About Therapy
Life can be stressful, overwhelming, challenging – yet exciting.
We sometimes find that we thought our life was going to look a certain way or unfold according to our expectations, and then something happens that takes us by surprise.
Looking at what’s happening in your life with a fresh lens is possibly just what you need.
You’ve worked hard to get to where you are, and you’ve been successful in school or at work.
The important people around you may be loving and supportive. Yet sharing what’s deeply true for you might feel awkward or uncomfortable.
How do you reveal your anxieties or fears with the people with whom you spend your life?
That’s when therapy can offer you a safe haven.
Taking time for therapy is like entering a safe space, so you can explore all your feelings.
You might not even know what you’re feeling, but you are aware that something in your life is no longer working.
Therapy means you no longer have to try and figure things out all on your own.
How does therapy work?
During our time together, you’ll be listened to without any judgment.
When we meet, I’ll be there just for you. You will be helped to create a connection with the parts of you that are trying so hard to manage everything, despite your life unfolding in a way that feels so much harder than you ever imagined.
Through the model of Internal Family Systems, we will work together to change how you feel about yourself. The fears and worries you hold will be respected and honored. We’ll find the self-compassion and caring that you have inside of you.
The problems you are struggling with will gradually transform as your own unique talents and gifts emerge.
You’ll again find room inside for joy!
About Me
When I was in college and trying to figure out “who I was” and “what was I going be when I grew up,” I became rather overwhelmed and a little depressed about it all. So, I sought therapy.
Sadly, the therapists I saw weren’t very helpful; they weren’t able to help me feel safe and comfortable to explore why I felt so stuck in my life.
And then I began to remember that as a child friends would tell me I was so easy to talk to. Suddenly, a light bulb went off. I could be a therapist! I could be a GREAT therapist! And I would LOVE that.
Once that decision was made, everything fell into place. I finished college and went on to earn a Master of Arts Degree in Social Work from the University of Chicago.
Then I got a job and met a colleague who became a good friend – and ultimately helped me enter the world of private practice. And I met Dr. Richard (Dick) Schwartz, the founder of Internal Family Systems (“IFS”).
For 10 years, I learned Dick’s model of therapy in a consult group led by him. As a result, I grew into the therapist I wished I’d had during those early years of my life.
To say IFS changed my life would be an understatement!
A little about me…
When I’m not working, I love to hang out with my husband or play with our two silly cats.
We love to take long walks together, unless it’s too cold (brrrr, living in the Chicago area can be a challenge!).
I never felt able to have a dog, because we’re both out of the house working so much; but I love meeting dogs and their owners on our walks.
I also love doing yoga, working out, and sometimes just relaxing with a good book or binge-watching a show on Netflix.