Therapists for college students near Chicago, IL
You may be feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or disconnected from yourself. Perhaps you've spent years pushing through, caring for others, or minimizing the impact of difficult experiences, yet something still feels heavy. Therapy offers a space to slow down, process what you've been carrying, and better understand how past experiences may be affecting your relationships, self-worth, and daily life. I believe healing begins with feeling seen, understood, and accepted. Together, we can explore patterns that no longer serve you and work toward meaningful, lasting change. I help adolescents and adults navigate trauma, anxiety, self-esteem challenges, relationship concerns, and life transitions. Using a trauma-informed, collaborative, and strengths-based approach, I provide a supportive space to explore your experiences, build resilience, deepen self-understanding, and move towards greater authenticity and fulfillment. Taking steps towards healing and growth is one of the bravest things we can do for ourselves. I'm here to walk along side you as you navigate this journey. If you are looking for a therapist who will honor your strengths, respect your story, and provide a safe space for healing, I'd love to connect.
If you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or out of sorts, you've stumbled to the right place. Maybe you feel disconnected from yourself and/or your life, and are confused about where to go next. I work with creatively inclined people, educators, students, people in helping professions, entrepreneurs, and people looking for a career change. I accompany people on their search for connection, belonging, and purpose. They often feel stretched thin and have difficulty balancing their own expectations for themself with societal/cultural pressures. They might have difficulty with vulnerability and intimacy and feel isolated or lonely. As a dance/movement therapist, I help you learn how to reconnect with and trust your body. We might talk, meditate, make art, move or play, searching for what lights you up and can guide the way. Using a somatic approach, I emphasize compassion and radical acceptance as we work with the sensations and memories that arise in the process. As an empathic, creative thinker, I know how hard it can be to stay connected to our body's wisdom as the world pulls us in a hundred directions. Something in you got you to this page, trust and honor that impulse! I invite you to reach out for a free 15 minute phone consultation to see if we're a good fit.
You can be externally successful in life but internally worried you are going to have a total meltdown. I want to help you get better at taking care of yourself so you can achieve whatever awesome things you are here to contribute to the world. My career spans decades but for some reason the majority of women working with me are in their 20s and 30s. I help clients get some new perspective and stop beating themselves up. You may need to make some very real changes. It can be hard work but you don’t need to do it alone. Maybe you need to get better at speaking up for yourself, making decisions, managing your time. Maybe your relationship with substances needs to change. I help clients process their stress and add coping skills to build a personal routine that improves daily life. Many women I work with have gone through traumatic experiences in the past. It is important to me that the woman I am working with directs when and if we discuss the actual traumatic events. What I have learned is that adding better coping is possible with or without dredging details. Healing is possible but it takes work and support. I am also dedicated to helping clients expand their supports even if it's just a little bit at a time. I know it's tough to ask for help. I'd rather DIY everything but I know how useful it is to have therapy while you're in school. It saved my sanity when I went to therapy the first time when I was in college. For those wanting online therapy I use Google Meet for telehealth. It is completely HIPAA compliant. I also meet with clients for Walk and Talk therapy sessions when it seems useful and appropriate. North side of Chicago along the lake.
Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.
Hello! my name Renee Smith, I am a dedicated and compassionate therapist specializing in working with children/adolescents, and young adults. With a deep understanding of the challenges that young people face, I provide a safe and supportive environment where you can explore emotions, build resilience, and develop healthy coping strategies. My approach is emphasizing empathy, patience, and trust as we work together to navigate life’s challenges. I have experience helping children, teens, and young adults, with a variety of issues, including anxiety, depression, trauma, behavioral difficulties, peer relationships, and family dynamics. I draw from evidence-based therapeutic techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). I understand that this stage of life can be complex. My goal is to empower young people to thrive and build a strong foundation for the future. If you're looking for a caring and skilled therapist to support your endeavors, I’m here to help guide you through the journey to emotional well-being and success! Virtual Only....
Guided Pathway Counseling, PLLC helps support individuals struggling with an array of mental health issues, some of which include depression, anxiety, trauma, stress management, life transitions, and issues relevant to the LGBTQ community.
People often come to therapy to try to understand something: something about themselves, their relationships, or their past experiences. I enjoy joining my clients in these moments of exploration with warmth, attunement, and collaboration. I specialize in working with people of marginalized experiences and identities. If you have ever felt like an outsider because of your identities, past experiences, sensitivity, gifts, or because of how you live in this world, you deserve a space that is dedicated to your healing and growth. I specialize in working with marginalized folks including queer, trans, kinky, polyamorous, and neurodivergent clients.
Brave Talk Therapy is a group practice on the Northwest side of Chicago. We aim to work with those who are struggling with mental health. Brave Talk Therapy is a place that aims for our clients to feel authentic in sessions and ensure that they are meeting with clinicians who are authentically themselves. We specialize in working with those who are struggling with trauma, depression, anxiety, life transitions, peer issues, family dynamics and much more.
Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.
Stephanie is a licensed therapist with over a decade of mental health experience across multiple cities and care levels. Her foundation as a clinician is built on evidence-based training, cultural sensitivity, and a deep commitment to helping people feel seen, understood, and empowered.
Hello! I am a psychoanalytic psychotherapist. Please learn more by visiting my web site! I am very experienced with international students! I am a depth therapist so I see patients for longer-term therapy. I see families and couples, too!
In a world that tells us to be independent and mask our pain, reaching out for help can feel like a weakness or failure. I am here to tell you that there is strength in vulnerability and that you are not alone. We are built for connection and cannot heal in isolation. You deserve to reconnect with your values, to develop nurturing relationships, and to live as your most authentic self. I believe you are the expert of your own experience, and that the client-therapist relationship is collaborative. We will work together to develop a transparent, curious, and caring environment where you can safely and creatively explore your goals. As an art therapist and counselor, I practice from a trauma-informed, intersectional-feminist, relational, and person-centered approach and have experience working with adults, couples, and groups in a variety of levels of care. I specialize in EMDR, trauma, relationship issues, self-worth issues, mood disorders, grief, eating disorders, and substance use.
The Belmont DAC is a clinic that specializes in Anxiety Disorders and Depression, including OCD, PTSD, Panic Disorder, GAD, Social Anxiety, Specific Phobias, and Grief. We also specialize in working with LGBTQIA individuals and have clinicians on staff within this population. We are committed to social justice and anti-oppression/anti-racism and work diligently to be a positive organization in our community. We approach therapy from a CBT/ACT/DBT and mindfulness orientation and focus a lot on skills, behavior change, and shifting how we think about things. We are excited to be a part of this change in your life.
My practice provides trauma-informed, compassionate mental health care for college students navigating stress, anxiety, identity exploration, relationship challenges, and the lasting effects of past experiences. I specialize in working with students who feel overwhelmed, disconnected from their bodies, or stuck in patterns that no longer serve them. My approach is grounded in somatic and relational therapies, which means we pay attention not only to thoughts and emotions, but also to how experiences live in the body. Sessions are collaborative, nonjudgmental, and paced to support safety, choice, and self-trust. I strive to create an affirming space for students of diverse identities and backgrounds, including first-generation students and those balancing multiple cultural expectations. Whether a student is seeking support for trauma, burnout, academic pressure, uncertainty about the future, or personal growth, my goal is to help them build resilience, strengthen coping skills, and feel more grounded and empowered in their daily lives.
I am a young adult therapist who helps clients control their behavioral response to challenging emotions, effectively adjust to change, and live a life that makes them proud. I have experience with young adults with anxiety, depression, self-injurious behavior, ADHD, and life transitions. I create a safe space and act as a guide, assisting the client as they explore past and current issues, unhealthy patterns, and identify overall goals. I utilize evidence-based strategies and techniques from an integrated cognitive-behavioral, individual psychology approach. Additionally, I incorporate aspects of mindfulness, solution-focused therapy, and motivational interviewing. I am accepting new clients and would love to be apart of your journey to overall wellness and success.
I specialize in working with adults who struggle with concerns related to mood, anxiety, attachment and relationships, and identity. I enjoy working with clients through an interpersonal, relational lens. This means that I believe the therapeutic relationship can be healing in itself, and in order to aid the healing process I also use components of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and psychodynamic therapy. I take a collaborative, empowering approach to therapy. You are the expert on your life, and together we’ll explore your experiences to better understand what may be holding you back. My goal is to help you uncover the insight, clarity, and inner strengths you already have to create meaningful change.
Many of the clients I work best with are navigating periods of change, uncertainty, or emotional overwhelm. Whether you're managing depression, anxiety, or mood swings, exploring your identity, or feeling stuck despite trying therapy or other strategies, you're not alone — and you're not expected to have all the answers. My approach is warm, collaborative, and focused on what works best for you. As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, I primarily support clients through medication management, but I also offer brief supportive therapy and education about mental health. I believe that medication is just one tool — and not always the first or only one — and I work closely with you to make thoughtful, informed decisions together. I often support clients in the LGBTQ+ community, those exploring non-traditional relationships, and individuals who appreciate a nonjudgmental, sex-positive space. If you're someone who values open communication, shared decision-making, and a personalized approach to care, we may be a good fit. Whether you're starting treatment for the first time or returning after a break, I'm here to listen, guide, and help you feel more in control of your mental health journey.
So you’re becoming more independent and feel like conversations with family and friends are strained. Maybe you want to set boundaries and air frustrations with those you’re close to, but struggle with how to do this as your relationships shift? Questioning beliefs and values you’ve long held onto isn’t easy, and can be even harder when voicing them to others. Whether watching parents divorce as an adult, coming out to family, or struggling with transitions in life, my goal is to increase your understanding of yourself both in the past and present so advocating for your needs feels less like a burden. As someone that is queer-identified, I have a passion for working with clients holding marginalized identities and supporting your journey, acknowledging the impacts society, family, and culture have in shaping the world around you. Our time together will focus on developing healthy boundaries and goals collaboratively to improve interpersonal relationships.
Welcome. I am a UCLA-trained psychiatrist and psychotherapist who treats a variety of mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, OCD, psychosis, substance use disorders, and more. I believe that high-level clinical care can and should be provided with curiosity, compassion, and precision. I view my role as extending far beyond prescribing medications; I also emphasize treatments such as psychotherapy and lifestyle interventions aimed at building your agency and well-being.
If anxiety, intrusive thoughts, OCD, phobias or depressive thoughts take up too much space in your life, I will work with you to uncover their sources. You can establish and engage in useful coping skills that will allow you to spend less time battling your thoughts and more time living the life you want. If you're a couple struggling with relationship concerns, I will work with you to restore harmony in your relationship and strengthen your connection. I aim to provide a safe, warm and non-judgmental environment for my clients to explore their emotions, while also feeling comfortable and validated when sharing experiences, thoughts and behaviors. I practice using evidence-based modalities like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Radically Open Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (RO-DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), as well as self-compassion and mindfulness techniques. Gottman Method Couples Therapy informs my work with couples. If you choose therapy as a next step, I would be honored to work with you and support you in your journey of self-growth and healing! Schedule an appointment online or reach out with any questions.