Individual, Family and Couples Counseling to Strengthen Your Relationships

I believe everyone has the capacity and longing to establish and maintain healthy, satisfying, loving relationships.  Within our work together, I strive to provide a non-judgmental and calm environment that is both supportive and collaborative.  I support partners to rediscover their innate ability to overcome life’s challenges by tapping into inner strengths and talents, learning how to cope effectively, and taking responsibility for how we respond as these stressors arise. 

 
My approach incorporates a person-centered, integrative approach to counseling that includes psycho-dynamic talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, mind/body connection, and emotion-focused therapy. I believe that people are the experts of their personal experience, and strive to understand the individual to help to facilitate self-awareness and change.  

I have a range of experience working with adults from diverse multicultural backgrounds.  My clinical interests include supporting couples experiencing anxiety and depression, grief and loss, alcohol/substance abuse and recovery, and trauma and abuse.

Whether it’s a relationship with yourself or with others, I believes that authentic connection is at the core of the human experience. 

Education:  Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northeastern Illinois University   

Specialties include:   

• Anger Management
• Anxiety and Stress Management
• Coaching
• Conflict Resolution 
• Couples in Distress
• Crisis Intervention
• Depressive and Mood Disorders
• Discernment Counseling  
• Domestic Violence
• Low Self-esteem
• Multiculturalism 
• Phobias
• Premarital Counseling 
• Relationship and Marriage Counseling
• Stress Management

Accepted Insurance: 

• Aetna Behavioral Health (including Student Assistance Program)  
• BlueCross BlueShield - BlueChoice PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Preferred PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Blue Options/BlueChoice Options
• BlueCross BlueShield - Participating Provider Organization
• CIGNA Behavioral Health  

I utilize an integrative, strength-based approach to encourage couples to increase levels of trust within their relationships and to build more effective communication. By encouraging and supporting you through developing positive self-esteem and self-worth, I will assist you in identifying individual strengths and growth areas to improve your well-being and daily living. 

I am committed to assisting couples in identifying constraints that impact their ability to fulfill their relationship vision. With a couple's goals in mind, I provide a safe and secure environment in which each partner can identify underlying emotions and address vulnerabilities to better support progress forward. 

Together, as we balance the concerns of each party, partners begin to explore new ways to address difficulties, cultivating a new style of relating to each other.

My clinical experience includes working within community mental health supporting families and individuals. My clinical interests include; couples and family therapy, anxiety, depression, trauma, crisis intervention and family functioning.

Education:  Masters in  Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Corrections from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. 

Specialties include:   

• Anger Management
• Anxiety and Stress Management
• Coaching
• Conflict Resolution 
• Couples in Distress
• Crisis Intervention
• Depressive and Mood Disorders
• Domestic Violence
• Low Self-esteem
• Multiculturalism 
• Phobias
• Premarital Counseling 
• Relationship and Marriage Counseling
• Stress Management

 Accepted Insurance:

• Aetna Behavioral Health (including Student Assistance Program)
• BlueCross BlueShield - BlueChoice PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Preferred PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Blue Options/BlueChoice Options
• BlueCross BlueShield - Participating Provider Organization 
• CIGNA Behavioral Health  

I strive to create a safe, therapeutic space tailored to meet your needs, challenges, and personal goals. As we work together, we collaboratively explore healthy awareness and self-compassion to enhance the overall quality of your life and relationships. Respecting your pace, I utilize the therapeutic relationship to explore your resources and resiliency  to promote interpersonal strength, vitality and overall wellness.  

My approach utilizes supportive psychotherapy for individuals dealing with emotional trauma, unmet family needs, anxiety, depression and substance abuse recovery. I utilize an interactive and integrative approach. I celebrate and welcome all cultures, abilities, gender identities, and sexualities. 

I believe that you, the individual, are an expert in your own life and that you have strengths and basic goodness which may occasionally not be seen but can once again be discovered. I  strive to help you discover your dreams and goals once again.

Education: Cara holds a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northeastern Illinois University.

Cara's Specialties include:

• Child, Adolescent & Family Therapy
• Coping with Chronic Illnesses
• Conflict Resolution 
• Couples in Distress
• Depression and Anxiety Disorders
• Discernment Counseling 
• Drug and Alcohol Addictions
• Gender & Sexual Identity Issues
• Infidelity 
• Intimacy Issues & Sex Therapy
• Premarital Counseling 
• Relationship and Marriage Counseling
• Relationship Issues
• Young Adult Adjustment & Transition Issues

   Accepted Insurance:

• Aetna Behavioral Health (including Student Assistance Program)
• BlueCross BlueShield - BlueChoice PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Preferred PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Blue Options/BlueChoice Options
• BlueCross BlueShield - Participating Provider Organization 
• CIGNA Behavioral Health  

Everyone has a story.  

As your therapist, I will provide a safe, nonjudgmental environment so we can collaboratively explore the hurdles that prevent you from fulfillment and healing. In utilizing a strength-based approach that emphasizes mindfulness, empathy and overcoming, we will investigate thought and behavioral patterns that impact your life.  In looking through your lens, my goal is to help you develop awareness. Through awareness of patterns that perpetuate “stuck points” in your life, we will take a closer look at your past and how it prevents you from embracing the present moment.

Through these “aha” moments, I will help you create changed behavior and lasting change. Sometimes the path to understanding comes from allowing your felt experience and then nurturing it, rather than being resistant to it.  

While taking the first steps toward therapy can be intimidating, it can also be the most courageous part of your journey. I will prioritize your needs and encourage a partnership dynamic when establishing, implementing, and meeting your goals.  My goal is to help you live a more meaningful and authentic life.

Education:  Frances has completed a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northeastern Illinois University . 

Specialties include:   

• Anger Management
• Anxiety and Stress Management
• Conflict Resolution 
• Depressive and Mood Disorders
• Grief and Loss
• Infidelity 
• Intimacy Issues
• Low Self-esteem
• Relationship Issues
• Stress Management

 Accepted Insurance:

• Aetna Behavioral Health (including Student Assistance Program)
• BlueCross BlueShield - BlueChoice PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Preferred PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Blue Options/BlueChoice Options
• BlueCross BlueShield - Participating Provider Organization 
• CIGNA Behavioral Health  
• Sliding Scale Offered 

In my work with you and your partner, we will illuminate the events, feelings, or beliefs that have brought you to where you are. In every experience there is something to celebrate and something to mourn. By bringing those aspects to light, we can begin to find acceptance and, if need be, to adapt those aspects that are no longer serving us.   

I facilitate the necessary conversations as you and your partner strengthen your connection and intimacy, while also discovering new ways of expressing your needs, wishes and wants with one another.  To do so, we create a safe space where we can reflect, and hold the threads of your narrative to further explore parts of ourselves not yet revealed. 

I believe you can take yourselves where you need to go. You can’t be expected to navigate this process alone.  I will ask you to give voice to your feelings, sensations, beliefs, and concerns. I will not judge or make assumptions; I will ask you to try your best as your work toward strengthening your relationships and embark on your healing journey.  

I take a client-centered approach, working from the belief that each individual is the expert in their own experience. I also incorporate cognitive behavioral therapy, internal family systems and emotional focused therapy.  Together, at your pace, we work to explore different aspects of that experience so that you can see yourself and your relationships in new ways. 

Education: Kit holds a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northeastern Illinois University.

Specialties include:

• Adults Coping with Previous Trauma or Abuse
• Conflict Resolution  
• Career Change and Conflict
• Depression and Anxiety Disorders 
• Discernment Counseling  
• Eating Disorders
• Gender and Sexual Identity Issues
• Grief and Loss Intimacy Issues
• Low Self-esteem 
• Premarital Counseling 
• Relationship Counseling 
• Stress Management 

Accepted Insurance:  

• Aetna Behavioral Health (including Student Assistance Program)
• BlueCross BlueShield - BlueChoice PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Preferred PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Blue Options/BlueChoice Options
• BlueCross BlueShield - Participating Provider Organization 
• CIGNA Behavioral Health  

I use an interactive, integrative, strengths-based approach promoting self-worth and self-love when helping couples navigate the complexities of their relationship.  Collaboratively working with you and your partner, I will work toward removing barriers in communication and rebuilding trust.

Often as relationships progress, life stressors, interaction patterns, and our past become barriers to the relationship vision we once held.  I truly believe within each partner resides the answers and tools to heal and improve the quality of their relationships.  My strong desire is to create a collaborative, safe space fosters mutual respect, intimacy, and insight to help you and your partner overcome obstacles for greater fulfillment in many areas of your life.

My clinical background and passions include couple and family therapy, trauma-focused therapy, and victim advocacy.

Education: Master's in Social Work from Jane Addams School of Social Work

She lives in Chicago with my husband and two beautiful daughters.  

Specialties include:   

• Anger Management
• Anxiety and Stress Management
• Coaching
• Conflict Resolution 
• Couples in Distress
• Crisis Intervention
• Depressive and Mood Disorders
• Domestic Violence
• Low Self-esteem
• Multiculturalism 
• Phobias
• Premarital Counseling 
• Relationship and Marriage Counseling
• Stress Management

 Accepted Insurance:

• Aetna Behavioral Health (including Student Assistance Program)
• BlueCross BlueShield - BlueChoice PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Preferred PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Blue Options/BlueChoice Options
• BlueCross BlueShield - Participating Provider Organization
• CIGNA Behavioral Health
• United Behavioral Health

Employee Assistance Program Affiliate Provider:

• Morneau Shepell 

As your counselor, my goal is never to “fix” you. Rather, I hope to engage you in an insightful and hopeful process that brings you a deeper understanding of yourself, your emotions, your past, and your patterns. 

I know that we are often at our most vulnerable when we seek counseling. The process of exploring and uncovering ourselves is not only challenging, but often supremely uncomfortable. With warmth, humor, and utmost acceptance, I will work with you to develop an individualized plan that makes you feel empowered and enriches your relationships–including the one you have with yourself.

In our work together, I will use an integrative approach grounded in psychodynamic and feminist theory that honors who you are and where you come from. I encourage you to take the next step in your healing process by prioritizing your mental health when you’re ready. 

Education:  Brianna is pursuing a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling through The Family Institute at Northwestern University.  Prior to pursuing a counseling career, Brianna graduated from Northwestern with degrees in journalism and international studies, and has a decade of experience working in the healthcare industry.

Specialties include:   

• Anxiety and Stress Management
• Body image and eating issues
• Conflict Resolution 
• Depressive and Mood Disorders
• Gender and Sexual Identity Issues
• Grief and Loss
• Intimacy Issues
• Low Self-esteem
• Relationship Issues
• Stress Management

 Accepted Insurance:

• Aetna Behavioral Health (including Student Assistance Program)
• BlueCross BlueShield - BlueChoice PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Preferred PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Blue Options/BlueChoice Options
• BlueCross BlueShield - Participating Provider Organization 
• CIGNA Behavioral Health   
• Sliding Scale Offered 

I believe people learn to survive life’s difficulties with exquisite logic that, at times, can keep us from fostering meaningful and supportive lives and relationships. We’re often not taught how to navigate life in a way that meets our needs and helps us connect with others. We cannot go through life alone and we learn best with others. Relationships can be the strong foundation we lean on as we move through the world or painful reminders of what we’ve experienced in the past.

As a therapist, I aim to provide a safe and curious space to explore both past and present experiences that keep clients and couples stuck. Through collaborative exploration with you and your partner, my goal is to help explore each of your feelings, experiences, and needs. Together we can work toward getting unstuck, supporting you and your partner as you embark on a transformative journey towards a more fulfilling and harmonious partnership.

My approach to therapy is integrative and I pull from internal family systems, emotionally focused therapy, and client-centered therapy to help clients address their unique circumstances and use their unique strengths.

I strive to provide a warm and non-judgemental space to collaboratively explore the necessary conversations, highlighting what is most important to each partner. Together, in therapy, we will find ways to foster awareness, acceptance, and enhance connections within your life and relationships.

I believe we all have the inherent ability to thrive, and at times may also need others to support and guide us. 

Education:  Ally has completed a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northeastern Illinois University . 

Specialties include:   

• Anger Management
• Anxiety and Stress Management
• Conflict Resolution 
• Depressive and Mood Disorders
• Grief and Loss
• Infidelity 
• Intimacy Issues
• Low Self-esteem
• Relationship Issues
• Stress Management

 Accepted Insurance:

• Aetna Behavioral Health (including Student Assistance Program)
• BlueCross BlueShield - BlueChoice PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Preferred PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Blue Options/BlueChoice Options
• BlueCross BlueShield - Participating Provider Organization 
• CIGNA Behavioral Health   
• Sliding Scale Offered 

Let’s cocreate a therapeutic space where you can give voice to your experience and be recognized for your authentic self without judgment, shame, or fear. Fundamental to my therapeutic philosophy working both with individuals and couples is that while we all crave actualization, closeness, and intimacy, we often find ourselves feeling stuck, alienated, and disconnected. We cling to our “go-to” strategies for getting our needs met because they are familiar, even when they no longer work for us and may even hurt us. 

Together, let’s develop strategies that work for you, rather than against you. When we find purpose in our pain and meaning in our struggles through counseling, we forge a path forward that transcends our challenges and unlocks new possibilities. 

Doing “life” differently can be both exhilarating and scary. Let’s take those first steps together.

I use an interactive and integrative approach that honors your past while also being goals-driven and forward-leaning. Our work together will draw upon your existing strengths and will uncover inner resources that perhaps you’ve underutilized or undervalued. I work from a cultural humility perspective and am committed to understanding what your identities mean to you and your place in the world.

No matter where you’re starting from, let’s get you where you want to go together. It’s never too early or too late to make a change.

Education:  Stefanie is pursuing a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling through The Family Institute at Northwestern University.  Prior to pursuing a counseling career, Stefanie graduated from Cornell University with a degree in psychology and received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School

Specialties include:   

• Anger Management
• Anxiety and Stress Management
• Conflict Resolution 
• Depressive and Mood Disorders
• Gender and Sexual Identity Issues
• Grief and Loss
• Intimacy Issues
• Low Self-esteem
• Relationship Issues
• Stress Management

 Accepted Insurance:

• Aetna Behavioral Health (including Student Assistance Program)
• BlueCross BlueShield - BlueChoice PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Preferred PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Blue Options/BlueChoice Options
• BlueCross BlueShield - Participating Provider Organization 
• CIGNA Behavioral Health  
• Sliding Scale Offered 

Human lives are messy, full of unexpected obstacles and losses. Yet a compassionate

perspective on these challenges can bring us a sense of meaning, hope, and growth.

As your therapist, I will listen to your story with curiosity, humility, and respect for your life experience. In a safe therapeutic setting, we can seek ways to heal old wounds, strengthen your relationships, and help you pursue your goals. We will work

collaboratively to consider new coping skills and strategies that might better meet your current needs.

Together, we can explore the big or small issues that make you feel stuck. Building

awareness in the present moment can help you find peace, clarity, and direction.

Though starting therapy can be daunting, I strive to offer warmth, humor, and

understanding to support you wherever you are in your journey. Lasting change is

possible, and it begins with accepting you exactly as you are.

Education: Thomas is pursuing a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northeastern Illinois University.  Thomas has years of experience as an actor and educator and holds a Master’s in Child Development and Education from the University of Oxford.

Specialties include:   

• Anger Management
• Anxiety and Stress Management
• Conflict Resolution 
• Depressive and Mood Disorders
• Gender and Sexual Identity Issues
• Grief and Loss
• Intimacy Issues
• Low Self-esteem
• Relationship Issues
• Stress Management

 Accepted Insurance:

• Aetna Behavioral Health (including Student Assistance Program)
• BlueCross BlueShield - BlueChoice PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Preferred PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Blue Options/BlueChoice Options
• BlueCross BlueShield - Participating Provider Organization 
• CIGNA Behavioral Health   
• Sliding Scale Offered 

Clinical Director and Founder of Semillas Counseling PLLC.

My personal mission is my passion to create a safe and meaningful therapeutic experience, generating a greater sense of self-acceptance and self-awareness, to improve the quality of your relationships.  Working collaboratively with each couple, I strive to foster a deeper sense of intimacy, commitment, and connection that will last a lifetime.  I incorporate a caring, directive, solution-oriented approach to minimize the disconnection and expedite the healing process. 

I have been in the mental health field for over 15 years, working in a private practice setting for over 10 years with a strong emphasis in working with couples and families in distress.  

My approach incorporates training from the Evanston Family Therapy Center, Gottman Institute, Emotionally Focused Therapy and the Couples Institute.  I am also trained in EMDR, a technique which can decrease symptoms and advance the therapeutic process.  I am also a Certified Trainer of Mental Health First Aid (Adult)  and also a Prepare/Enrich Facilitator.  

Education:  B.A. in Psychology and M.A. in Community Counseling from Northeastern Illinois University.

Services available in English and Spanish.

Additionally, Michael provides supervision and hosts/facilitates clinical training for provisionally licensed therapists and counseling interns in the Chicagoland area to support their objectives toward developing their work with couples. Michael is a Nationally Certified Counselor and a member of the American Counseling Association.  He also serves on the board of the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute.

Read my blog here.

Specialties include:   

• Anxiety and Stress Management
• Communication Challenges
• Conflict Resolution 
• Couples in Distress
• Crisis Intervention
• Depressive and Mood Disorders
• Discernment Counseling 
• EMDR / PTSD/ Complex Trauma
• Gender & Sexual Identity Issues
• Group Counseling 
• Infidelity 
• Intimacy Issues & Sex Therapy
• LGBTQ Issues 
• Multiculturalism 
• Premarital Counseling 
• Relationship and Marriage Counseling
• Same-Sex Specialized Counseling
• Sexual Identity 

Accepted Insurance:

• Aetna Behavioral Health (including Student Assistance Program) 
• BlueCross BlueShield - BlueChoice PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Preferred PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Blue Options/BlueChoice Options
• BlueCross BlueShield - Participating Provider Organization
• CIGNA Behavioral Health 
• United Behavioral Health

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Affiliate Provider:

• All One Health 
• ACI Specialty Benefits
• Alliance Work Partners
• Carebridge 
• ESPYR
• FEI Workforce Resilience
• Integrated Behavioral Health 
• KGA
• Morneau Shepell 
• New Directions Behavioral Health 
• Reach 
• Workplace Solutions

Michael has also been recipient of Merlin W. Schultz Professional Development Grants awarded by the Schultz Foundation for Advancing Counseling. The Schultz Foundation facilitates positive change by ensuring that counselors and organizations are equipped to handle the emotional and social needs facing families and individuals across Illinois. 

• 2019 Recipient - Yearlong Training in Narrative Therapy offered by Evanston Family Therapy Center
• 2017 Recipient – EMDR Training by the EMDR Institute, Inc. 

I believe that therapy is most beneficial and impactful when the client is met where they are in a safe and non-judgmental space. Supporting you in your therapeutic journey, I am dedicated to creating a collaborative relationship. I strive to understand your life experience, as we explore and identify the barriers that have contributed to issues or concerns you’re experiencing. Together, we will tap into and utilize your personal strengths to help you move forward in reaching your life goals. 

I offer a client-centered, solution-focused approach with an emphasis on providing non-judgmental insights. Whether you are seeking to work on yourself or your personal relationships, I want to support and guide you in addressing the challenges that have impacted your life. My hope is that through our work together, you can transcend and move beyond the distress that is impacting you. 

My specialties include relational dynamics, couples and family therapy, life transitions, and career development interventions. 

I am bilingual and speak both English and Spanish.

Education:  Ruby holds a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northeastern Illinois University . 

Specialties include:   

• Anger Management
• Anxiety and Stress Management
• Conflict Resolution 
• Depressive and Mood Disorders
• Gender and Sexual Identity Issues
• Grief and Loss
• Intimacy Issues
• Low Self-esteem
• Relationship Issues
• Stress Management

 Accepted Insurance:

• Aetna Behavioral Health (including Student Assistance Program)
• BlueCross BlueShield - BlueChoice PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Preferred PPO
• BlueCross BlueShield - Blue Options/BlueChoice Options
• BlueCross BlueShield - Participating Provider Organization 
• CIGNA Behavioral Health