Therapists in Oak Park, IL

I am a National Certified Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor. I earned my Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Adler University in Chicago in 2017. Along with my counseling education and skills, I had a successful first career working as a special education and traditional elementary teacher, reading specialist, and literacy staff developer. Recently, I worked in higher education as a doctorate level college professor for 18 years, at a community college teaching developmental and traditional English classes.

We are wired with an affinity toward healing. Therapy is a powerful tool in attaining wellness. But what if we went beyond talk therapy by also integrating meditation and biofeedback to address trauma, depression, inattention and other areas of mental health? We will explore your intrinsic ability to harness the power of mindfulness and breath work to reduce chronic pain and other physical issues impacted by stress. We will tap into nutrition's significant role in mental health, including mood and memory. We are a team of psychological providers and a preventative care physician collaborating with you toward your healing journey.

Our life's work is helping clients achieve a better sense of self and happiness...more recently we've recognized that without good mental health providers, finding this balance in life can be more difficult and stressful. As a result, we tend toward an Integrative approach and help our clients transform into the people they want to be. We see each client as an individual with many parts to their identity. Utilizing a holistic and systemic approach we help clients reintegrate the parts of themselves to function better as individuals and within their systems. Our focus tenhers and fathers navigating prenatal/postpartum depression.

Life can throw a lot of stressors our way, and for many, this can lead to feelings of anxiety, shutdown, and/or overwhelm. Early childhood experiences have a significant impact on how we respond to stress. I specialize in treating complex or attachment trauma and have training in treatment modalities which support the brain’s and body’s natural capacity to heal. I work with teens, adults, and specifically therapists, to increase awareness of underlying patterns and assist in the healing of unprocessed events. My role is to provide support as we work together towards increasing your overall emotional capacity and regulation.

LifeSpan Counseling & Psychological Services offers services to children, adolescents, adults, couples and families. In therapy, I work to create an empathic, open, and collaborative atmosphere to treat issues such as trauma, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and personality disorders. Identity development, grief and loss, relationship problems, and domestic violence and abuse are other concerns that I help people address through therapy. I practice primarily from a psychodynamic approach and also use cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and interpersonal therapy to enrich the therapeutic process.

" I believe it is important to work collaboratively with clients, offering hope and guidance in addressing and resolving problems of living. I assist individuals, couples and families to feel happier and more in control of their lives by engaging them sensitively, with due attention to each person's unique circumstances and personal strengths. Providing education about mental health issues and feedback about the successes and failures of the various solutions that clients have tried are central to my approach."

Does your life seem to be less fulfilling and you do not know why? Look no further. Your best life is waiting. I work to provide a safe space and collaborate with clients on finding their inner strengths to utilize them in building resiliency. I work to guide children ages four and older, adolescents, adults, couples, and first responders to reach their goals and experience a happier life. Given my experience working in emergency rooms, outpatient, residential and schools, I understand how the impact of these challenges can often leave people feeling unable to participate in life roles that lead to life satisfaction.

At Midwest Alternative Treatment Clinic, we utilize an approach validated in research and experience to tailor a ketamine program that suits your individual needs and meet you where you are in your journey. Rooted in human relationships, our practice strives to improve your health through mutual respect and collaboration. Individuals with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and chronic pain have all received benefit from ketamine and we are excited to assist you on your path to wellness.

Our life's work is helping clients achieve a better sense of self and happiness...more recently we've recognized that without good mental health providers, finding this balance in life can be more difficult and stressful. As a result, we tend toward an Integrative approach and help our clients transform into the people they want to be. We see each client as an individual with many parts to their identity. Utilizing a holistic and systemic approach we help clients reintegrate the parts of themselves to function better as individuals and within their systems. Our focus tends toward a systems based approach using behavior methods.

Breaking unhealthy habits, getting "unstuck", or working through life’s challenges requires creativity. But when we are feeling depressed, anxious, or overwhelmed, our brains tend to follow rigid patterns of thinking, feeling, and reacting. And that makes creativity difficult to access. As a therapist, my goal is to develop a fully creative process with each client and provide a comfortable space to explore and discuss different perspectives and self-care strategies.

Each of us encounters struggle in our lives: the essential element of my approach to psychotherapy involves the sharing of these struggles in a therapeutic relationship. Once this foundation has been laid, we progress toward mutually agreed upon goals. My patients often find that problems bringing them into therapy are connected to other parts of their lives. We work together to uncover these elements and open doors to greater satisfaction and self understanding.

Choosing therapy is a brave step to take, and after you take that step, I will walk with you. It is my priority to create a space where you feel comfortable and supported as you express yourself. I want to partner with you and learn about your specific needs so that I can understand your experience, without assumptions. I will provide empathy, education, and insight as we work together. I want to help you recognize your own strengths and build off of them as we create solid goals so that you can take active steps towards healing, change, and growth. I will work with you and your family to help you meet your individual needs.

I work best with clients who are troubled by anxiety, depression, relationship issues, losses or trauma, and life transition issues. I provide individual and family therapy for children, adolescents, and adults. I use a variety of treatment techniques including cognitive, psychodynamic, and client-centered therapies as well as behavior management strategies. My research on coping with traumatic life events has prepared me well to work with clients who have experienced trauma and crisis. A life crisis can be debilitating at first, but can lead to a search for meaning and dramatic new growth. It is exciting for me to accompany clients in this process!

Success in therapy is a result of the expertise of the therapist and the participation of the client. The therapist is responsible for helping the client to participate in a way that is comfortable and promotes growth and change. For more than 25 years, I have been training doctoral level clinical psychologists. To do so, I have had to remain current with advances in the field and have benefited from the input of new ideas and techniques. Techniques are not effective unless the therapist establishes a trusting relationship with his clients. This is my first goal.

(She/Her/Hers) Over the years, I have built a practice devoted to improving the lives of people from a wide variety of backgrounds, struggling with a number of different issues. More recently, I have shifted my focus from clinical practice to the training of pre-licensed and early career therapists. I very much enjoy mentoring as it gives me the opportunity to share all that I have learned in my two decades of providing psychotherapy.

Creative people often need multiple ways to process and integrate information before things "click" and real change takes place. Studio art therapy provides an accepting space for flexible self-expression that moves beyond words into the sensory and tangible world. I focus on helping clients connect their unconscious and conscious minds to align around personal and relationship goals in fresh, creative ways. Together we can enter a space where safety and exploration are bridged, and issues of mood, anxiety, and past trauma can be safely and effectively worked through to improve overall functioning through mind-body integration.

Elena Vassallo has twenty-eight years of experience helping people with anxiety, depression, grief, phase of life transitions, low self-esteem, feelings of meaninglessness, relationship issues and more.

As co-founder of SpringSource Psychological Center, I am a licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience. We have a fantastic team of talented doctors and therapists at SpringSource who are immediately available to help new clients in the Chicago area and surrounding suburbs. I specialize in treating anxiety, depression, eating disorders, trauma, infertility, and relationship issues and provide care that is grounded in evidence-based treatments (including DBT, ACT, CPT, MBCT, and more).

Working with various populations has taught me the importance of understanding the full individual and their own unique experience in the world. I provide a supportive environment, focusing on symptom reduction while also exploring underlying roots of emotional discomfort. I encourage self-exploration, emotional processing, and self-acceptance. I try to help clients connect past experiences to their current situations, and I utilize the therapeutic relationship to foster clients' growth and self-fulfillment. I find therapy to be powerful and exciting, and I consider it a privilege to help people strive for their potential.