You may have already found it quite difficult to find out who is a “good” or “the right”therapist among the myriad mental health providers practicing in the greater Chicago area. Getting a solid recommendation from other trusted healthcare providers is a good place to start. You also want to make sure that the therapist/counselor is properly licensed and that his or her practice specialities are well matched with your needs.
Beyond being qualifed, however, research has consistently shown that the most important factor in therapeutic outcomes is the quality of the relationship between the client and therapist. Naturally, then, you would want to know more about me before making an appointment to discuss matters that are most personal to you.
Professional bullet points:
I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) who has over 25 years combined work experience in the mental health field. My work experience within mental health field is diverse, ranging from providing direct care in inpatient hospital programs, therapeutic day schools, and residential programs, to private practice. For the past 15 years, I provided clinical services to NorthShore University HealthSystem, primarily as a crisis counselor in the emergency departments at NorthShore’s four network hospitals (located in Evanston, Glenbrook, Highland Park, and Skokie) but also to the Inpatient Program at Highland Park Hospital and Partial Hospitalization-Intensive Outpatient Program (now located in Deerfield).
Between 2006 and 2011, I was honored to provide brief, solution-focused counseling to active duty military service members and their families stationed in the United States, Europe, and Asia-Pacific region.
I am a member of the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), the Illinois Mental Health Counselors Association (IMHCA), and the Illinois Counseling Association (ICA). In 2011, I was part of an AMHCA professional delagation that visited Cuba for cultural and professional exchange.
I earned my Bachelor of Arts in psychology at Drake University in 1993 where I also minored in philosophy. I earned my Master of Arts in clinical psychology at The Illinois School Of Professional Psychology, Chicago Campus, in 1999. I am trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP).