Specialized Therapy Services in Illinois

According to Psychology Today, most people are dealing with at least a moderate level of stress on a daily basis — 4.9 out of 10 on average!

Modern life presents many challenges that make dealing with normal stress harder including:

• • Increased Stress in the Workplace (83% of people report workplace stress!)
  • Parenting Challenges
  • Major Life Changes such as Divorce, Loss, or Infidelity
  • Financial Insecurity
  • Feeling Overwhelmed about holding everything together

Do you Feel Constantly Worried, Tired, Drained or Stressed?

The effects of keeping up with the pressures of this day and age can create anxiety, depression, panic and overwhelm, if not managed effectively. 

I work with men and women who are tired of being anxious and on edge, and desperately need relief. 

Women are even more susceptible to stress, with heart disease being the leading cause of death for women of all ages due to stress. This is not surprising when you are juggling multiple roles as a mother, daughter, career woman, wife, and all around Superwoman.

I teach you how to balance life’s challenges, adopt healthy self care routines, and prevent work stress from hitching a ride home with you. The end result is you have a life you look forward to living instead of enduring! Begin the journey to more joy, peace and harmony in your life today.

EMDR Therapy for Trauma Processing
(Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

Looking for An Alternative to Traditional Talk Therapy?

Try EMDR instead!

Curious what an EMDR session is like and how it works?

Watch this short 5 min. video about how the VA uses EMDR to heal Vets with PTSD.

As an EMDR Therapist in Illinois, I help you heal deeply troubling images and events, without putting you through the painful process of having to discuss your feelings at length over and over again.

EMDR is THE best therapy for people suffering from PTSD, but is also effective on people with Depression, Anxiety and Panic Attacks.

Benefits of EMDR:

• Gain awareness, healing and insight immediately
• Decrease stress and anxiety due to relaxed fight or flight responses
• Turn your negative beliefs into positive affirmations
• Make long-lasting changes to your brain chemistry with desensitization techniques
• No lengthy talk therapy or deep dives into your most painful memories and feelings

          And . . .

EMDR generally takes fewer sessions than traditional therapy and gets you long-lasting relief much sooner!

How EMDR Is Different Than Traditional Talk Therapy:

EMDR is unique and effective in that it doesn’t require you to dwell on your feelings about the traumatic circumstances you have endured. 

How EMDR Works: The Desensitization Process:

An EMDR therapist, like myself, uses a series of eye movements, taps and sounds to deactivate the memory and the negative self beliefs it created. Often we don’t even realize we have carried these negative thought patterns around subconsciously for years, or even since childhood! However, EMDR works even if you don’t remember the original cause of the hurt, or can’t consciously recall it. This is why it works so well for war vets, crime victims, and anyone with unprocessed trauma.

Click here to learn more about How an EMDR Session Works and What to Expect on the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) website.

EMDR is extensively researched and supported by the following major health organizations among others, The American Psychiatric Association, SAMSHA, US Department of Veteran’s Affairs, World Health Organization (WHO).

If anything is affecting your daily life in ways you don’t understand, don’t wait,
Give EMDR a Try!

 Contact Me for a Free Consultation Call
to see if you are a good fit for
EMDR Therapy Today!

Gottman Method Couples Therapy

Let’s face it, with all the pressures of modern-life — the kids, the mortgage, demanding careers and a general lack of time for ourselves, marriage and relationships can be challenging to maintain. I help you find that balance by learning to validate and acknowledge your partner’s needs, while helping you to express your own in a healthy, productive way.

If you are tired of the bickering, the silent nights on the couch, and the feeling of being a stranger to your own partner, call me to schedule a free consultation call today. We can fix this together!

How Does the Gottman Method Work?

Step One: We will do a Gottman Relationship Check-Up Assessment to see where you are now. Together we will explore your individual feelings and beliefs in the following 5 categories: 

1. 1. Friendship and Intimacy
   2. The Safety Scales
   3. The Conflict Scales
   4. The Shared Meaning System
   5. Individual Areas of Concern

Sounds interesting, right? Preview the assessment here and learn more: https://checkup.gottman.com/couples 

Step Two: We review the assessment together, gaining insight into each other’s needs and desires. This is the beginning of re-building the bridge of communication, or maybe even building it for the first time!

Step Three: We come up with a game plan for how many sessions you are likely to need, and work together until your relationship feels more grounded, safer, and more nurturing to both of you.

If work stress is a major factor in your relationship, check out my Gottman Method Couples Coaching page to learn more about this unique technique developed by Doctors John and Julie Gottman. This method works especially well with “helpers” that feel their energy is pulled in many directions at once, and who have a hard time balancing the pressures of work and home.

 Contact Me for a
Free Couples Counseling or Marriage Therapy
Consultation Call Today!

Did you know that 17% of youth between 6-17 suffer from an undiagnosed mental illness? And of those only 50% get treatment according to NAMI.

Most teens are resistant to treatment for several reasons. Either they are afraid, aren’t ready to open up, or are just too shut down to let a stranger in. One of the ways I get your teen to open up is by identifying and affirming their goals, instead of being another adult who is telling them what they need to do.

As a teen counselor in Illinois, I know how to put your child at ease by validating their feelings and experience from their point of view. Below are a few indications your teenager may be struggling silently with something more serious.

Signs Your Teen May Have a Mental Illness:

• Your Teenager is Isolating/Withdrawing and staying in their room more
• Your Teenager is Under/Overeating and Losing/Gaining Weight Rapidly
• You are Worried Your Teenager is Abusing Substances, Using Drugs or Hiding Their Drinking
• Your Teenager is Getting into Trouble and/or Hanging Out with the Wrong Crowd
• Your Teenager  has said “I don’t even want to be here anymore” and it scares you
• Your Teenager doesn’t seem to care about anything and always has their guard up
• Your Teenager just doesn’t act like themselves anymore and their personality/mood has changed

If you are exhausted, confused, worried or downright scared about your teenagers’ change in behavior, contact me! I specialize in working with teens who “don’t think they have a problem” and can assess for undiagnosed mental illness before it causes problems in adulthood later on.

Get Relief for You and Your Teen
by Contacting Me for a
Free 15 min. Consultation Call Today!

I help you find out if your teen is going through normal behavioral changes and just needs help adjusting, or if they have a more serious need that requires a formal assessment and therapy.