Therapists for college students near University of Chicago

We face struggles in this life and through introspection, humor, and support, we persevere. From the development and focus on our individual resources, we gain the momentum to overcome. It is my belief that supportive relationships tend to be of utmost value to us when we are faced with struggle. Through these relationships, we find direction. It is my desire to support you in finding that very direction. My approach is purposeful, collaborative, and authentic. I will work hard to develop a strong therapeutic alliance with you. I see the client-therapist relationship as the foundation of the change-making journey. I am warm, welcoming, and validating while also direct and goal-focused. I operate from a strength-based approach and am devoted to helping you to explore the connection between your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. I am committed to helping you to increase self-awareness and to develop resources to better cope. My areas of expertise include working with adolescents and young adults who present with challenges that may include anxiety, depression, and trauma. In addition, I am skilled in helping clients to manage urban stress, navigate life transitions, and enhance their self-worth. We will begin exactly where you are at, and I will be honored to assist you in creating that life that you so desire.

If you are someone who is wrestling with perfectionism, adjusting to college life, struggling with classes and peer relationships, I can walk alongside you as you organize and process those feelings. Many college students do not discuss the grief and loss that may come up when they move away from loved ones. This can also be a complex time as you begin a new chapter of your life while also trying to appreciate a newfound independence as you enter adulthood. I want to provide my clients with the necessary coping skills and tools to better equip themselves for the obstacles ahead, while also taking the time to understand behaviors and habits in their daily lives that they want to enhance or limit!

We meet you wherever you are on your journey and assist in helping you navigating anything and everything so you can feel empowered to create the life you want to live. We offer you a space to to feel held and heard so you know you are not alone. We see mental health care as everyday wellness where we radiate warmth and foster connection.

We are a group practice in downtown Chicago where we serve a diverse community. As a staff, we hold multiple intersecting identities and are eager to work from that intersectional framework with our clients. Several of us identify as queer and we celebrate work with the LGBTQI+ community and other historically underserved groups. We have a modern relational, psychodynamic current that runs through our group but we honor human complexity and seek out thoughtful approaches to each and every person we are privileged enough to work with.

I work with college students, emerging adults, and professionals navigating anxiety, identity concerns, workplace stress, career exploration, and life transitions. I see therapy as an opportunity to pause, reflect, and reconnect with yourself during moments of uncertainty or change. My approach is grounded in authenticity, curiosity, and presence, and I value being sincere and direct while maintaining warmth and thoughtful reflection. I aim to create a supportive, respectful therapeutic space where clients feel understood and empowered. My work integrates psychotherapy with mindfulness-informed and holistic practices that support self-awareness, grounding, and connection. I’m drawn to approaches that invite clients to slow down, tune in, and build a more intentional relationship with themselves, while honoring the whole person beyond symptoms alone. I completed my doctoral internship at Duke University Counseling and Psychological Services, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Headspace Health. I hold a PhD in Psychology from Tennessee State University’s APA-accredited program and a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Boston College. I am also certified in Mental Health Coaching.

Chicago Counseling Collective is an inclusive, downtown Chicago-based group practice offering collaborative, culturally informed care for individuals, couples, and groups. We provide both in-person and virtual sessions.

Students work with me when painful experiences of anxiety, depression and stress interfere with their ability to find enjoyment and success in relationships and academically. Psychotherapy with me usually begins with a discussion of the concerns, problems and distress from which you are suffering and seek relief. The goal of the work is to solve the problems, alleviate the distress and place the concerns in the context of your personal development. Results of this effort often include increased self-awareness, enhanced self-esteem, recognition of unique strengths and potentials, and more positive feelings. Appreciation of one’s unique circumstances and developmental history makes for a more meaningful therapy experience. I have over twenty-five years of experience as a former college counseling center Director and Dean.

Our Treatment Center therapists specialize in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic psychotherapy, the first and most established form of talk therapy. These are unique forms of psychotherapy that foster personal development and liberation from dissatisfying or painful patterns of living. Together, you and your therapist will work to understand the meaning of your emotional experiences, thoughts, dreams, memories, fantasies, and sensations with the objective of cultivating a more robust sense of self. By applying complementary therapy approaches and techniques, we will unearth long-standing behavioral patterns or negative perceptions that may be holding you back from experiencing a more fulfilling and meaningful life. Whether you’re looking for extra support and guidance through a challenging situation or you’re ready to move in a new direction in your life, our therapists look forward to working with you to transform suffering into growth.

Alexandra obtained her Masters of Art Therapy and Counseling from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Throughout her career, Alexandra has worked with clients in all stages of life from childhood to older adulthood. She has worked in continuing care communities as well as residential and private practice settings. During her time working in residential level-of-care, she led groups based in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (CBT). She is particularly passionate about working with grief & loss, ADHD, anxiety, and depression. Alexandra’s therapeutic style is integrative through the use of a person-centered lens that can incorporate DBT, CBT, and ACT modalities. She approaches sessions with clients through collaboration to develop interventions that meet the needs and interests of each individual while highlighting each client’s strengths. Alexandra uses ACT through an existential perspective, supporting client’s actions and decisions in connection with each individual’s values to create meaningful experiences throughout life. In the therapeutic relationship, she utilizes a relational approach while also finding moments to incorporate humor. One of her favorite parts of being a mental health professional is to witness growth in clients and celebrating their successes. Throughout her career Alexandra has specialized in working with clients experiencing anxiety and depression through the use of interventions such as Exposure Response Prevention (ERP), Behavioral Activations (BA), developing coping skills, and managing critical thoughts. She assists clients navigate perfectionism and build self-esteem while addressing concerns in relationships to build communication and boundary-setting. Alexandra’s path to becoming a therapist began with explorations in the benefits of artmaking in mental health through art therapy. She has developed extensive knowledge of art materials and methods such as painting, fiber arts, and ceramics. Alexandra can use art therapy with clients as a form of communication, self-expression, or assist in emotional regulation. She previously developed an art therapy curriculum when working in a residential setting to assist clients in continuing to build skills as well as creating further opportunities for creative expression.

The distressing problems that bring you to therapy will later be revealed as the unlikely pathways towards a well-lived life. Pervasive sadness, suicidal thoughts, the heaviness on your shoulders are your psyche’s misunderstood messengers to summon you on a healing journey. Your symptoms have meaning and we will work together to understand them. In therapy, we will first work together to establish a sense of stability: from the first session, we’ll build a trusting relationship that offers a much-needed space for your concerns. You may benefit at this initial stage by simply having a trustworthy ear to hear. As a psychotherapist, I hold the tension of psychotherapy as a mysticism and a science. But it is no snake oil: community, storytelling, and self-exploration are the elixirs which lead to healing. If you would like to learn more about my approach, see if we may be a good fit, or schedule a session, please contact me today by call, text message, or email.

JPA offers fee-for-service outpatient psychotherapy at its Lincoln Park office for people navigating challenges in all stages and walks of life. A trusting relationship is the foundation of the therapy we provide our clients daily. At New Light, therapists meet with clients in a comfortable, confidential setting. Clients safely explore what's on their minds, sharing their stories at their pace. Our therapists help people heal past hurts, gain clarity, improve communication skills, better handle stress, develop problem-solving techniques, and overcome change and loss. We help people conceptualize, create, and sustain the lives they want to live. Our non-judgmental stance respects our client's values, beliefs, and right to self-determination. We help people gain insight and maintain their goals. New Light gives people the support and tools they need to thrive.

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.

I am a Registered Dietitian working to help people improve their relationship with food. I work with people with eating disorders, disordered eating, or chronic dieters lookin to ditch the diet for good. In our work together, I will utilize principles from Intuitive Eating and Health At Every Size to help you learn how to let go of food rules and fuel yourself in a way that works for you. I believe all foods fit. I will never tell you that you need to eliminate any foods! I also work with recreational athletes to help them determine fueling plans to perform their best and also feel their best outside of sport. I also use Intuitive Eating and HAES principles in this work as well. I believe fueling for sport can be done while eating intuitively and does not need to have rigid rules. Whether you are struggling with an eating disorder, looking to stop dieting and let go of food rules, or looking to dial in your nutrition to improve your sport, I would love to work with you on your journey!

Life can be difficult and everyone needs help at some point. I believe in a humanistic/person-centered approach that emphasizes the potential within people. Everyone has a different story, a different journey, a different destination. My goal as a therapist is to give you the support you need to get to where you want to be. Therapy is a collaborative effort and so it is through the combined work of the therapist’s experience in the mental health field and the client’s expertise in themself that this process is most effective. My previous work has primarily been focused on people within the LGBTQIA+ community as well as individuals dealing with substance use disorders and co-occurring conditions including but not limited to anxiety, depression, trauma, OCD, mood disorders, and personality disorders Between my time working at a residential sober house and a community mental health center, where I led substance use and LGBTQIA+ support groups, I have experience working with individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds dealing with a wide variety of mental health issues.

If you feel depressed, anxious, emotionally overwhelmed, stuck or simply need somebody to talk to, I can help. If you are considering making life changes or have a sense that something needs to change, let's work on it together. It has been my life's work to try to understand people and, beyond understanding, help people grow & change. If any of this sounds like you, I hope we can meet to talk it over together. For over 16 years, I taught psychology to therapists & counselors in training. I am certified in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy & informed by Attachment, Mentalization & Evolutionary Psychology based therapies. I am also formally educated & trained in spirituality & religion. Through engaging conversation we will find ways to understanding, growth & change. Working with people during their college years has been a central part of my life. I understand the challenges of coming into the adult life and coming up against personal challenges. I want to help.

You Want To Feel Better. You Want Your Life To Be Better. We Are Here To Help. Find individual, couples, family and group counseling, in person at one of our 5 Chicagoland locations or from the comfort of your home, using a secure, online platform. Find out about Telehealth Services, serving all Illinois and Indiana, here. The Juniper Center is here to help you or someone you love to heal from symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, behavioral issues, relationship issues and more. We work at the forefront of brain science to provide evidence-based results for you. Helping you live your best life.

I love working with young adults who are dealing with things like stress, anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, life transitions, and the pressure to be perfect. Life can feel overwhelming at times, but you're not alone in this! Whether you're trying to manage stress, navigate tricky relationships, or simply find more balance, I'm here to support you every step of the way.

Through creativity and warmth, we work with clients to facilitate personal growth to help navigate an often confusing world. Together we will increase your self awareness, support you in finding the best answers to life- changing questions, and guide you to a more enjoyable life. ‍ We specialize in Anxiety, Depression, Relationships & Couples Counseling, Quarter Life Crisis, Life Transitions, Trauma, & PTSD and more.

I work with adolescents and adults. I specialize in working with ADHD, with a focus on executive functioning skills such as organization, time management, motivation, emotional regulation, and follow-through. I also specialize in treating social anxiety, using exposure-based approaches to help clients gradually face feared situations, reduce avoidance, and build confidence in social and performance settings. We will work at your pace, creating structured and manageable exposures while also addressing the thoughts and physical sensations that keep anxiety going. My approach is compassionate, collaborative, and grounded in evidence based practices including CBT, ACT and ERP.

I am a psychotherapist who enjoys helping you reach your full capacity. As your counselor, I will walk you through a holistic treatment plan to create an enriched healing environment. I approach the therapeutic relationship with respect, empathy and humor. I will help challenge you to fully look at all aspects of your life so you can create positive growth. I am down to earth and believe in the importance of having a positive and healthy relationship with your therapist. When I'm not in the office I enjoy spending time watching movies, listening to music, exploring new restaurants and playing sports.