Therapists for college students near Chicago, IL

Ellie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who believes healing begins within safe, trusting relationships. She works to create a warm and nonjudgmental space where individuals feel seen, heard, and understood. Her work is informed by psychodynamic and attachment theories, and an understanding of nervous system regulation. She is attentive to how early relationships and life experiences shape emotional patterns, self-perception, and how we relate to others. Ellie also helps clients recognize how their nervous system responds to stress, supporting them in becoming more grounded, connected, and in control. Her approach invites greater self-awareness, emotional flexibility, and lasting change. Ellie is passionate about working with individuals who have dealt with various forms of overwhelming stress and trauma, focusing in particular on work with children and adolescents. She incorporates a range of modalities including play, talk, and art therapy, recognizing the unique ways children express themselves and explore their worlds. She meets each child where they are at and allows play and the relationship to serve as powerful tools for healing, growth, and connection. Ellie also strives to support parents and caregivers in understanding their child more deeply and fostering strong and healthy family relationships. Whether working with a child, teen, or adult, Ellie brings warmth, curiosity, and deep respect for each person’s story. ​

Hi and welcome! I'm a clinical psychologist in a small private practice with 2 other clinicians. I've worked extensively with college students and enjoy helping clients sort through life challenges and transitions. I know college can be a time filled with changes related to identity and relationships and I hope to be a sounding board to those experiences while providing support and guidance. Please do not hesitate to reach out to ask questions or schedule an appointment.

I have experience working with students who are diagnosed with ADHD, on the Autism Spectrum, identify with LGBTQ+ and who have anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation. I like to create a safe and comfortable environment for my clients. I am accepting both virtual and in person clients at this time.

So you’re becoming more independent and feel like conversations with family and friends are strained. Maybe you want to set boundaries and air frustrations with those you’re close to, but struggle with how to do this as your relationships shift? Questioning beliefs and values you’ve long held onto isn’t easy, and can be even harder when voicing them to others. Whether watching parents divorce as an adult, coming out to family, or struggling with transitions in life, my goal is to increase your understanding of yourself both in the past and present so advocating for your needs feels less like a burden. As someone that is queer-identified, I have a passion for working with clients holding marginalized identities and supporting your journey, acknowledging the impacts society, family, and culture have in shaping the world around you. Our time together will focus on developing healthy boundaries and goals collaboratively to improve interpersonal relationships.

Are you looking to make changes in your life? Are you looking for a partner to help navigate relationship drama, manage symptoms, or just to listen to the challenges you’re going through? It would be an honor to partner with you on this journey, whatever the reason that brings you in. I can support you in managing stress, depression, anxiety, trauma, substance use disorders, dual diagnoses, and many other concerns. Each person is worthy of a space to feel seen and engage in a meaningful therapy experience. I strive to create a therapeutic space that is centered on the goals and needs of each person while building a collaborative relationship all in the understanding that you drive the direction and focus of our work together. I’m here as a guide to offer strategies, expertise and hope as we navigate through your unique experience in partnership. My therapeutic approach is grounded in strengths-based, trauma-informed and harm-reduction philosophies. Other evidenced-based practices utilized in my work include cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and others that are best suited for the person and their particular needs.

I work with young adults on a variety of issues including anxiety, depression, relationship issues, educational/career stress among others. Additionally, my background and training is in primary care, which means I also help clients improve issues related to sleep, diet, exercise, and substance misuse. I love to help clients achieve their goals and am known to bring my sense of humor into sessions. Please see the listed availability section to find out more info about hours.

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Do you struggle with anxiety that affects your daily life? Do you feel overwhelmed just getting through the day? Do you hope that life could be better? Now more than ever, people are feeling uncertain in life. I believe there is hope. I offer a safe, holistic, and client-centered approach to therapy, so you can get the help you need. I am passionate about helping young adults learn to cope with anxiety, depression, body image/eating, and life transitions. I will guide you to accomplish your goals.

Welcome! I specialize in working with young adults facing challenges like anxiety, OCD, ADHD, and depression. My approach combines Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and Motivational Interviewing (MI) to provide a tailored, effective treatment experience. More importantly, I focus on building a positive, trusting relationship with each client. I believe therapy works best when you feel truly understood and supported. In our sessions, you’ll find a warm, non-judgmental space where you can openly explore your thoughts and feelings. I love incorporating art, creativity, even dogs into the treatment space to help you reach your goals. Together, we’ll work on practical tools to help you manage overwhelming emotions, break free from unwanted patterns, and feel more in control. My goal is to empower you with the skills and confidence to navigate life’s challenges while fostering a stronger sense of self.

Gabi is a board-certified, licensed clinical counselor and a Registered Art Therapist. She holds a masters degree in Counseling & Art Therapy from Adler University. Rooted in a passion for fostering community, connection, understanding, and belonging, Gabi is committed to guiding clients through their unique journeys, holding space for their truths and experiences. Through a blend of talk therapy, art therapy, mindfulness, body-centric work, and play, she fosters trust and belonging. Her art therapy encourages intuitive expression, allowing clients to authentically explore emotions, memories, and body-felt experiences, creating a safer inner space for self-discovery. Outside of private practice, Gabi worked as a therapist and clinical supervisor within community mental health, as well as an art therapist with marginalized Chicago youth. She has experience working with the spectrum of age, from as young as 5 into adulthood, as well as families. Gabi has experience working with a wide range of presenting concerns, but specifically has a passion for working with 2SLGBTQ+ individuals, those navigating past and present trauma, those experiencing significant life transitions (transitioning into adulthood, college, becoming a parent) as well as those wanting to further connect with the experiences of their body.

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My approach to therapy is individualized, attentive, direct, and flexible. Guided by Lacanian psychoanalysis and grounded in social justice, I offer patients a space to speak freely about their suffering, history, questions, wishes, fantasies, and desires. I listen carefully for the unconscious in their patients’ speech, focusing on the unique complexity of each patient. Speaking, listening, and being heard in this way opens up new possibilities for ways of relating to oneself and others. This approach works for a wide variety of concerns, including those that are difficult to put into words. I offer individual art and talk therapy to patients of all ages who are willing to speak about their suffering and learn new things about themselves. I also provides couples and relationship counseling to partners, exes, and roommates. I reserve a number of appointments each week for sliding scale patients. Please reach out if a reduced fee would allow you to access my services.

You are capable of change and deserve to be heard with empathy and compassion. Understanding that starting therapy can be daunting, I create a warm, non-judgmental environment where you'll feel comfortable sharing your challenges. Together, we’ll collaborate to overcome obstacles and achieve personal goals, building tools to navigate life's difficulties while nurturing self-love and confidence. My client-centered, trauma-informed approach is tailored to each person. I value exploring thoughts and feelings in a supportive space, encouraging self-reflection and growth.

We are an evolving collective of mental health professionals who have committed to the pursuit of personal and systemic growth on every level of our society. Our practice began as a friendship and has continued to grow as we have built associations with highly competent, seasoned and relationally oriented therapists. We have become a vibrant community, with a broad base of clinical expertise. However, we remain small enough to be accessible and responsive to each individual we support. Our practice is effective, innovative and totally down to earth. The client and our relationship with them is the central focus of treatment. Our clinical expertise and relational approach work in harmony to provide an ideal foundation for exploring a co-constructed, mutual process of growth.

Hello! I am a trauma therapist who works with people who want to feel safer and more connected to themselves, in their relationships and their world. In response to painful, overwhelming experience, our systems learn show to brilliantly manage, perform, and hold it together. The patterns that helped you survive may now be happening automatically. We will explore how your system has adapted and apply that awareness in practical ways. Meaningful shifts can happen in connection. Active, intentional living offers a full life you honor the past and stay in the present. Life is sometimes absurd. Humor helps too! As a therapist of nearly 20 years, I work with those who want to feel safer and more connected. Certified in EMDR and IFS-Informed EMDR. AASECT Certified Sex Therapist. Polyvagal Certificate. EMDR Intensives available for deeper work. Level 3 Gottman. Internal Tracks Offering-Hip Hop Therapy + Parts Work + Polyvagal. I'm licensed in IL, NY and PSYPACT states.

I am passionate about working with students experiencing grief, trauma, OCD, life transitions, depression, anxiety, panic, ADHD, identity exploration, relationship difficulties, suicidality, and more. I work specifically with young adults, college and graduate students, and athletes. I provide a safe, judgment-free space to share, explore, and find solutions to your struggles. I believe in exploring, not explaining, and provide clients with the agency to determine how they want sessions to look and feel. I bring authenticity, humor, transparency, and cultural humility to my work. I appreciate the courage required to book a session and look forward to meeting you.

Just because you are pursuing therapy doesn’t mean there is something wrong with you. It doesn’t mean that you are not strong. And it definitely doesn’t matter if you think other people have it worse than you. This is about your life and how we can help to make it better.

There are times when we may need support to gain insight and find creative solutions to our challenges. I look to meet people wherever they are on their journey and walk for a while, along-side them. As an art therapist, I believe in the power of creative expression and the role that it can play in self-awareness, growth, and healing. Let's Collaborate. I use art making as a mode of expression and fertile space for creative problem-solving. I found this outlet at a young age and went on to study art formally earning a degree in fine arts from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Creative expression of all kinds and across mediums has been a part of my personal self-care practice for most of my life. I believe so deeply in the healing power of art that I went on to obtain a graduate degree in Art Therapy so I could share this therapeutic practice with others. In addition to creative expressive therapy, I often integrate mindfulness and meditation techniques into sessions. I am trained in a variety of theories and modalities that support the deep work of trauma processing, such as EMDR, somatic work, and Internal Family Systems. Like a well-composed song or a pigment-layered canvas, a multi-media approach may be in order to best support the therapeutic process. I invite co-collaborators (that's you!) to roll up their sleeves in order to design creative solutions to their challenges and imagine new landscapes for their futures. Let's see what we can create together. The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance. ― Aristotle

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I am a bilingual Licensed Clinical Social Worker with New Insights Behavioral Health Services in Chicago, IL. If you feel you are ready to take that first step in starting your therapy journey, feel free to email me to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation.