Therapists for college students near Chicago, IL

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Clients come to me for support with overcoming adversity in order to start living their best life. My style is affirming, empathetic, and encouraging, which fosters your ability to identify unhelpful patterns, process complex emotions, and strengthen the coping skills you need for personal growth. Life can be hard and we all could use extra support. In our first session, you can expect to go at your own pace. My priority will be your comfort and emotional safety. You can expect our sessions to provide a nonjudgemental space for you to feel safe to explore, grow, and heal. We'll take time to get to know each other and talk about expectations as well as explore your current concerns, challenges, and goals for therapy. Together, we'll sketch out a plan for how to move forward with creating meaningful change in your life.

My therapeutic style is one of flexibility, active engagement, and a commitment to helping my clients cultivate change in areas of their lives in which they feel stuck. Although people come to therapy for countless reasons, common themes that emerge in my work include relationship concerns, life transitions, identity issues, existential distress, and anxiety and depression. I value helping my clients develop self-compassion, interpersonal awareness, intentionality, and balance in their lives. With an appreciation for the many facets of identity that shape each person’s worldview, I offer a holistic and culturally-informed approach to therapy. Genuine curiosity and cultural humility are guiding forces as I prioritize understanding people within their unique contexts. Prior to private practice, my professional life included experience in university counseling centers and community mental health. As a former professional musician, I continue to maintain a passion for creative endeavors, which I integrate in my therapy work, especially with professional and emerging artists.

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.

Collaboration is a key part of my work with clients. As we explore the change needed for growth, I hope to honor your voice and provide a safe, welcoming and empowering environment that at the forefront creates trust. I want to meet you where you are and come from a strengths-based perspective in creating a path towards understanding yourself, as well as aligning your behavior with your values as much as possible in your everyday life. When in session, I like to pursue a mind-body approach and believe that how we treat our bodies physically will have a ripple effect on our mental health. Therefore, I do like to work around this idea of meeting primary needs for our body as well as our mind. As an eclectic therapist, I believe that there is no one modality that can be utilized for every client, instead I like to pull different techniques from DBT, ACT, Mindfulness, and CBT. As we explore what your goals are, we will make a tailored approach in utilizing skills and talk therapy to create an environment for change. Disordered Eating & Body Image: Navigating disordered eating can feel impossible and exhausting. Exploring the frustrations around unhelpful behaviors is the first step in becoming aware of how disordered eating has impacted your life. With past IOP and individual therapy experience, I support individuals who are trying to understand themselves better when it comes to their body and self-esteem. My approach focuses on creating a supportive and collaborative environment in the therapy space while we build a toolbox of healthy coping mechanisms when triggers come on. By utilizing a combination of therapy modalities, we can create an open dialogue on how to get to body neutrality and reduce disordered eating thoughts & behaviors. Experience: As a growing clinician, I am constantly wanting to expand my knowledge about all things female-presenting clients are navigating from teen years to adulthood. Recently, I passed my Perinatal Mental Health Certificate (PMHC) which covers extensive training in working with families, mothers and fathers who are going through their perinatal journey. Exploring emotions and decision making during this life transition can be overwhelming, to put it lightly, so I hope to act as a guide as we explore this deeply personal journey together. Practicing what I preach is something that I have found to be important to me as I ask for you to do the work in our therapy space. Therefore, I currently am interested in learning more about somatic therapy and how that can be intertwined with my work of mind-body connection.

If you’re struggling, you’re not alone—and things can get better. Living with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or other mental health challenges can feel like you’re constantly trying to stay afloat, unsure of where to turn next. It can be exhausting—and isolating. But the truth is, healing is possible. You deserve to feel supported, understood, and hopeful again. I’m here to help you take that next step. I specialize in working with individuals facing depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and related conditions. I know how overwhelming it can be to ask for help, and my goal is to make that process as comfortable and collaborative as possible. Together, we’ll explore what’s been holding you back and find a path forward that truly fits you. Whether through therapy, medication management, or both, I offer personalized care tailored to your unique experiences and goals. You won’t be handed a one-size-fits-all solution—instead, we’ll work side by side to build a plan that supports your mental and emotional well-being in a way that feels right for you. You don’t have to navigate this alone. Let’s talk, and take that first step toward feeling more balanced, connected, and in control of your life. If you’re ready—or even just considering it—I invite you to schedule an appointment today. Let’s start the conversation and see what healing can look like for you.

College and grad school is a time for self-discovery, building connections with peers, and finding your place in the world. But let's be real, it's not always easy. College and grad school bring up a lot of unique challenges. Whether you’re struggling with relationships, questioning your identity, or feeling overwhelmed by academic pressure and expectations, it’s okay to feel like things are tough. I’m here to support you, and together we’ll find what’s not working and tap into your strengths to help you create a more fulfilling and balanced experience. I'm dedicated to helping you find hope, healing, and understanding during challenging times. My true passion lies in cultivating long-term, meaningful connections with students, creating a space where you can freely explore your deepest concerns. If you're interested in learning more about how I can support you, please reach out to me or visit my website to schedule a free initial consultation. I'm thrilled you're taking this step and would be honored to work with you!

I want to help people feel a sense of belonging even if they don't feel like they belong anywhere else. This includes people who are part of the LGBTQ+/queer community, people who are autistic, AuDHD, or have ADHD, and people who have experienced relational trauma and/or religious trauma. If any of this reflects your experience, you may carry deep shame and feel disconnected from those around you. You might be putting on a happy face on the outside while things feel like they are falling apart inside. I want to come alongside you and help you clean out some of the rubble inside. You might be surprised by the "you" that you uncover. My approach is relational, experiential, and collaborative. I make space for what clients bring into session while guiding them to a point of focus and greater clarity. I primarily use internal family systems (IFS) therapy and also incorporate sandtray therapy. When meeting with clients virtually, I use Minecraft or Simply Sand Play for sandtray therapy. Using these types of therapy, I will help you access emotions and experiences that you can't access with words alone. This will help you unload some of that weight you've been carrying and live a more free and authentic life. If you are interested in working with me, contact me to book a free 15-minute consultation. I look forward to getting to know you!

My goal is to assist you in feeling more effective in how you face them. As a therapist, I prioritize warmth and validation to help you understand yourself, find ways to cope, and meet your goals. I work primarily with emerging and established adults who are managing anxiety, life transitions, relationship issues, and chronic pain. I also help parents feel more confident in handling behavioral challenges and emotional regulation concerns in children. I believe it is important to examine how early childhood experiences shape our mindset and behaviors. I will support you in feeling more in control, accessing your strengths, gaining insight, and breaking unhelpful patterns. With curiosity and compassion, I will encourage you to embrace discomfort, identify your values, and address anxious thoughts. I use various strategies to explore symptoms, relationships, and behaviors to develop a treatment approach that is unique to you. We will work to better understand how you have adapted to and made sense of the world around you. Let's collaborate to help you feel empowered, discover (or rediscover) your worth, and move confidently through life's journey.

We are a group practice with interns, LPCs and LCPCs providing individual therapy to teens, college students and adults. We also provide premarital and couples counseling. Some of our therapists have worked in either private practices, group practices or in a college counseling centers since 1997. We have all ages of therapists available to work with you. We find it a privilege to walk alongside people on their journey towards healing. Some clients say, that counseling is like having coffee with a friend who seeks to understand their pain & questions. We all have struggles, so why not "enjoy" walking through it together. There will be tears, there will be laughter, there will be serious dialogue.

If you find yourself not feeling good enough, struggling to cope with worries, traumas, and pain from the past, or wanting to learn more about yourself and why you think and behave in the ways that you do, my therapeutic approach may be right for you. Depending on your goals/needs, we will work together to increase your insight, explore alternative coping strategies, and help you feel empowered to make different decisions in life to get your closer to who and where you want to be. My intention in our work together is to see you, understand you, and challenge you to grow. When necessary/needed, we will use humor along the way! I specialize in working with adults struggling with feelings of Unworthiness/Low Self-Esteem, Trauma/PTSD, Family/Relationship Conflict, Anxiety, and Depression. I am passionate about working with the LGBTQIA+ community, BIPOC, Mental Health Professionals, Artists, Immigrants, First-Generation Americans, Bi-cultural Individuals, and the Kink community. I would be honored to be a part of your journey. Through our work together, you can learn to practice more self-compassion, feel more grounded, and better manage all the thoughts and feelings you're experiencing. If you connected to what I've shared and feel like we would be a good fit, feel free to message me to arrange a free phone consult.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

We focus on evidence-based treatments, like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, to help individuals evaluate their relationship to their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors so that they can develop the awareness, flexibility, and resilience required to live in alignment with their values. Our clinicians are intimately familiar with helping students and families manage academic stressors and navigate the school setting with minimal interference from psychological distress. We believe in nurturing the therapeutic relationship and recognize the importance of creating a safe and healing space for our clients. Our goal is to help our clients build resilience and add to their repertoire of tools and coping mechanisms to help improve everyday functioning in the home, school, and community.

Like many therapist profiles, this page could list my degrees and credentials, provide a vague description of what clients I work with, and be distant but warm; however, that is not how I work with clients or how I am in the world. I want this page to help you decide if we’ll work well together, not just list the things I’ve done. What you probably want to know is 1) do I know what I’m doing and 2) are we a good fit in working together. I have been working in the mental health field, specifically with eating disorders, since 2014 in a variety of capacities including inpatient, residential, and crisis stabilization programs. I am passionate about eating disorder recovery and collaborating with patients to find balance in their lives. I am body-positive and Health at Every Size (HAES) aligned. I have experience in working with families, couples, and individuals in addition to facilitating group therapy. My primary focus lies in helping to support clients and their loved ones in understanding and moving forward in the path to recovery through individual and family therapy. I have earned the distinction of being a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) by the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals, and have been an officeholder for the Heartland chapter of iaedp since 2019 and remained committed to pursuing ongoing education within the field. There are so many people who hesitate to come to therapy or to move forward in eating disorder recovery due to having been previously unsuccessful with a “one size fits all” approach. I work with you to figure it out. I’m not a smile-and-nod, sit in silence type of therapist. I'll call you out on your BS, but I can do that in a way where we can both laugh. I'm not afraid to talk about anything you need to talk about. Intrusive thoughts? Feeling like you’re the only person to feel this way? You’d be surprised to find that you’re not alone. Therapy will provide a safe space to be yourself and a supportive environment to help meet you where you’re at and work towards creating lasting change in your life.

Struggling is a natural part of being human—something everyone faces at different points in life. You might be navigating relationship challenges, managing stress, or dealing with the effects of past traumas. Perhaps you feel lost, want to understand yourself better, or are searching for a way to heal and move forward. You deserve to feel more grounded, build stronger connections, and regain clarity and control. When life feels overwhelming, having a space where you feel safe, supported, and understood can make all the difference. If this resonates, you’re not alone, and I’m here to help.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

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.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

You’re thoughtful and self-aware. You can name your patterns and handle daily demands and yet you still feel burnt out, empty, or stuck. Maybe you’ve tried therapy before and learned helpful strategies and yet something deeper still feels unsettled. For many, college brings more than academic pressure. It can intensify questions about identity, belonging, relationships, family expectations, and who you’re becoming. Sometimes what looks like anxiety or procrastination is tied to something more relational — how safe you feel being fully yourself, how you learned to manage closeness, or how you’ve had to adapt in order to be accepted. My work is depth-oriented and relational. That means we pay attention to what unfolds between us, not just the symptoms you want to reduce. I won’t rush to give you techniques or quick fixes. Instead, we slow down enough to understand what’s been shaping your experience and create space for something different to emerge.

College life can be a time of major transitions, and balancing academics, relationships, and self-care isn’t always easy—especially if you're a first-generation and/or low-income (FGLI) student, far from home, or struggling with self-esteem and perfectionism. I’m here to support you as you navigate these challenges and grow more confident in managing them. I specialize in helping students who may feel the pressure to succeed in a new environment, who worry about "getting it right," or who are simply adjusting to life away from family and familiar support networks. Together, we’ll explore strategies that feel true to you, build on your strengths, and work toward a healthier balance. If you’re new to therapy, I provide a welcoming space where you can be yourself and learn how to prioritize your mental and emotional well-being. Let’s take this journey at your pace, and find ways to make college life a little less overwhelming and a lot more fulfilling.