Relationship Issues Therapists in Chicago, IL

The step toward seeking support can feel intimidating. To ensure that you feel as comfortable and at ease in the process as possible, I aim to provide a secure, empathic and judgement free space where we can build a trusting therapeutic relationship to focus our work on responding to your specific needs and concerns.

Are you ready to make a change? "Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." Instead of ignoring problems, work with me to explore your challenges, set goals, and build on your strengths. Learn how to gain innovative ways of coping with life stressors. I incorporate approaches that will be most beneficial to the individual, couple, or family. I take a direct interactive collaborative approach. I believe our counseling relationship is important to your growth. The goal is to lead you to a more satisfied and balanced life.

I enjoy working primarily with individuals who have a history of interpersonal violence. I especially feel honored to journey with those navigating their relationships as they work through their trauma history. I recognize how one's racial, cultural, and faith background impact recovery and welcome integrating these components in therapy. I also take time to explore how childhood experiences shape the individual and current relationships. My hope is that, through our time together, you will gain greater insight into yourself, which will contribute to your flourishing and the flourishing of your relationships.

A trusting and collaborative relationship is essential in therapy, and it is my goal to provide my clients with a warm and non-judgmental atmosphere in which to explore their experiences, feelings and concerns. I work with adults who are struggling with a wide range of problems including anxiety, depression, procrastination and life stressors. In addition to addressing immediate concerns and problematic symptoms, I work with my clients to understand and change longstanding relationship patterns and sources of dissatisfaction so that they can achieve greater fulfillment, intimacy and resilience.

A positive, trusting relationship is the foundation of effective therapy. My goal is to help you discover your strengths, cope with stress, improve relationships, heal past trauma, and attain a happier, more fulfilled life. As a licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience, I am dedicated to offering compassionate, solution-focused therapy, and helping you make positive, lasting life changes. I have helped individuals and families to resolve a range of problems including depression, anxiety, relationship problems, parenting and other family issues, grief and loss, substance abuse, and the effects of sexual abuse and other traumas.

Have you been through the spin cycle one too many times in your relationship or marriage? Asking yourself, "How did I get here?" Coming out of divorce or contemplating divorce or separation? Do you think your partner is a narcissist? Or are they avoiding issues that you know are relevant? Do they blame you for everything? Have you or your partner experienced childhood trauma and it is wreaking havoc on your relationship? Maybe you have just had enough and you need to sort out your feelings and get grounded. The fact is that relationships, both past and present, lie at the core of all of our problems.

If you're struggling with relationship issues, life transitions, or if you're facing a big life decision, I can help! We'll work together to help you face these challenges head on. I have advanced training in the treatment of anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, and relationship concerns. My approach is strengths-based and designed to help my clients identify and remove barriers keeping them from living their best lives possible.

We all want to be our most authentic selves in this world. Knowing ourselves allows us to find our place in this world and that fosters happiness. For nearly 12 years I have been assisting clients dealing with a wide range of life transitions. I have worked with clients of all ages processing bereavement, relationship/job issues, depression, anxiety, combination diagnosis, PTSD and end of life processing. As a clinician I can help you to gain insight into what’s important in your own life and be excited and confident in yourself for doing the work that will make you more resilient.

For the past 15+ years, I have had the pleasure of helping individuals and couples find relief from life's stressors. I work with a wide range of concerns and am especially effective with life transitions, depression, anxiety, relationship, LGBTQ, grief, and family stressors. I aim to provide a safe, supportive, confidential space to help you deepen your self-understanding, change problematic patterns, and enhance self-esteem. As a feminist and multicultural psychologist, I am also sensitive to the ways oppression and marginalization affect psychological wellbeing, and I welcome clients from diverse backgrounds and identities.

I am a queer-identified therapist with significant personal and professional experience providing LGBTQIA+ affirmative care for folks across stages of sexuality and gender exploration, transition and expression. I enjoy supporting people of diverse backgrounds and work to honor the complexities of each person’s own identity intersection. I have experience working with a variety of types of trauma and expressions of trauma including PTSD, C-PTSD, depression, anxiety, substance use disorder, disordered eating, relational issues and more. I provide relationship therapy extending to platonic, polyamorous, aromantic/asexual partnerships.

Therapy is a pathway to peace of mind and personal growth. I foster a supportive, nonjudgmental, warm, and empathic therapeutic environment conducive to openly discussing and navigating issues standing in the way of desired change. As a licensed clinical psychologist, I specialize in the treatment of mood-related struggles, anxiety, relationship concerns, grief and loss, self-esteem issues, and difficulty adjusting to life transitions. My approach is grounded in evidence-based practices that develop existing strengths and coping skills, promote healthier relationships, and empower people to achieve meaningful growth in their lives.

Often, people come to us without having explored psychological concerns in a sophisticated way. If they had past therapy, they were at times disappointed that it did not go deeper, as it left the greater meaning (the "roots") of their symptoms unexplored. As psychodynamic therapists, however, our goal is to see comprehensively, with thoughtful attention to the subtle depths and intricacies of your experience. In so doing, we can help to both resolve symptoms and impart meaning to your experiences, even those thoughts, feelings, and emotions that are often deemed painful or meaningless.

When her initial pursuit of a career in evangelical ministry was disrupted by a mental health crisis, Casey was forced to reckon with the harmful impact of purity culture and systemic homophobia on her sense of self. After coming out as queer at a college that expressly forbid “homosexual behavior,” Casey made it her mission to disrupt misinformation and barriers to authenticity by pursuing her masters in counseling with a specialization in sexual and gender diversity, and ultimately received her Sexual Health Certificate from University of Michigan.

Finding a therapist is often difficult and can feel overwhelming. Therefore, we strive to match you with a clinician who is the right fit for you in terms of style, expertise, and availability. Our team of caring and experienced clinicians provide individual, family, couples, and group psychotherapy. We specialize in areas such as trauma, relationship distress, anxiety, depression, coping with change/transitions, life-stress, and grief/mourning.

Cheri DeMoss is founder & director of Empowering OptionsTM Counseling Innovations. For the past 29 years, Cheri's approach is distinctive in its effectiveness. She provides key information; clear insights & innovative techniques to use immediately. By teaming new information with fresh ways to look at long-standing beliefs, reactions, & behavior patterns you can create the changes you want. Whether you want to improve your relationship, alleviate depression, or be more pro-active in your life - the things we struggle with come from not having relevant knowledge that we can turn into action.

At times we can experience pain, suffering, and troubles with coping and relationships. You may be feeling anxious, depressed, or unsure why things don't feel quite right. At any point, we have the opportunity to help ourselves, discover who we are, and find where we want to go. Engaging in therapy is a courageous act, and I believe therapy offers a place for true growth and transformation. Long-lasting and meaningful change will take time, but there is hope and possibility for a way forward. A strong and trusting therapeutic relationship between the client and therapist is the vehicle in which this change and healing can occur.

Accepting NEW clients! Informed by my own journey and experiences, I am deeply committed to providing support to individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. I appreciate working with adults, young adults, and professionals who are navigating feelings of otherness and their intersectional identities, with a specialization in Black and Muslim mental health. I am dedicated to creating a nurturing and understanding environment. Therapy with me offers a compassionate approach tailored to your specific needs, whether you're grappling with relationship dynamics, processing trauma, or seeking guidance for anxiety and depression.

Looking for a therapist requires a leap of faith: that someone out there can actually understand, let alone help. Maybe you sense you need to make a change, but how to move forward is unclear. Or maybe you are going through something right now that feels too heavy to shoulder alone. In either case, therapy can be a place to find your footing. When we first meet, I will listen carefully to your story, then together we will identify what carries the potential to help. I offer a compassionate relationship you can rely on.

Relationships are the heart of all meaningful change. Whether you are coming to therapy because you feel lost, demoralized, or moved to deepen your self-understanding, feeling authentically understood and appreciated in your relationships is crucial to healing. In my practice, I strive to create an accepting atmosphere in which you feel comfortable speaking freely about the concerns in your life. Together, we can understand how the relationship we build in our work is both a microcosm of your present, as well as a vehicle for surprise, change, and growth.