Moving Through the Holidays the Best That We Can

With intentionality and skill, Sarah utilizes a holistic approach to therapy that focuses on the strengths and resiliency of individuals. She believes that humans are complex, multi-dimensional beings and seeks to help clients discover their whole selves. Know that your full self is welcome in her presence. Sarah views therapy as a collaborative experience and invites you to explore your authentic self on your path to healing.

Drawing on techniques from Existential Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing, Sarah works with clients to find the meaning in struggles and strengthen individuals’ capacity for self-compassion, joy, and personal growth. She has specific training in trauma recovery, insomnia, substance use disorders and spiritually-integrated care.

Sarah enjoys working with teens, young adults, and adults with a wide range of concerns, including depression, anxiety, trauma, loss/grief, life transitions, PTSD, and overall self-understanding. Her appreciation of the delicate nature of the human experience allows her to meet you where you are at and enable you to grow in self-awareness and understanding.

Sarah obtained her Master of Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition, she has certifications in substance use disorders, spiritually-integrated therapy and assists with research on spirituality and health. Sarah has experience in a variety of settings including non-profit, residential, and community mental health agencies, as well as private practice. Her specialties are complex trauma, life transitions, body image, depression and anxiety. In addition, she has strong interest and experience in helping adolescent deal with the array of stressors connected with being a teenager in today’s world. Sarah does not shy away from difficult topics like death, identity, religion and spirituality, and addiction. She knows you are the expert in your own life and offers opportunities to gain new, fresh perspectives. Recognizing that people are mosaics of their unique experiences, Sarah empowers you to begin your therapeutic journey with hope and confidence.

Outside of the office, Sarah can be found scoping out the city for coffee shops, singing along to Taylor Swift songs, and writing snail mail to her family and friends.

If something is out of balance in your life, you may be experiencing depression, anxiety, and even unexplained physical pain. Through a process of self-exploration, Laura will help you understand what is causing these symptoms and preventing you from leading the life you would like to live. She offers a caring, supportive relationship to assist you in developing curiosity, self-awareness, and confidence to make the positive changes needed in your life. Your suffering may be life’s way of calling you towards change. Finding your true path, releasing what no longer serves you, and building on your strengths will help you step into your own vibrancy.

Laura has a Master of Social Work and Master’s in Art History from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a B.A. in Medieval and Renaissance Studies from the University of Michigan. Laura also has a dance, yoga, meditation, and musical theater background. She worked as a tour guide in Florence, Italy for 15 years. As part of her professional journey, she has also supported writers, visual artists, dancers, and musicians while in residency at the Ragdale Foundation in Lake Forest. She designed and implemented Social and Emotional Learning curriculum at Alcott College Prep and has worked as a domestic violence advocate and counselor at the YWCA Evanston-North Shore.

Outside the studio, Laura enjoys spending time with her husband, twin bonus kids, two big dogs, dancing, practicing yoga, going to the theater, watching foreign films, and visiting her friends in Italy.

Laura works with emerging adults, adults, older adults, creatives, LGBTQ+, immigrants, trauma survivors, and issues relating to grief, intimacy, anger, self-esteem, career difficulties, and coping with major life changes.

In today’s world we find ourselves and others around us struggling in silence with feelings of anxiety, depression and/or uncomfortable emotions. Sophie believes that everyone deserves to have a space where they can be heard and seen without judgment or criticism. To work through past emotions and make positive changes, Sophie helps her clients identify their emotions, learn and utilize healthy coping skill, create adaptive routines, set boundaries, improve communication with themselves and others, and develop meaningful relationships.

Sophie fosters a meaningful therapeutic relationship through her nonjudgement attitude, helping clients feel comfortable and secure leaning into and understanding their emotions and behavior.  Sophie encourages her clients to find tools within themselves to help overcome life’s obstacles.
Furthermore, she empowers her clients to approach their emotions in a new way without habitually avoiding them. She does this by creating safe space where clients feel supported on their journey of personal growth and change. No matter where someone is at in their life, she meets them there, and together they design an individualized treatment plan to fit their needs.

Sophie has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign and her master’s from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Sophie has been working as a therapist for the past 5 years. She started her career at an outpatient center for women and adolescent girls with
eating disorders performing group, family, and individual therapy. While there she utilized the Unified Treatment Model for Eating disorders in combination with a relational approach to address comorbid mood and anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and trauma. More recently, Sophie has spent the last three years working in private practice. She uses the following therapeutic interventions, CBT, ACT, Unified Treatment Model of Eating Disorders, amongst other methods, to help support clients in their self-discovery and recovery.

Sophie welcomes clients who are struggling to cope in our unpredictable world and may be suffering with high levels of anxiety and depression. Sophie also specializes in the treatment of eating disorders, including Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge Eating Disorder, ARFID, and Body Dysmorphia. In addition, she works with clients who are struggling with ADHD, OCD, Trauma, Women’s Health Issues, Self Esteem, and life transitions.

For fun, Sophie enjoys spending time with family and friends, listening to podcasts, watching Netflix, and working out.

Alex believes that children and teens need a place that feels safe to explore their inner emotional struggles and understand how these struggles lead to behaviors that make it difficult to adapt and grow in their lives.

Furthermore, she knows that creating a space that allows children and teens to be their authentic self is the key to successful therapy. Through active communication and play, every session is a chance for re-centering, self-exploration, and mindfulness, and over time, the reduction in anxiety, improved mood, and decrease in challenging behaviors. In addition, Alex utilizes a psycho-education approach to help her clients understand what their mind and body are going through and offers strategies to change what is no longer working. This allows her clients to overcome challenges that may come their way in the future. 

Alex also believes that the therapy process should be a unique experience for each child and teenager she works with. She understands the complexities of children’s emotions and behaviors and takes the time to look at the person as an individual and tailors her approach based on their needs. Furthermore, Alex strives to make the therapeutic process feel comfortable and nurturing with a focus on setting and obtaining treatment goals that can be met. She connects to her clients through understanding what motivates them and by developing a working and trusting relationship that her clients can depend on.  

Alex holds a bachelor’s degree from Bradley University and a master’s degree from Barry  University. Alex has experience working as a therapist for 3 years in an array of settings. More specifically, Alex has worked with clients from as young as three to adulthood. Additionally,  Alex has experience and interest in facilitating parenting groups that focus on strengthening the parent-child relationship.  

Alex is available to work with toddlers, children, teenagers, and their parents providing individual and family therapy. Alex has a specific interest in working with children who struggle with anxiety, ADHD, and other child-behavior problems. 

Alex moved with her family from Miami to Chicago at the start of the pandemic. She has had no trouble exchanging the heat of Miami for the unpredictable Chicago weather and is looking forward to experiencing all that Chicago has to offer.

Hallie believes that the therapeutic process should be a highly personal and transformative experience.

She values and relies on the relational component of therapy and strives for her clients to feel truly heard and understood in sessions. Hallie believes that building a trusting, safe, and collaborative relationship is essential to making progress in therapy. She is committed to working with clients to identify their unique needs and make progress towards their goals.

Hallie’s practice focuses on helping clients explore their values and increase self-understanding to create positive growth and meaningful life changes. Hallie specializes in evidenced-based interventions including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RODBT), and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).  She also draws on various neuroscience-based approaches to explore the mind-body connection and is specifically trained in the assessment and treatment of trauma through Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics.

Hallie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan and a Master of Social Work degree with a concentration in clinical mental health from Loyola University Chicago. 

Hallie has experience working with clients who are managing depression, anxiety, OCD, interpersonal difficulties, disordered eating and trauma-related disorders. She has worked in a variety of settings including outpatient community mental health, partial hospitalization, and residential treatment. Hallie is currently available to work with adults and adolescents for individual and group therapy. 

Outside of work, Hallie enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and two cats. She also loves walking or biking by the lake, listening to podcasts, and reading fiction. 

Amanda’s approach to therapy begins with creating a safe and trusting relationship that empowers you to make positive behavioral changes in pursuit of your goals and values.

Amanda is dedicated to helping you overcome obstacles so that you can engage in your life more fully and live in line with what is truly important to you. Amanda utilizes evidence-based coping tools to help you gain insight into harmful thoughts and patterns to lessen their impact on your daily life. Amanda values compassion, authenticity, and humor in her work and has a warm and empathetic style allowing you to deepen self-awareness and connectedness.

Amanda holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Welfare and Gender Studies from University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master’s degree in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago. Amanda specializes in binge eating disorder, compulsive over eating, body trust, HAES, self-esteem, substance abuse, stress management, and trauma informed therapy. Amanda’s experience includes being a sexual assault advocate, a domestic violence advocate, working with veterans, working as a counselor at a women’s halfway house, and working at Eating Recovery Center in the Binge Eating Treatment and Recovery Program.

Cortney’s work focuses on helping others to feel empowered and to identify strengths within themselves in order to achieve a happier, healthier state of being. She offers an emphasis on mindful and holistic health and works towards a greater sense of self-awareness and self-love.

Cortney guides clients along their journey by offering a warm and supportive environment to process the challenges or stressors a person may be experiencing. Her person-centered viewpoint allows her to tailor her sessions to each specific client in order to explore what will work best. She offers empathy and direction while helping clients to challenge thoughts and behaviors that may be negatively serving them, while building on positive insight and the tools to cope with life’s ups and downs. Cortney encourages clients to explore the way they relate to themselves and the world around them and to improve relationships, awareness and self-love. 

She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Eastern Illinois University. Her experience is in a variety of settings, including community mental health centers, residential facilities and private practice and holds a certificate in Trauma-Informed Yoga. 

Cortney is available to work with adults, adolescents and children providing individual and family therapy. 

Outside of the studio, Cortney enjoys spending time with her husky (Enzo), trying new fitness classes, listening to podcasts and exploring the food culture of the city.