Therapists in Illinois

Hi, my name is Kristen Kasperek and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Illinois and a National Certified Counselor. I have 8 years of experience working with children, adolescents, adults, families, and couples in individual and group settings. I worked as a Psycho Social Rehabilitation Therapist for quite some time where I became certified in OCD as well as PTSD. I have vast experience working with those who suffer from chronic mental illness including Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, depression, and anxiety. I also have a wealth of experience working with those struggling with self-esteem, self-worth, poor relationships, and grief. I enjoy providing support in a variety of ways to my clients to help remind them of how important they are. I currently work with undergraduate and graduate students helping them to discover their true selves through the help of MBTI and Strong Interest Inventory and putting that into play by aiding them in selecting individually appropriate degree programs. I have learned in my years as a Career Counselor that people often stay in ill fitting jobs because they don't see a way out. I love nothing more than to help someone recognize their passion and guide them towards making it a reality. I enjoy assisting my clients with self discovery, the job search process, as well as resume and cover letter development, interview preparation, and negotiation tactics. No matter where you are in your life, I believe you should be doing what you love and I want to help you get there. My approach is to develop a relaxed, non-threatening, and non-clinical professional relationship with my clients. I recognize that the first step to a better life is often the most difficult. I help my clients with that first step and the path that follows. Together, we develop individualized strategies that produce results and lead to a more fulfilling life. In terms of my education, I earned my Master's Degree in Community Counseling with a focus in Mental Illness as well as Career Counseling. My undergraduate degree is in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. If you are searching for direction, inner peace, or need help getting past an obstacle in your personal or professional life, I would welcome the opportunity to work with you.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years’ experience working with individuals, families, and couples. I encourage a therapeutic relationship based on respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Additionally, I encourage clients to utilize their strengths as tools to address their needs, life challenges, and enable progressions. Some common themes clients and I have worked through are depression, anxiety, communication skills, addiction, loss, grief, relationship issues, divorce, LGBTQ struggles and domestic violence. I approach therapy with an eclectic perspective by utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Family Systems, Motivational Interviewing, Client-Centered Therapy, and Narrative Therapy. While also incorporating my professional and academic background in trauma, addiction, crisis intervention, domestic violence, divorce mediation, and community mental health during the session. I strive to meet you where you are and collaboratively develop a treatment plan to address your needs. Taking the first steps toward change takes courage, if you are ready to take that step, I am here to support and empower you!

Melinda Osborn is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor based in Springfield, IL. Melinda has earned her Bachelor of Science in Social Work with a minor in Sociology from Illinois State University in Normal, IL, and later went on to earn a Master of Arts in Community Agency Counseling from Bradley University in Peoria, IL. She developed a particular interest in healthcare casework and counseled the sick, dying, and bereaved in a hospice facility. Other areas of experience include life stage transitions, self worth / value, general anxiety, and situational and chronic stress and depression. Melinda is familiar with addressing a client’s psycho/social /spiritual wellness, and takes a systems approach to info gathering. A lifelong Christian, Melinda also has further training with integrating faith based & religious strengths with psychology to work through challenging situations for clients who so choose. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy which is an approach that challenges cognitive distortions and behaviors and works to chage them to improve a person's emotional regulation and develop personal coping strategies going forward.

I am licensed in Illinois with 3 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with anger management. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. I am here to support & empower you in that journey.

I am licensed in Illinois with 15 years of clinical experience; most recently specializing in addictions. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, coping with addictions, relationship issues, & motivation, self esteem, confidence and codependency issues. I use a combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Solution Focused Therapy. I work closely with my clients to create goals based on the achievements they are looking to attain and to identify techniques which can change their debilitating thoughts, feelings and behaviors. I play a very active role in therapy by listening and offering empathic feedback. I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming things that challenge you. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. I am here to support & empower you in that journey.

As a licensed clinical professional counselor (MA) and an international psychologist (PhD) with several years of experience in individual and group therapy, I work with a diverse clientele on a variety of life concerns. Such concerns include depression, anxiety, stress, trauma, life transitions, and cultural diversity. My therapeutic approach is collaborative and interactive but also direct and deep. To explore the roots of present issues, we delve beyond the surface level. In session, I challenge clients to self-reflect and connect to enhance personal growth. Together, we develop treatment goals and work toward reaching those goals. I strongly believe in treating everyone with respect, dignity, and compassion, and I do not view or treat clients as a stigmatizing label. My therapeutic style draws upon cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness, family-systems, and client-centered; however, I personalize each dialogue and treatment plan to meet clients' particular needs. Seeking help to manage life's obstacles already shows a necessary action (self care) by taking this first step to gain additional guidance to lead a more fulfilling and healthy life or make changes in certain areas of life. When you are ready to take that step, I am here to offer support and empowerment on your journey. I look forward to working together!

I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming things that challenge you. Taking the first step to seeking a more fulfilling and happier life takes courage. I am honored to support you in that process. I am licensed in Nevada and Illinois with 6 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, stage of life issues & parenting strategies. I would embrace the opportunity to support you no matter who you are or what you believe. You are connecting for a purpose, I would love to help you achieve that purpose. I feel very strongly that video and phone sessions work best. I text only to confirm appointment details or notice of last minute changes.

Aida is an astute and an accomplished psychotherapist and hypnotherapist and a gifted intuitive who has, for the last 20 years, chosen to dedicate her life to helping others live in peace, free and liberated from the sufferings that bind them. For Aida, being a psychotherapist is more than a profession- she considers it as her mission and her purpose. Aida was born in Penang, an island located on the west coast of the Malaysian Peninsula. Her interest and curiosity in people developed early on in her life when she had the privilege of forming close friendships with many others whose culture and socioeconomic backgrounds differed from hers. As a highly sensitive child, she took a keen interest in the human conditions, after encountering homeless individuals on the streets of Penang, and what she witnessed was etched deep in her soul. Yet it was only after she graduated from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration that Aida realized her learning as a student of life had just begun. She heeded the echoes in her soul to bring psychiatry to the streets by serving the homeless living on the south and west sides of Chicago for 7 years. She is an avid proponent of equal access to mental health care-for several years, she dedicated herself to serving low-income seniors, clients with disabilities and clients living with HIV/AIDS by making home visits in economically distressed communities. Over the years, her strong desire to ease sufferings was evidenced by her work with Hospice, in drug rehabilitation centers, in hospital in-patient units, in nursing homes, in the courts system, in weight loss center and in private practice. She has seen through her years of living and working that none of us will leave this world unscathed; and with the same token, none of us is beyond redemption because we are all greater than the pains we had held within us. Aida brings a wealth of knowledge, patience, perseverance, warmth, compassion, empathy, deep listening, humor, curiosity and creativity into her sessions to engage with her clients who are adolescent, young adults, adults and older adults. Her understanding of human nature combined with her deep emotional depth and a sharp intellect make her a therapist who gets it; and is therefore, able to form strong relationships even with her most resistant clients. She firmly believes that the medicine required for healing is embedded within the therapist-client relationship, making therapy an art form that is anchored in science. She is certain that peace-a priceless treasure- is achieved when we are awakened to our true selves, untainted by circumstances, or even traumas, that distort our perceptions of ourselves and others, and incapacitate our adaptability and functioning. Through her work, she has come to understand that self-distortion is at the root of our sufferings and influences how we relate to ourselves, to others and to circumstances. To that purpose, Aida is successful in serving many clients who have crossed her path due to her unrelentless pursuit in guiding them to journey deep into their psyche, to feel their emotions, to embrace all parts of themselves, in search of understanding what happened to them. She has helped her clients gain new insights about themselves, to shape their new decisions moving forward, to live the life they had always wanted but never quite knew how to achieve. She has seen through her years of living and serving that none of us will leave this world unscathed, yet none of us is beyond redemption, no matter what we endured, because we are all greater than the pains we have held within us. Aida continues to attend to her own healing process as she walks through life with her clients. She considers herself a pilgrim seeking spiritual growth, seeking the pathless path towards an ever greater awareness, evolution, connection and Oneness with all creation. She is an avid student of Jungian psychology and altered states of consciousness as well as a long time practitioner of yoga and meditation. Her wisdom which she integrates into her sessions comes from studying various traditions including Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Shamanism and the Yoga Sutras. She gives gratitude to her years of learning and healing under the guidance of her current teachers, David Hartman and Diane Zimberoff, who are founders of the Wellness Institute and Zacciah Blackburn who founded The Center of Light.

I am licensed in Illinois with 32 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, relationship issues, coping with grief and loss, & motivation, self esteem, and confidence. I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming things that challenge you. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. I am here to support & empower you in that journey.

I am licensed in Illinois with 18 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress, anxiety, coping with addictions, relationship issues, motivation, self esteem, & confidence. I also have experience working with depression. I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming things that challenge you. Taking the first step to sign up for therapy can take courage and I am proud of you for getting started!