Licensed to practice in Illinois and accepts 9 insurances. Specializes in Anxiety, Spirituality, Coping Skills and 4 more.
New to Grow
Hi, I’m Jen, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 25 years of experience supporting adults through life’s challenges. I work with individuals navigating anxiety, trauma, PTSD, stress, depression, low motivation, grief, and difficult life transitions. I believe healing begins with understanding yourself in a deeper way. Together, we’ll explore the thoughts, emotions, and patterns that may be keeping you stuck while building practical tools to regulate your nervous system, strengthen resilience, and create lasting change. My goal is to provide a compassionate, nonjudgmental space where you feel seen, supported, and empowered. As old patterns begin to shift, you’ll develop greater clarity, deeper connection with yourself and others, and a renewed sense of purpose. Change is possible, and you don’t have to navigate it alone.
In our first session, we’ll spend time getting to know one another so I can better understand what you’ve been navigating and what feels like the highest priority for you right now. My goal is to create a space where you feel comfortable, safe, and at ease expressing yourself without judgment. As we talk, I’ll gather some of your history, learn about your strengths, and identify the areas where you could use additional support. I’ll also offer insights, practical tools, and new perspectives along the way, with the hope that you leave our first session feeling not only heard, but also with a greater sense of clarity, hope, and possibility. Therapy is a collaborative process. Together, we’ll begin to understand the patterns, beliefs, and experiences that may be holding you back, while creating a path forward that feels aligned with who you are and where you want to go. My role is to walk alongside you with compassion, curiosity, and encouragement as you build the courage, confidence, and skills to create meaningful and lasting change.
What makes my approach unique is that I’m deeply attuned to the individual sitting in front of me. I pay close attention to what you need in the moment when it’s time to gently stretch you and when it’s time to simply slow down and create space. My goal is to challenge you in ways that feel supportive and sustainable, never overwhelming. One of my greatest gifts as a therapist is helping people reconnect with the strengths, wisdom, and resilience that already exist within them. I don’t believe healing is about becoming someone new; it’s about uncovering who you’ve always been beneath the pain, protective patterns, and life experiences that may have caused you to lose touch with yourself. Clients often tell me they appreciate my grounded, steady, and nonjudgmental presence, especially during seasons when life feels uncertain or overwhelming. I believe deeply in every person’s capacity to heal and grow. Rather than overidentifying with being broken, wounded, or beyond repair, I want to help you rediscover your inherent wholeness and move forward with greater confidence, clarity, and self-compassion.
My ideal client is someone who is curious, motivated to grow, and genuinely desires to heal. They recognize that the patterns they’ve relied on in the past are no longer serving them and are ready to explore a different way forward. They have a willingness to know themselves more deeply and to honestly face both their strengths and the places where fear, shame, or old protective patterns may still be leading. They understand that healing isn’t about becoming perfect; it’s about becoming more authentic, more whole, and more connected to themselves. Many of the clients I work with are looking to heal codependent patterns and move away from placing their sense of security, worth, or happiness in external circumstances or other people. They’re ready to take ownership of their own healing while learning healthier ways of relating to themselves and others. My ideal client is also open-minded and receptive to thoughtful, direct feedback. They value a collaborative therapeutic relationship and are willing to be gently challenged, knowing that growth often begins just outside of familiar patterns.
I have extensive experience working with codependency, hyper-independence, and attachment patterns that often develop in childhood. I help clients understand how these early experiences shape the way they relate to themselves and others today. In couples work, I guide partners toward healthy interdependence by teaching nervous system regulation, conscious communication, and practices that foster deeper reconnection. Rather than repeating old relational patterns, couples learn new ways of connecting that are grounded in safety, awareness, and mutual responsiveness. In individual sessions, I help clients return to themselves by developing the capacity to self-soothe, regulate their emotions, and build inner security. Instead of relying on external circumstances or other people to create a sense of stability, clients learn to cultivate resilience, self-trust, and a more secure relationship with themselves.
For individuals seeking Christian-based counseling, I enjoy helping clients deepen their relationship with God and begin to see themselves through His eyes rather than through the lens of past wounds, fear, or shame. Together, we integrate biblical principles with practical therapeutic tools to support emotional, relational, and spiritual healing. I help clients cultivate the Christian practices of surrender, prayer, and trust in God's guidance. As they grow in their faith and identity in Christ, they learn to become instruments of His love and grace while receiving the peace, wisdom, and purpose that God desires for their lives.
I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients identify negative thought patterns and recognize how these patterns influence their beliefs, emotions, and sense of what is possible. Together, we explore the thoughts that may be keeping them stuck, gently question whether those beliefs are accurate or helpful, and work to replace them with healthier, more balanced perspectives. My goal is not simply positive thinking, but helping clients distinguish between thoughts rooted in fear, shame, or past experiences and those grounded in truth, self-awareness, and possibility. Through this process, clients develop greater emotional resilience, increased self-compassion, and a mindset that supports lasting growth and meaningful change.
In couples counseling, I serve as a bridge to help partners reconnect, rebuild trust, and explore what is possible for their relationship. I create a supportive, nonjudgmental space where each partner feels heard while we work together to better understand the patterns that have created distance or conflict. I have completed Levels 1 and 2 of Gottman Method training and incorporate many of the Gottman principles into my work with couples. Together, we strengthen communication, increase emotional connection, improve conflict management, and develop practical tools that foster a healthier, more resilient relationship. My goal is to help couples move from disconnection and frustration toward greater understanding, partnership, and lasting intimacy.