Therapists for college students near Chicago, IL

I approach therapy as a collaborative endeavor. I strive to create a warm and accepting space where clients can safely explore the roadblocks they are encountering. My belief is that we are all capable of being resilient; we all have strengths we can rely on to support us through confusing and challenging times. Through therapy, my clients feel empowered to discover new ways to understand themselves and relate to others. My expertise includes relationships, family issues, academic stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression. Born and raised in Taiwan, and having later moved to the U.S. as an international student, I am deeply attuned to the excitement, opportunities for growth, and challenges of studying abroad and navigating new cultures. In addition to offering bilingual (English/Mandarin) psychotherapy, I actively investigate how language and culture shape our identities and the way we interact with the world around us. Throughout my professional career, I have been an advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. At the University of Indianapolis, I was an ambassador for international students at the Center for Global Engagement. I led initiatives to foster cultural humility among staff at Purdue University, as well as workshops on culturally-informed approaches to self-care at the Asian and Asian American Resource and Cultural Center. I am committed to working with people struggling with discrimination, microaggressions, language barriers, and identity explorations. I completed my Doctoral Internship at Purdue University, Counseling and Psychological Services. As part of my clinical training, I worked at university counseling centers in the Midwest (DePauw University, Indiana State University) and hospitals in Taiwan. I obtained a doctoral degree in Psychology (Psy.D.) from the University of Indianapolis, a program accredited by the American Psychological Association.

I am both a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC). I work exclusively with athletes and performing artists, I also worked as the Director of Health Promotion and Wellness (HPW) at DePaul for nine years. I LOVE DePaul students and have vast knowledge of DePaul.

Life doesn’t come with a manual—though it sometimes feels like everyone else secretly got one. When stress, anxiety, trauma, or old patterns start getting in the way, I can you you figure out what isn’t working, understand why it keeps showing up, and develop realistic strategies to move forward. My approach is collaborative, grounded, and goal-oriented.

For a long time, life may have felt overwhelming, even if everything on the surface looks "fine." You might tell yourself, “I’m fine, it could be worse,” yet underneath, there’s a constant sense of tension, exhaustion, and burnout. You may feel detached, you’ve become skilled at hiding your pain and no one seems to notice. This can leave you feeling lonely, even when surrounded by others, and stir up complex emotions like guilt, shame, and resentment. Deep down, you long to live more authentically, but looking inward feels uncertain and even frightening. What’s in that "Pandora’s box" of emotions? What if it’s too much? I believe in the power of relationship and self-exploration. With compassion, curiosity, and a bit of humor, we'll uncover the layers of your experience. Together, we'll create a safe space to explore your emotions, past experiences, and underlying patterns. We’ll build self-awareness, tools for emotional comfort, and guide you with your authentic values. It can feel like you're carrying everything on your own, but you're not meant to. I'm here to support you in a trusting, empathetic therapeutic relationship, one where we move at your pace. If you're ready to explore, heal, and reconnect with yourself, I’m here to walk alongside you when you’re ready.

Feeling overwhelmed by trauma, transitions, or the pressure to have it all figured out? You’re not alone - and therapy can help you make sense of it all. I work with students and young adults navigating anxiety, perfectionism, relationship patterns, and the emotional weight of their past. My approach is trauma-informed, collaborative, and rooted in compassion. Together, we’ll unpack old narratives, strengthen your ability to regulate emotions, and create new ways of relating - to yourself and others -with greater clarity and confidence. I integrate evidence-based modalities including EMDR, CBT, DBT, and mindfulness through an intersectional feminist lens, tailoring each session to meet your unique needs and goals. Whether you’re healing from trauma, exploring identity, managing substance use, or navigating major life transitions, our work will focus on helping you feel grounded, empowered, and self-aware. My goal is to offer a nonjudgmental space where you can safely explore your emotions, build resilience, and reconnect with your authentic self. If this resonates with you, I’d be honored to walk alongside you as you move from surviving to thriving.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Feeling anxious, burnt out, stuck, or just not quite like yourself? College is a lot — the pressure to have everything figured out, relationships shifting, identity questions, and regular life stress all happening at once. I'm a Chicago therapist who works with young adults navigating exactly that. I'm relaxed, open-minded, and genuinely nonjudgmental — you don't have to come in with the "right" words or a clear problem. We'll figure it out together. There's no single right way to do therapy, so I adapt to what you need: sometimes that's working through a specific issue with structure and tools, sometimes it's just having space to think out loud. I draw from CBT, motivational interviewing, mindfulness, and talk therapy depending on what clicks for you. I accept insurance through Headway, which typically brings session costs down significantly. Reach out, and I can help you check your coverage before we meet.

Maribeth is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor who works with adolescents and adults to help find flexibility and ease in their lives. She specializes in addressing trauma, eating disorders, mood disorders, and family of origin challenges. Additionally, Maribeth works with couples to enhance emotional connection and strengthen relationship satisfaction. As an immigrant herself, she is passionate about supporting fellow immigrants and members of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community. Maribeth is bilingual and provides counseling in both English and Tagalog. Maribeth is known for her gentle yet directive approach that creates a space for clients to foster curiosity about their fears, build insight and understanding with themselves, and feel empowered to make changes. She believes that when we approach all parts of ourselves with compassion and curiosity, we can live a more authentic, fulfilling, and joyful life. Using a variety of therapeutic modalities, including Internal Family Systems, Shame-Informed Therapy, and ACT, she helps clients process their emotions and develop skills for their personal growth journey. When she’s not sitting in the therapist chair, Maribeth enjoys traveling, collecting pens and stationery supplies, and spending time with her family and their dog.

Colette, "Coco" is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over two years clinical experience providing therapy in private practice. She earned her Master's of Social Work from the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before working in private practice, Coco worked in the Madison, WI school district as an inclusion specialist and assistant director, working to integrate children with Individualized Education Plans into all aspects of the school experience. Her experience in the school system solidified her desire to become an effective and compassionate child and adolescent therapist. Coco is a therapist driven to work with children and adolescents so that they can thrive in their environment. She is passionate about neurodiversity-affirming practice and takes an individualized approach to each session with her clients. Coco recognizes the value of understanding each person's unique experience, and is passionate about creating a safe and trusting relationship with her clients. She understands that every child’s environment is complex and unique, which is reflected in her flexible approach to therapy. She is committed to taking a strengths-based approach to her therapy practice, and aims to empower each and every child and family that she works with. Coco focuses on navigating a variety of diagnoses such as OCD, Anxiety, ADHD, DMDD, Autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, and certain genetic disorders. She focuses on supporting her clients with the skills to live as comfortably in their lives as possible, such as emotional expression and regulation, executive function, self-esteem, and social skills.

Growing up, I felt very isolated because I was a half-Japanese child growing up in a predominantly white community. When I was young, I didn’t understand why I was treated differently or why people would constantly ask my Caucasian mom where I was adopted from. Living a life full of questions like “What are you?” “Where are you from…originally?” and being told that I wasn’t able to play with other kids in the community because I was “different” and being bullied because I looked different, really encouraged me to seek more understanding of the world. Throughout my development I found solace in learning more about human relationships, and exploring what I thought about myself, my values, and my hope for what my life could be, rather than allowing the judgements of others to drive my behavior and thoughts of myself. Learning about intersectionality, racism, microaggressions, implicit bias, and social justice changed my life. I know that psychoeducation, compassion, curiosity, and challenging shame can change lives. Kimi is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Illinois and Utah. Kimi has a Master’s of Social Work from The Ohio State University and provides evidence-based treatments through EMDR, IFS, ACT, MI, DBT, CBT, TF-CBT, shame-informed therapy, and a self-compassion focus. Kimi has completed Level 1 Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy, and she uses Gottman Method Couples Therapy in her work. Before becoming an outpatient therapist Kimi has worked in community mental health, hospital settings, and has intensive training in acute care, suicidal ideation and self-harming assessment and treatment, and crisis intervention.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

SHFT is Chicago’s first mental health urgent care created specifically for young people and their families. Designed to bridge a long-standing gap in the behavioral health landscape, SHFT offers a full spectrum of services, including crisis assessments, one-time “chat” sessions with licensed clinicians, routine therapy, and medication management. Our clinical team brings deep expertise in adolescent and young adult mental health, with backgrounds across higher levels of care that allow us to respond to a wide range of needs quickly, safely, and compassionately. Open seven days a week, SHFT supports both walk-ins and scheduled appointments. Guided by a “come as you are” philosophy, our space is intentionally warm, contemporary, and non-clinical - created to help young people feel safe, welcomed, and understood from the moment they arrive.

Does it feel like having a person to talk to would make life less hard? While acknowledging that I cannot determine whether a space is safe or not, I strive to offer a space of non-judgement, validation, compassion and growth where you can get to know yourself more, build insight and acknowledgement of your strengths, and talk about whatever you need to for an hour. Areas that I work with include body positivity/ body image, sex positivity, LGBTQ+, self-harm, anxiety, and trauma. Using multiple therapy frameworks grounded in mindfulness, a social justice lens, and the Health at Every Size (HAES) model, I work with you to live life a way that is important to you. Whether you need to vent, address unhelpful coping skills, rant about your roommate, process trauma, or show me a funny therapy TikTok that you felt spoke to you too much, I look forward to working with you.

Belle Counseling and Wellness provides individual therapy for adults 18+. We offer a safe and confidential space to explore yourself, your values, process your past and heal. As a trauma informed practice, we realize the widespread impact of trauma and seek to help our clients and the community find their path to recovery and holistic wellness. We recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma in our clients, their families, our staff and our community. Our response to trauma seeks to fully integrate the trauma informed values into our policies, procedures and practices in order to actively resist re-traumatization. Our values include safety, trust, empowerment, collaboration, and acknowledging the historical barriers to wellness for women, communities of color, the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized groups. All services are currently being offered online for the health and safety of our staff and clients. We utilize a secure HIPAA compliant video platform – just click the link in your appointment confirmation text message or email to connect with us from any device.

Lieser Counseling Services assists in discovering your true self, allowing you to live in ways that bring peace, meaning, and deep joy to daily life. Within the space we work to create trust and good rapport which allows for authentic growth and transformation. In this safe space we can tackle and heal wounds from trauma, eradicate unhealthy self talk, improve relationships, as well as re-frame depressive and anxious mindsets that prevent you from flourishing. No matter your gender identity, sexual orientation, or ideology I believe that we can create a healthy connection that will serve you in your day to day interactions.

Therapy can seem overwhelming when seeking guidance for very personal problems. Sometimes just seeking the “right fit” can be the hardest part. My hope is that therapy becomes one of the best investments in yourSELF. I work to make sure that therapy is a safe and healing environment in which you can explore your past traumas, fears, deepest desires, and biggest needs. Therapy can be a place to bring awareness to internal beliefs, thought processes, and behaviors. Here is where can change occurs. We will work from a holistic-integrative model that includes the healing the whole SELF, mind-body-soul. Whether you have been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, disordered eating, experienced trauma, bi-polar, mood disorders, or having relationship issues, YOU are worthy of the time and attention it takes for healing and change.

We are dedicated to offering Mental Health Services which are easily adaptable and low-stress and that combine strategies for assisting with the many difficult aspects and challenges that have become normal in our daily lives. Clients are encouraged and taught to actively learn about themselves and are challenged to explore new ways of being and thinking, all in a safe and comforting environment.

Ryan is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Art Therapist. She earned her BFA with a concentration in painting, second major in psychology, and minor in children’s studies from Washington University in St. Louis, and she earned her Masters degree in Counseling: Art Therapy from Adler University. Ryan has 10+ years of experience working with children, adolescents, teens, and young adults in various settings including schools, summer camps, hospitals, community mental health, and private practice. In her therapeutic practice, she specializes in working with individuals who have experienced trauma, are part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and/or are navigating challenges with daily functioning as a neurodiverse individual. Ryan also works with youth who are not ready to verbalize their needs, but are looking for a creative outlet and safe space to express themself through art with no pressure of needing to talk. As an art therapist, Ryan utilizes art and art making to facilitate communication and help her clients gain insight into themselves. She is experienced in using various art mediums to help clients navigate complex situations and explore their identity without the added pressure of needing to verbalize their thoughts. No prior art experience or high level of art prowess is needed for art therapy. Art therapy is about the creation of art, not the appearance of the final product! Ryan takes a client-centered, strengths-based, and trauma-informed approach to therapy, utilizing principles from narrative therapy and choice theory, as well as Trauma-Focused CBT to inform her work. Ryan believes that each person is the expert on themself, and aims to empower the client and help them feel a renewed sense of confidence and agency over their life.

Beginning therapy can often seem daunting. It can be the first time you are admitting something isn’t working, or you aren’t feeling okay. I want to provide the space and time for you to sit with that possibility, work together to understand those thoughts and feelings, and use your experiences to guide you toward new, affirming spaces and connections. Together, we can support you in navigating depression, anxiety, trauma, eating disorders, ADHD, neurodivergence, identity and LGBTQ+ related concerns, as well as relationship challenges, family dynamics, and major life transitions. Whether you’re beginning therapy or returning to it, I look forward to connecting and working together.

At CFC Therapy Group, we believe in possibilities—and we empower you to realize yours. Working with our team of experienced therapists, you’ll gain the strength to navigate life’s challenges, confront what’s holding you back, and achieve your fullest potential. We are Relationship Experts. Whether you’re looking to create a more positive dynamic with family and friends, a significant other, or simply with yourself, we’ll help you get there. At CFC Therapy Group, we’re committed to your possibility. Contact us today to book an appointment