Our Therapists

Lauren’s approach to therapy is collaborative and family oriented. Emphasizing integration, Lauren builds relationships not only with the child and family, but also with schools, physicians and other members of the child’s community. Lauren helps your child to build skills and behaviors to guide them to their fullest potential.

Because she understands the process can be intimidating. Lauren creates a safe, inviting environment for children and their families to explore and grow. Throughout, strengthens communication and attachment between the parent and child.

Lauren’s practice includes parent-child relationships, early childhood, parent training, behavior management, divorce, and autism spectrum disorders. Lauren has experience providing individual, family, and group therapy in an array of settings, including private practice, behavior hospitals, and schools as a therapist and coordinator.

Lauren holds a Bachelor of Arts from DePaul University, with honors in Psychology, and a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology (Counseling Practice) from Roosevelt University. Lauren is a published author in the Child and Care Youth Forum, based on research with Parent-Child Interaction Therapy.

Lauren is available to work with toddlers, children, and parents. She will also provide parent training and social skills groups for children and their families.

Outside of the studio, Lauren enjoys spending time with her family and dog, Charlie, and participating in winter and summer activities in Northern Michigan.

With a deep base of experience, Emily brings a focus on mindfulness and self-awareness to her clients, helping each to identify their authentic values and craft lives more fully in line with what is truly important to them.

Emily builds client relationships enriched by honesty, flexibility and good humor. Warm and direct, Emily helps each client to explore the thoughts and behaviors that shackle them, the patterns in which they feel “stuck”. She helps clients to build the insights, perspectives and coping skills needed to dislodge the patterns that serve them poorly, to accept conditions beyond their control, and to engage their lives authentically, intentionally and productively.

Emily holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Washington and a doctorate in psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She enriched her training during a pre-doctoral internship in addiction treatment and a post-doctoral fellowship at Regional Mental Health Centers in East Chicago. More recently, Emily has been a primary therapist and Clinical Manager of a program specializing in Mood, Anxiety and Trauma-Related concerns. She has employed Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in her work. Emily’s work has exposed her to a wide range of practice setting and levels of care, to include residential, PHP, IOP, outpatient and community mental health.

Emily works with adults and adolescents providing individual, family and group therapy.

Outside of work, Emily waves the banners of Chicago and Seattle in her passion for sports, and nourishes her appetites for exciting food and exploration by scouting and sampling Chicago’s amazing culinary landscape.

In a varied career spanning over twenty years, Judy has worked in foster care, residential therapy, adoption preservation, community mental health and in both group and solo private practice. Her roles in these settings have been clinical, supervisory and administrative.

The unifying theme of Judy’s work has been recognizing innate wholeness and potential within each individual—and then helping to unlock it. Judy guides others to discovering this wholeness and accessing it to facilitate their own healing. Those facing grief and loss, trauma, depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties and life transitions all benefit from Judy’s approach. In addition, Judy applies her strength-based, holistic approach to assist struggling families and in her individual work with children. She emphasizes that collaborative effort is key to meeting individual or family goals, such as increased functioning, clarity, sense of purpose, a greater sense of peace and an increased capacity for joy.

Judy holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Loyola University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has received training in Theraplay^® and done advanced work in Internal Family Systems therapy.

Judy is available for work with children, adolescents, adults and families. She is also available to lead mindfulness groups and other psycho-educational groups.

Ordained an interfaith/interspiritual minister in 2017, Judy pursues her lifelong commitment to living a spiritual life through creating and maintaining community, spiritual study and growth, spiritual activisim, and assisting others in their life’s journey through spiritual counseling and performing marriage, funeral, and other sacred ceremonies.

Sara’s work starts with a focus on the therapeutic relationship itself, which must be safe and affirming to create the trust that supports change. Sara’s previous experience enables her to approach her work through a multicultural lens, to create a safe space for discussing diverse multicultural concerns.

First by cultivating a foundation of safety, comfort and trust, Sara employs a collaborative, relational process to help clients find clarity and, in turn, to deepen and strengthen both self-awareness and their relationships. Sara takes a gentle, empathetic, but direct approach to helping her clients address challenges and stress. She highlights self-compassion and acceptance to empower her clients, helping them to connect to their strengths, struggles and pain.

Sara holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from The Ohio State University and a doctorate in psychology from Midwestern University in Downers Grove, Illinois. In addition, Sara completed a predoctoral internship at the Counseling and Consultation program of Northern Illinois University. While there, Sara completed a specialization in trauma-informed therapy, and therapy for substance use and eating concerns. She has experience working in college counseling centers, community mental health and inpatient children’s therapy, and has worked with children adolescents and adults with social anxiety and autism spectrum disorders.

Sara is available to work with adults, couples, children and adolescents. Sara is available for speakerships on the topics of stress-management and creating positive relationships.

Outside the Studio, Sara can be found cheering on her alma mater—Go Buckeyes!—or planning her next trip to the beach.

Jodi embraces a practical approach to therapy, encompassing a variety of therapeutic modalities, to address numerous emotional issues, including anxiety, depression, adjustment issues, adolescent issues, family dysfunction, LGBTQ issues, OCD, personality disorders, mental health disorders, and trauma. She has worked with individuals, couples, families, groups, and communities.
Jodi knows that we all view life through our own lens, and equally that all our lenses are cracked. Each experience adds a new “crack,” skewing our view (for better or worse) of ourselves, others, and the world around us. Exploring our own, unique context allows space for understanding, acceptance, forgiveness, empathy, healing, growth—and change!

Jodi’s practice begins where the client is at, and remains centered on the client and their strengths. She establishes safety and trust to allow for a collaborative and authentic therapeutic relationship, dynamically re-evaluating as therapy progresses to ensure that the client’s primary concerns and needs are met. Jodi firmly believes that successful therapy not only relieves symptoms but fosters inner capacity and resources to allow clients to live with greater freedom, contentment and possibility.

Jodi helps her patients to understand and accept themselves as the foundation for emotional insight, mood regulation and improved interpersonal patterns and attachment styles. She empowers clients with greater skills for communication and self-expression. Such self-acceptance, emotional insight and skillful communication combine to foster greater empathy for others.

Jodi is available for therapy with individuals (teenagers and adults), couples and families.

Jodi and her husband enjoy sharing their lives with their two mini-dachshunds (their “furry children”). The beach is Jodi’s happy place and she loves traveling as much as possible to broaden her concept of people, herself, and the world we live in.

Danielle helps children and adolescents achieve greater self-awareness and self-regulation, sustain closer relationships, utilize more constructive forms of coping, and achieve greater overall well being, inner happiness, and sense of self. She utilizes both interactive play and talk therapy, and her clinical interests and expertise include generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, oppositional defiant disorder, parent-child conflict, behavior regulation, and working with gender non-conforming and transgender children and their families.

In addition to her work with children and adolescents, Danielle specializes in parent education. She offers parent guidance to adult clients who are looking for coaching or support as caregivers. She helps parents utilize empathetic limits, model ideal interactions for their children, and regulate behavior in ways that foster resiliency, self-regulation and emotional security.

Danielle has extensive experience working within and collaborating with schools, and believes that incorporating children’s entire care team—school counselors, teachers, psychiatrists, etc.—yields the best results for her clients.

Danielle holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Northwestern University, a master’s degree in special and elementary education from DePaul University and a master’s degree in counseling from Loyola University Chicago. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), a Licensed School Counselor, a Learning Behavioral Specialist, and a Licensed Elementary Educator.

Outside of work, Danielle can be found pursuing her passion for growing, cooking and eating spicy foods.

Over more than twenty years, Dr. Julia Rahn has built a varied career in clinical practice, over the span of which a unifying theme has clearly emerged: to achieve the best outcomes, you must work with the whole person. This is the key to Dr. Rahn’s success in helping individuals and families to define personal goals and to make progress towards those goals. Harnessing the depth and diversity of her clinical experience, Dr. Rahn helps her clients to leverage their strengths to alleviate depression, manage anxiety or other difficult emotions, and to improve relationships with others—as well as with themselves.

Dr. Rahn’s own professional journey has taken her throughout the Midwest, with numerous clinical externships culminating in an internship at the University of Wisconsin, and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Dr. Rahn has developed her practice as program director for a pediatric development center, professor of psychology at two universities in Illinois as well as an entrepreneur. As Director of Studio for Change®, Dr. Rahn has sought to create a space within which her clients have access to a rich variety of therapeutic efforts and resources; adding to the Studio’s primary focus on psychotherapy, Dr. Rahn’s practice makes frequent referrals to professionals in nutrition, fitness and hypnosis, and makes frequent recommendations for external resources such as books, art, and social or networking events.

Dr. Rahn is available for speakerships, and has experience in public speaking, television and radio appearances, as well as in publishing for both professional and lay audiences.

When Dr. Rahn isn’t wondering how the world could be a better place to live in and what her role in this change should be, she enjoys participating in spin classes, taking walks by the lake, and visiting her heartland in Northern Michigan.

Please note: Julia is not taking new clients at this time

Margo brings a warm and empathic approach to her work with clients, striving to meet the unique needs of each individual in her care. She views every client as a complex individual with both strengths and areas for growth. Starting with creating a strong and trusting relationship, Margo engages each client in the therapeutic change or assessment process. Margo works with children, adolescents, and young adults providing individual, group, and family therapy. 

 Margo also provides comprehensive pediatric psychological diagnostic and learning evaluations for children and adolescents. As Margo has had many years of experience working in schools, she is available to consult directly with schools and help advocate for families regarding Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) as well as school behavior plans. She feels strongly that collaborating within the school system is an essential component when working with children. Furthermore, she believes regular communication with parents, schools, and other medical professionals is essential in supporting the child to do their best.

Margo holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and communication studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a doctorate in clinical psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She completed her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at a private school in Manhattan, New York. Upon receiving licensure, Margo was asked to stay as a licensed supervising psychologist for the school’s APA accredited training program. She has also worked in other settings including community mental health clinics, outpatient clinics, and a therapeutic day school.

 Outside of work, Margo enjoys taking advantage of all the city has to offer! She can be seen walking by the lake, shopping at her local farmer’s market, attending street festivals, and spending time with family and friends.

Itxasne is a psychotherapist with more than 15 years of clinical experience and she is fully bilingual Spanish-English. She works with adults, young adults, and adolescents facing challenges such as eating disorders and body image issues, anxiety, depression, and difficulties with life transitions. 

 Itxasne helps her clients to discover the meaning behind their struggles and the role they serve in their lives. To foster self-understanding, she invites her clients to focus on the strengths that enable them to thrive as well as draw strength from them while exploring their weaknesses with compassion. Itxasne believes in a therapeutic approach marked by a sense of humor, personal warmth, and open self-expression. Her priority is to provide a safe space to feel heard, supported and empowered. She is committed to both supporting and challenging her clients as they work toward treatment goals.   

Itxasne has a Masters degrees in Eating Disorders and Family and Couples Therapy from Spain. She has been working at a variety of practice settings and levels of care including hospitals, group practice and private practice in the United States and in Europe. 

She loves to travel around the world, discovering new neighborhoods, meeting new people and uncovering life’s little hidden joys, whether it is in Chicago or back in her home country in Europe.