Person-Centered Therapists in Chicago, IL

The world can feel very uncertain, discordant, unjust, and sometimes unbearable; in my approach I aim to look with you both internally and externally to find moments of reflection, validation, empowerment, clarity, and care. I use a warm, relational approach to my work with clients. Most importantly I strive to uphold anti-racist, liberatory, and LGBTQIA+ affirming scaffolding in my practice and I am always learning more in this respect. Therapy should feel safe, empowering, collaborative, and be a place where communication is transparent.

I love working with clients (age 16+) who are seeking support healing from trauma; who are diagnosed with anxiety, OCD, and/or mood disorders; who are struggling with substance use; and who are looking for support with managing their chronic illness(es). Additionally, I have a strong commitment to working with individuals who are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. My goal is to provide my clients with a chance to feel heard and to offer a supportive environment in which they can truly express themselves. I am here to be a part of your support system and to offer guidance through any path you choose to take in life!

Book with me now by clicking on my website! Are you feeling stuck in negative thoughts, intense emotions, or behavioral patterns that don't serve your best interest? Are you hoping to build more meaning and joy in your life? You may feel hesitant about reaching out for help, especially with pressure from all directions to "have it all together". I'm here to join you on this journey to discover healing and build a balanced life.

Joie is a North Side resident, and a proud member of the Queer, Neurodiverse, and Chronically Ill/ Disabled communities. They believe in nurturing and cherishing these identities (as well as all others!), and challenging social norms with the radical act of being yourself. Joie is a former social emotional and sexual health educator, and has worked with young people in various capacities for over 10 years. They’ve worked both in the schools and via Telehealth to provide therapy to children, adolescents, and emerging adults, focusing primarily on acute and complex trauma, neurodivergence, and gender/sexuality identity development.

Do you often feel weighed down by feelings of anxiety? Have you been struggling with a much-needed life transition? Are you feeling overwhelmed by grief due to the loss of a beloved member of your life? Do you work in the medical field experiencing burnout from the last few years of being pulled in every direction? It is time for you to focus on your healing, where Emerald Reflections Counseling can help you. Together, we will work on developing the tools you need to start focusing on the cause of your personal difficulties while building meaningful social connections.

Starting therapy can feel scary and intimidating. You are looking for someone to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences with that will not judge you. I am here to help make that process easier. You deserve to have a space that is safe and supportive with a therapist that you know will fully accept you. I want to work with you to create a space infused with empathy, unconditional acceptance, and genuineness. You are welcome to show up just as you are and that is more than enough.

Through rapport-building and a collaborative, judgment-free therapeutic relationship, I strive to create a safe and comforting space in which my clients gain insight into their lives, feel empowered, and experience reduced symptoms. I aim to exude warmth and compassion with my clients and support them as they learn about their emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and work towards their goals. I work with clients across the lifespan, including children, adolescents, and adults struggling with depression and anxiety, self-esteem and relationship issues, grief, and life transitions.

I work intentionally to provide a safe, nonjudgemental space to support people on their journey of self-discovery. I believe therapy can be a beautiful space to get to know oneself, one's desires, hopes and goals, and explore whether we're living our life day-to-day in a way that's true to that. I work with people who are wanting to get to know themselves deeper, make changes in the way they're living, navigate life transitions, and build self-compassion and confidence.

Welcome to the start of recovery and road to healing! Together we can continue creating the life you seek, navigate the questions you have, find the answers you want, and move through your concerns to manifest the life you want to live. I specialize in helping people with OCD, anxiety, depression, and trauma. I also support folks with multicultural identities and anyone who wants to work on maintaining and building relationships. No topic is off the table but rather invited in for the discussion!

My passion is helping individuals find their strengths to be their best. We must recognize that life is not perfect, and we will go through hard times. Through these hard times we learn how we best respond and cope with the potential difficulties life throws to us. It is my goal to help clients recognize how they can effectively and positively work through life’s events while collaborating on their strengths to do so. Through my experience, I have worked with individuals who struggle with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, life transitions, identity issues, school performance anxiety, relationship issues, and body image.

You may be feeling down, anxious, sad, hopeless, or stressed with work, relationships, or life itself. You can take control of your life and feel worthy of everything it has to offer. My goal is to help you achieve these goals. I am able to provide you with a safe, non-judgmental, and empowering approach to help you manage your life and concerns. I specialize in anxiety, depression, grief and loss, cultural identity, phase of life concerns, men issues, relationship obstacles, and conflict resolution.

I believe that, given adequate time, space, and resources, all individuals are capable of self-directed change regardless of their presenting problem. I also believe that therapy can often be the missing factor for those who seek but are unable to successfully make positive life changes on our own. As a counselor, I facilitate change by working with and through the client. As client and counselor, we work together, as a team, to best meet the client’s needs by setting, and then pursuing, realistic, attainable treatment goals.

I approach therapy with the belief that everyone deserves to be heard in a safe, non-judgmental environment. I believe that when we are in a quieter, calmer state of being that we can begin to process feelings, making healthier decisions for ourselves. Life is difficult, and sometimes we need extra support through difficult events in our life. I'm an advocate for practicing healthy boundaries and self-care so that we can keep our lives in balance.

Reaching out for mental health support can be an overwhelming process, but can yield transformative results in your life. Whether it’s the stress of daily life or a history of trauma, you deserve to feel relief. I have had the privilege of working with diverse populations and addressing a variety of concerns including mood and anxiety disorders, identity concerns, multicultural issues, life transitions, grief, relationship issues, ADHD, trauma, and more.

I am currently accepting new clients. I have experience working with individuals from different ethnic, socio-economic, religious, and spiritual backgrounds, who are experiencing a variety of life’s challenging situations. I am dedicated to working with each client to help resolve temporary and deep rooted issues. One of the most important relationships you will ever have is the one you have with yourself. I assist clients in gaining a deeper understanding of themselves, in order to move forward in their lives in a healthy and purposeful way. I am invested in treating the “whole” person with a focus on the mind body connection.

Do you feel disconnected from yourself and others and question how your past experiences are affecting your life and relationships? Do you wonder if you should feel happier? If you are struggling with anxiety, trauma, life transitions, and relationships, we are a good match to work together on better understanding yourself and reaching your full potential.

My clinical work is grounded in transformative justice, abolition, anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice, and trauma-informed care. I have extensive experience and interest in working with individuals navigating complex trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, substance use concerns, and those exploring sexuality and gender identity. As a queer-and-trans-identified clinician, I have a deep commitment to working with individuals identifying within LGBTQ+ communities and providing affirming support to individuals identifying as kinky, poly, and/or practicing non-monogamous relationship structures.

Therapy is a unique experience and journey for every individual. My goal is to provide you with a genuine, warm, and non-judgmental environment where you can explore your lived experiences and find empowerment and healing. As an integrative clinician, I draw from CBT, DBT, humanistic, and person-centered orientations in order to cater to each individual’s needs.

I believe a person’s identity, values and beliefs guide their path of healing. Therapy can be a way of liberating ourselves from limiting ideas, societal messages, oppression and isolation. I see you as the expert in your experience and collaborate with you to develop a space to learn and grow. My therapeutic approach is both systemic and person-centered with a focus on inherent strengths and resilience. I pull from relational, attachment, family systems, racial trauma and polyvagal theories while using such modalities as ACT, DBT, CBT, TCI-F and Motivational Interviewing. I also draws, when appropriate, from my own experience.