If there was one thing you wish people knew about the therapy experience who might be hesitant to try it, what would that be?
Therapy is not intended to be a place of judgement, but one of openness and support so that we can work together on the hard things. The therapist is not there to make decisions for you, but to support you emotionally in deciding whatever is best for you.
If you could pick one movie or book that influenced your approach to therapy, what would it be and why?
The film Vanilla Sky was a remake of the Spanish film Open Your Eyes. The movie shows how one small event can change the course of our lives forever. We can be significantly impacted by our past, but in dealing with these events, making different decisions, and changing directions is within our power now. Life can be scary when we are facing the unknown, but it is also exciting to we are able to overcome those fears.
In what ways do your life philosophy and treatment philosophy overlap?
Healing is not about focusing on “what is wrong with you?” but understanding “what happened to you?”
Specialties
Depression
Depression often causes people to feel sad, empty, or hopeless, and can cause a lack of interest in life. It can also affect a person's thinking patterns and physical health.
Anxiety
Anxiety can mean nervousness, worry, or self-doubt. Anxiety disorder is a mental health disorder that entails excessive, repeated bouts of worry, anxiety, and/or fear.
Addiction
Regular involvement with a substance or activity in a compulsive, hard to control way that often has harmful consequences. Often refers to substance use, but can include compulsive behaviors such as sex, gambling, or shopping.
Life transitions
Positive and negative change can be difficult, including things like moving, breaking up, adjusting to parenthood, or changing careers. It’s normal to feel stressed, however, life transitions can inhibit people from living healthy lifestyles.
Trauma
Trauma is the result of experiencing a perceived, extremely distressful event. Although the stress threshold for each person differs, meaning that each person considers and experiences trauma differently, it is an event that tops one’s threshold. It exceeds one’s ability to cope or emotionally process. Symptoms may include shock, anxiety, confusion, hopelessness, feeling disconnected, mood swings, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts.
General Expertise
Careers
Designed to help people choose, change, or leave a career at any stage of life. Careers are often wrapped up in people’s perceived identity, therefore, any change can cause anxiety and/or depression.
Loss/Grief
Grief is a reaction to an emotionally significant loss and often comes with symptoms of depression or anxiety. These symptoms can remain intense and last for a long time after a loss, making it difficult to move forward with a healthy lifestyle.
Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is the degree to which a person feels confident, valuable, and worthy of respect. Feeling low self-esteem can influence overall well-being and be linked to anxiety and/or depression.
Race & Cultural Identity
Challenges around race and cultural identity vary enormously, including issues related to discrimination, racism, and intergenerational trauma.
Social Anxiety
Social anxiety or social phobia is fear of social situations or a fear of interacting with people other than close friends and family. Social anxiety can be persistent, intense, and debilitating, greatly affecting daily life.
Types of Therapy
Family Session
Individual Session
Clientele
Young Adults (18-24)
Adults (25-65)
Adolescents (13-17)
Treatment Approaches / Modalities
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Art Therapy
Positive Psychology
Training / Certifications
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
EMDR Trained
Licensure
IL, LPC, 178014808
Education
Master of Art (Clinical Mental Health Counseling)
Master of Design
Work History
I have experienced in working in both in-and-out patient treatment service settings. I worked with clients with various mental health issues including depression, anxieties, addictions, low self-esteem, life transitions, career development, trauma, spiritual and religion-related issues, artist's issues, cultural adjustment, career, and life transitions, and more. Experience in working with pharmacotherapy, crisis intervention, and behavioral cognitive therapies. My strength is being able to connect at an emotional level despite cultural differences as I developed skills while I lived and worked in 4 different countries. Currently, I am working for Chicago Counseling LLC where we offer quality video therapy.
Location
444 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, 60611, IL