tired and are ready to put in the work to change in different areas of their life.
I have training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. I use radical acceptance with clients to be able to accept what is happening in the moment and feel all emotions.
I use CBT and support clients in identifying thought patterns that are not serving each client and creating ways to interrupt patterns and create new and more productive thought patterns over time that lead to neuroplastic change in the brain.
I have my training in somatic therapy, specifically through the Somatic Experiencing Institute. I use somatic therapy to help clients gain more awareness in body sensations, where emotions are in the body, and how to sit with a variety of different sensations in the body. Somatic therapy can also be used as a helpful modality for trauma.
I have experience in treating mind-body conditions particularly many forms of chronic pain, or conditions under TMS (tension myositis syndrome). I use many different concepts from the mind-body space to create regulation in the nervous system and feeling and being with big emotions and sensations in mind and body.
3 ratings with written reviews
April 2, 2025
I love Gabby, she seems to have the right tools to help me and she is a great listener, sometimes that's what I need. But mostly she respects my goals and what my initial request was and keeps me on track and accountable.
February 21, 2025
I have never felt as comfortable with a therapist as I do with gabby. I can truly be myself without worrying about saying the wrong thing or being judged
February 12, 2025
Gabby draws on so many resources and experiences to provide solutions and understanding. She is open to any conversation and encouraging to share while also validating feelings and needs. She is the best therapist I have ever worked with and she creates a safe, understanding and supportive space for care.