In Person Therapists in Chicago, IL

Francesca specializes in working with children, adolescents, young adults, and families. They utilize a holistic approach when working with clients, with a focus on the mind-body connection. Francesca uses a cognitive behavioral perspective to help clients and families understand how our thoughts influence our emotions and behaviors. She has a passion for working with clients throughout the lifespan, families, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

My number one priority, above everything else, is to making therapy an approachable and enjoyable endeavor. I am open to working with adult clients of all genders and sexual orietations. I regulary work with anxiety, stress, relationship issues, as well as life transitions. I am experienced in working with LGBTQIA individuals and use an affirming approach. I also enjoy working specifically with men stuggling with sexual functioning, intimacy issues, and anger management.

My approach to therapy is rooted in empathy, active listening, and creating a safe and nonjudgmental space. As each person’s experiences are unique, I am committed to tailoring sessions to meet specific needs and goals and am dedicated to helping clients find their authentic selves and learn how to navigate their concerns with tailored tools and interventions. In a collaborative manner, we can explore thoughts, and emotions to facilitate change and personal development in a manner that is most comfortable to each person.

I believe that every problem or life challenge offers an opportunity for growth and development. With the support of a positive and safe therapeutic relationship, you can find strength to address and overcome difficulties within your immediate family, in the workplace/school, with a present/past partner, and begin to feel a deeper sense of fulfillment, find or maintain more satisfying relationships, or begin to heal from a loss or crisis. With over 20 years experience as a psychotherapist, I have successfully helped adults, adolescents, and children develop more productive coping strategies, better communication skills, and a sense of resilience.

- Currently only accepting new clients for my Queer Process Therapy Group, please email to inquire! (waitlisting individual clients) - I specialize in working with those who've experienced religious trauma and childhood or developmental trauma. I believe in the power of integration- that ALL parts of you deserve love and compassion. Together, we will address feelings, needs, beliefs, and the body's own wisdom, while also seeing issues in the context of the systems in which you exist. I work best with those wanting to be challenged to dig deeper and understand their interior worlds, and use an overall psychodynamic therapy approach.

As a Marriage and Family Therapist, I am committed to supporting individuals and couples navigating anxiety, depression, and trauma, while fostering healthy relationships. Through a collaborative approach, I utilize various modalities to guide clients towards healing and personal growth. Fluent in both English and Russian, I offer a distinct cultural perspective, enhancing my ability to connect with diverse clients seeking self-discovery and resilience on their journey towards fulfillment amidst life's challenges.

I emphasize diversity, creativity, and inclusion in my practice. I recognize the effects of the larger societal and cultural environment in which identity and relationships around sexual orientation and class are shaped. It is my goal to promote the process of healing by creating a safe and affirming space for clients to cultivate an understanding within themselves that can help unveil the deeper meaning their struggle is pointing towards.

Navigating life can be challenging. Whether its stress, anxiety or day to day struggles, I am here to help. I have experience working with a variety of conditions, including anxiety, depression, relationships, and family conflict. My goal is to help ease some of that burden and help heal trauma that might come up.

Psychotherapy offers a unique opportunity to better understand oneself, others, our contexts and histories, and the interplay among these elements. While some patients come to me seeking relief from concrete symptoms of anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem, others wish to wrest themselves from a more opaque sense of disconnection, emptiness, or dissatisfaction. Regardless of what brings you to psychotherapy, I offer a space that is warm, empathically attuned, collaborative, and that offers the necessary factors to both promote insight and, more importantly, move you towards a new, fulfilling experience of yourself and life.

I enjoy working with clients of all ages, as I consider each life stage meaningful with numerous challenges. I especially enjoy working with teens and adults managing life transitions. My areas of interest include anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, stress management, communication skills, work/life balance, and challenges within romantic, peer, and professional relationships. I enjoy incorporating play and art into sessions to connect with children. I am very passionate in supporting clients who struggle with challenges related to pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting demands.

As a first-generation Latina, Licensed Social Worker, & mental health advocate, I am passionate about helping others work through their mental health journey to find peace & feel empowered to overcome their hardships. I utilize a culturally competent, trauma-focused, & intersectional approach to gain a deep understanding of how I can connect with an individual. Through a trauma-informed lens, I work with my clients to explore childhood experiences, their cultural identity, interpersonal relationships, triggers, life stressors, generational trauma, & how trauma experiences impact the mind & body.

(I currently am unable to take new patients). I work with individuals who feel anxious, sad, or are having difficulty in relationships, work, creativity, or with their physical well-being. I have worked extensively with individuals of many ages and backgrounds, including young adult, adult, and older adult men and women whose concerns surround issues of identity, grief/loss, low self-confidence, and painful inhibitions in success or fulfillment. I also work with individuals who are struggling with the effects of medical illness.

I love my work and feel honored to be a part of your healing and growth. My style is interactive, empathic, and respectful. Together, we will clarify your goals, identify obstacles, and find ways to overcome them. The process often involves a psychodynamic approach in which we discuss the past as it impacts the present. Frequently cognitive-behavioral approaches are helpful to improve immediate coping abilities. Couples often require attention to communication styles as well. My approach is always based on a collaborative effort to define your needs, support your strengths, and help you create the life you want to live.

I am a Licenced Clinical Professional Counselor with experience working with in residential, outpatient, and community based settings. I trained at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in clinical counseling, specializing in trauma. I've worked with adults and adolescents from diverse backgrounds on a wide variety of presenting issues including: anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, attachment, thought and mood dysregulation, sexual health, and identity development. My clinical style utilizes person-centered and CBT techniques with a strong focus on creating an open, nonjudgmental therapeutic space.

All that you seek, already exist within you! It is my belief that through compassion, kindness, and mindfulness one can overcome barriers and connect with your true self. I integrate both mindfulness and evidence based techniques to assist in the healing of trauma, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, self-esteem issues, LGBTQIA+ concerns and behavioral concerns. If you are seeking guidance during life's challenging moments, need support in managing work/life balance or are facing a life transition, therapy services may benefit you.

Having trouble sleeping? Can’t seem to find the motivation to complete daily tasks? Struggling to communicate with a loved one? Various challenges in life can lead us to feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or BOTH. Therapy can provide a safe space to process, cope, and heal. In life, sometimes, we may struggle to see how our environments, upbringing, and relationships impact our mental health. While other times, we may lack the appropriate self-tools to change our own dynamics. I strongly believe that therapy empowers us to be more self-aware and protective of our mental wellness.

You may notice yourself feeling underappreciated, alone, or unimportant in your relationship; like your relationship could change if there was better communication. If you and your partner are feeling stuck or misaligned, therapy can help you prioritize, support, and join each other through journey of life. I help couples understand their patterns of stuckness and awaken the security of their partnership. I believe security and emotions, both real and valid, are the driving force toward healing and that each partner holds an important piece of the relationship puzzle.

I earned my doctorate in clinical psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and completed my internship at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital. Throughout my training, I have gained experience working with children, adolescents, and their families across a variety of settings. My work focuses on the holistic assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with behavior concerns, attention difficulties, developmental differences (including Autism Spectrum Disorders), selective mutism, and general mood concerns. I practice from a family systems perspective and am trained in a number of evidence based treatments, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA).

I seek to inspire and challenge individuals to discover their authentic selves and lead a more meaningful life. I work with individuals who are interested in personal and spiritual growth, looking to enhance their lives and are ready to make life-altering changes. I am eclectic in my approach and utilize existential, psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral interventions in combination with neuro-emotional technique (NET) and hypnosis. My method is unique and impactful because I assist in uncovering conscious and subconscious patterns and belief systems that trigger emotional responses and keeps us stuck in dysfunctional behaviors.