Trauma and PTSD Therapists in 60604

Many of us lead busy lives with little space to breathe, think, and make choices with clarity. We hold ourselves to unsustainable standards in our careers, relationships and as individuals. We move from day to day with anxious thoughts, or float numbly with disconnection and over-scheduling as a way to avoid pain. Often our expectations, goals and circumstances come at the expense of our own healthy well being.

The decision to seek therapy can be difficult; however, you are here and that's your first step. Do you find yourself struggling in relationships, dealing with depression, anxiety, grief, or trauma? I want to be available to help you through that. I work with individuals and couples. I have a particular passion for working with women who have experienced infidelity in a relationship. Betrayal trauma comes in forms such as having multiple partners, emotional affairs, lying, and gaslighting. I want you to find healing, rebuild trust in yourself, and become whole again.

Maybe you're weighed down by memories you've been trying to shake. You want to connect with a partner, but the same negative patterns keep playing out in your romantic life. A good night's sleep is rare, the tightness and stress in your shoulders is constant, but you have trouble pinning down exactly what it's stemming from. And you want things to change, even though you aren't sure exactly where to start with it all. The good news is that you don't have to go through this alone. I'll walk with you as we make sense of the challenges you're facing and I'm confident that through our time, you'll begin feeling better.

Feeling like something terrible is about to happen and there is nothing you can do about it... Feeling overwhelmed with anger and frustration, and constantly misunderstood... Or wishing that you didn't have to get out of bed, that your day didn't have to start... For those of you who relate, who feel isolated, lonely, helpless, and confused, I invite you to think of therapy as a self-discovery journey that can give meaning to your struggle. And while this step requires courage and tenacity, it can lead you to a rewarding path, a newly acquired self-knowledge and a dramatic sense of revelation...

Do you find yourself replaying conversations over and over in your head? Do you jump to conclusions or assume the worst? Do you notice that you feel panicky, restless, or overwhelmed? Do you struggle with negative beliefs about yourself or the world? Have you been through something difficult or traumatic like the loss of a loved one, recurrent family conflict, job loss, or the end of a relationship? If you answered “yes” to any of these, then you’ve come to the right place! Most of us know what needs to change, but not a lot of us know what needs to be done to get there. That’s where I come in.

I have the foundational belief that all people are coping with life in the best ways they know how. If those ways aren't working for you anymore, I'm here to help. I provide an open therapeutic space for you to explore ways in which change is possible, and I provide concrete skills to help you get there. My holistic approach is compassionate and interactive, and I understand the mind/body connection. Finally, I bring to therapy a lens that acknowledges the impact of systems on the health and well-being of my clients.

I believe in the capacity of the human spirit to grow and change and that psychotherapy is a powerful means for this kind of transformation. As a therapist, you will experience me as a keen observer, helping you to explore and identify patterns in your life and picking up on feelings and emotions that might be hard for you to make contact with. I make use of my creativity and yours to help you see things in a new light and to notice ways of being and coping that aren’t working anymore. I am known for my innate curiosity, intellectual agility and emotional intelligence.

I love working with college students, adults and couples on a wide variety of issues, but in particular I specialize in ADHD, dating and relationship concerns, family trauma, ethical non-monogomy, polycules and life transitions. My hope for you is straightforward: to embark on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment, where you'll gain the tools, insights, and courage to embrace your potential and live a life that's authentically yours.

You are not alone. Perhaps you feel anxious or depressed or addicted or lonely or filled with shame. You want to change your behavior, negative thoughts, and understand your emotions in order to gain balance and wholeness in life, but you feel stuck. There is hope. Tomorrow does not have to be like today. Change is actually possible. Each of us needs someone to bear witness to the core stories of our lives, and to help us make sense of why our life looks and feels the way it does. I can partner with you on your journey toward true transformation, healing, and wholeness as we explore all that is going on within you.

I enjoy meeting with people who are new to therapy and at the beginning stages of their journey. Understandably you may be unsure about therapy or possibly skeptical of how talking to a professional can be useful. For those who have experience with therapy, I am not a therapist that "just listens". I think it's more beneficial if I am engaged and communicating my assessment of your situation. The initial session typically focuses on current details and relevant back history. If you have experienced trauma or PTSD symptoms, my initial focus is to help you regulate your emotional responses before discussing the details of the trauma.

Has life thrown a lot at you? Maybe you’ve successfully gotten through past difficulties, only to find your old ways of coping no longer serve you. Let’s work together to find your healing. With warmth and acceptance, I work to unlock your connection to and trust in your strengths, wisdom, and creativity. We'll shape an understanding of who you are, where you’d like to be, and what tools work for you to build skills and find solutions to your goals. Using my foundation in the neurophysiology of stress and trauma, I will partner with you to cultivate cognitive and body-based tools to cope and find new responses to present challenges.

If you are feeling stuck, I can be a guide in helping you find movement in your life. I will work with you to better understand your body and mind's ways of knowing. We may use creative practices like artmaking and body awareness along with discussion. Based on your goals, we will find what works best for you. I use a relational approach with a dash of humor in my practice, making space for both the hard things and the good stuff in life. Therapy should help you to feel that range more deeply, to feel you have options, and to feel capable of knowing what you need.

If you're struggling with painful thoughts and feelings or a challenging life event, it's important that you feel understood and supported. It is crucial to find a safe place to work on these issues where you will not be judged. I'm a licensed psychotherapist with 13 years of experience assisting people suffering from anxiety, depression, history of trauma, postpartum adjustment, chronic stress, dysfunctional environments, grief and loss. It can be important to explore historical life events, and my approach also consists of skill-building and learning coping skills for the present.

It takes courage to reach out for help and I applaud you for taking the first step! I have a low-pressure, warm approach focused on creating an environment of safety and encouragement. Human connection is essential to our well being and connection in the therapeutic relationship is essential to healing. In therapy we will work together to discover and develop your strengths, skills and resources to help you change patterns and behaviors that are no longer helpful to you.

Diana Goldman de Zocchi has over 30 years of clinical experience in both individual and couple therapy/counseling in three different countries: Argentina, Spain and the United States. She received her Bachelor and Master Degrees in Psychology from the University of Buenos Aires. Diana completed 4 additional years of psychodynamic training at the Argentinean Psychoanalytical Association (Member of the IPA ). Diana also has more than 10 years of experience in Teaching and Supervision of postgraduate trainees. She currently supervises fellow colleagues in private practice and is faculty in China America Psychoanalytical Alliance.

The clients who come to me are having difficulty creating the lives that they want for themselves. Sometimes this is due to trauma in their background and other times it is due to other things that are blocking their personal goals such as grief or a break-up/divorce. Clients who work best with me are ones who want to build their internal resources so that they can knowingly move forward in whatever direction they choose.

Are you going through a significant life transition? Whether it's a breakup, graduating from college, starting a new job, or adjusting to a new city, I can help. As a member of the BIPOC community, I understand the unique challenges and cultural expectations that you may be facing. I strongly believe that everyone has a story shaped by their experiences, and I am here to support you in creating the life and happiness you desire. We will work together to set goals and develop coping skills that will empower you to feel better and thrive. Let's increase your self-awareness and build the tools you need to navigate like with confidence.

A longtime Chicagoan, I have also lived in China, France, and Japan. I use my full experience in management consulting, nonprofits, and the arts in my work as a therapist and am adept at working with people from varied backgrounds. I am astute, compassionate, and deeply committed to my clients' well-being. I engage my clients not only on the inner- and inter-personal levels, but also in the contexts of their intersecting roles and identities. I am attuned to the mutual influence that individuals and groups have on one another and the interconnectedness in life's pain and healing .

Being queer myself, I often work with LGBTQ young adults and teens who are navigating life stressors while forming their identities. I’m formally certified with EMDRIA international in EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) and often use this approach to support clients' healing from childhood & other interpersonal traumatic experiences. I also assist clients in their processing of other aspects of identity including family, ethnicity, faith, and spirituality. I am very passionate about working with queer folks, people of faith, and additionally, those with post-traumatic stress symptoms and/or PTSD.