Therapists for college students near Chicago, IL

In December 2008 I graduated from Freed-Hardeman University with Masters of Counseling degree. I obtained certification as a National Certified Counselor (NCC# 247220) in 2016. I obtained license as a Licensed Professional Counselor from Illinois (LCPC #180.011277) in 2017. I have gained over 14 years of experience empowering clients to embrace their worth and utilize their strengths, values, talents, & interests to remove barriers that lie between them and their happiness. I have experience in helping clients diagnosed with depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse disorders, PTSD, ADHD improve their well-being and quality of life. My professional counseling experience includes providing individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, and multi-family groups within a variety of treatment settings (e.g. residential, outpatient, in-home, foster-care programs, in prisons, rehabilitation, and via telehealth). I have experience serving children, adolescents, and adults to cope with mental illness, addictions, trauma, phase of life challenges, and relationship stress. I have also provided counseling on a variety of issues that includes but are not limited to the following: emotional regulation, anger management, interpersonal skills enhancement, stress management, parenting education, executive functioning problems, decision-making skills, and parenting skills education. I focus on collaborating with my clients to create effective treatment plans and ensure that the best counseling interventions are being implemented. I strive to establish an open, safe, and confidential environment where clients can share thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment .The theoretical techniques I use often vary depending on the needs of each of the individual client .I have experience with utilizing the following evidence-based approaches; Person-Centered Approach, Attachment-Based Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Behavior Activation Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Positive Psychology. In efforts to maximize the benefits of counseling, I will often ask clients to complete homework assignments including practicing new skills.

I'm here to support you in creating meaningful, lasting change. Whether you're navigating a major life transition or struggling through the stresses of college life, I'll help you uncover and shift patterns that no longer serve you. Together, we'll work toward greater clarity, purpose, and connection, so you can step into the fullest version of yourself.

I work best with students who often feel like they're carrying more than they let on. Maybe you're the one everyone depends on, you're constantly overthinking, or you're trying to balance school, work, relationships, and everything else while feeling overwhelmed inside. You might be navigating anxiety, life transitions, relationship challenges, or the impact of past experiences. Whatever brings you here, you don't have to have it all figured out before starting therapy. I strive to create a space where you can show up exactly as you are, make sense of what's been weighing on you, and begin moving toward a life that feels more grounded, fulfilling, and authentically yours.

CLAY “Continue Learning About You” Therapeutic Services is an Illinois state-licensed practice serving the Hoffman Estates/Schaumburg and surrounding areas. We offer psychotherapy and counseling services as well as mediation services. Our therapists love what they do and are committed to being engaged with you to help you accomplish your goals. Our therapists offer a range of approaches and styles to assist you based on their expertise, style and theoretical orientation. We all go through changes in our lives and sometimes the changes are harder than we expect. These changes can be difficult to manage and create stress and uncertainty. Life transitions therapy can create a healthy pathway to navigate the changes and create structure while developing tools to manage the stress. Common life events that would benefit from Life transitions therapy: New job or career Post-divorce Becoming an independent adult Post-divorce dating Living alone for the first time Sobriety Loss of a relationship Going on Disability Retirement Pandemic Our therapists understand the difficulty and array of emotions involved in many life transitions. Change is not always easy, but our therapists are here to remind you that you are not alone and will provide the support and strategies with life transitions therapy you need to keep moving forward.

Your path to a calmer, happier life starts here. I am ready to support you at your own pace, providing flexible appointments and personalized care. Whether you are an individual seeking personal growth, a couple looking to strengthen your connection, or a family aiming to foster harmony, I am here to help. Let’s work together to address anxiety, depression, and stress, creating a healthier path forward for yourself, your relationships, and your family.

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and founder of Serenity Way Therapy Services, LLC. I work with individuals navigating unresolved childhood experiences, life transitions, and the stress that can come with balancing responsibilities and identity. Many of the clients I support appear to be functioning well on the outside but feel overwhelmed, stuck, or disconnected internally. My approach is both supportive and direct. I strive to create a space where clients feel safe to explore their experiences while also being challenged in ways that promote growth. I focus on helping clients build self-awareness, improve relationships, and develop practical tools they can use in their daily lives. Whether someone is adjusting to a new phase of life, managing stress, or working through deeper emotional patterns, I aim to help them move forward with greater clarity, confidence, and intention.

My mission is to provide quality individual and group therapy that is accessible and meaningful. Over the years, I have worked with a wide variety of folks and have found that meeting people “where they are at “ and actively listening to their goals is the basic foundation that can be overlooked at times. Clients in my practice are motivated for therapy and committed to the time we set aside for their growth. I am also committed to that time in order to assist clients with meeting their goals and experiencing further well-being. Depending on their own personal preference for more or less structure, I can generally adapt my practice skills to meet that personal preference.

I help teens and adults who struggle with depression, anxiety, self injury, intense emotions, ADHD, substance misuse, as well as identity, sexuality, and gender questioning. I’m passionate about helping people begin to understand themselves, face what’s been holding them down, and develop new skills and resources while creating new paths forward. Witnessing people in therapy recognize their strengths, develop self acceptance, understand what is most important to them, and show self compassion to themselves is the best part about being a therapist and one I am grateful for.

I am Brittany Brookshire, a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor working remotely with clients in Illinois and Arkansas. I graduated in 2017 with a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Georgia, and I have worked as a school counselor and in private practice. Many of my clients are between ages 18-50, and I often work with people experiencing depression, anxiety, PTSD, and adult ADHD. I love being a part of peoples’ journeys through life, and I feel passionately about helping those going through (or healing from) life transitions, religious trauma, abusive relationships, uncertainty in life, grief, stress within marriages, or those just working to love or learn about themselves. I am currently accepting clients ages 18 and up, and I would love to meet you and see if we would be a good fit. Not sure what you are looking for in a counselor? Have questions about me, my practice, or how to find the right counselor for you? I would love to hear from you!

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Are you having trouble with falling and staying asleep? Are you feeling anxious and overwhelmed? I specialize in working with people who are having trouble sleeping, who are experiencing anxiety, and who are going through reproductive transitions or who are experiencing distress related to their reproductive health (e.g., PMDD, pregnancy, postpartum, infertility). In my work, I aim to cultivate a safe space to hold and honor your emotions, while also providing you with new coping tools to help you process your emotions, get some distance from your thoughts, and help you engage with your life. To do this, I use a blend of evidence-based psychotherapies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, and Interpersonal Psychotherapy.

When people come to treatment with problems, it is important to remember that they are trying to cope with them in the best way they can. With that in mind, I offer a reflective and engaging partnership with my clients, working toward the goal of helping them to be autonomous, authentic and compassionate in a world that can be extremely stressful. Although my work is solidly grounded in psychodynamic, cognitive/learning, and systems theories, my approach is client-centered, practical and strengths-based. I bring honesty, warmth, and humor to the therapy relationship. I am LGBTQ affirmative and invested in doing cross-cultural therapy which is culturally sensitive. I have a dog, Bracket, who works with me, and I have been doing AAT since 2002. There is a growing body of research which suggests that AAT (Animal-Assisted Therapy) can be helpful with a range of diagnoses, including Depression, PTSD, and Autistic Spectrum. Many therapists know little about online games such as World of Warcraft and Second Life. They may dismiss it as unimportant, or assume it is a problem. I am a gamer-affirmative therapist, meaning I’m more interested in understanding your in-world experience and activity than pathologizing it.

I specialize in working with LGBTQIA+ and neurodiverse individuals. I have experience assisting people in working on mood and anxiety disorders, grief and identity exploration.

I graduated from Illinois State University in Normal, IL with my Bachelors of Social Work. I continued my education and graduated from the University of Illinois in Champaign, IL with my Masters of Social Work, specializing in mental health. While earning my graduate degree I worked on an inpatient psychiatric floor at Methodist Hospital. Mainly I worked with adults experiencing severe mental illness, however, I was also able to work with adolescents and the geriatric population from time to time. Simultaneously, I worked for a local high school as a long-term substitute teacher which provided me the opportunity of working closely with teens and their guardians. Additionally, I completed my internship in the Behavioral Health Emergency Department at Methodist Hospital where I completed assessments and linked people with resources in the community. Upon graduating, I moved to Virginia with my husband who was serving in the United States Navy, where I worked primarily with women on the postpartum units at Norfolk General Hospital. During my time at Norfolk General, I was able to assist women immediately following birth who were experiencing or at higher risk for postpartum depression and anxiety. I was also able to provide support to families who were experiencing an extended stay in the NICU. Since returning to Illinois, I have been back on one of the inpatient psychiatric units at Methodist Hospital working as a clinician. I have been primarily working with adults experiencing severe mental illness and their families by providing individual, family, and group therapy. In addition to therapy, I have been providing case management which has allowed me to familiarize myself with many of the local resources in the area. My husband and I are in the most amazing and exhausting time of our lives raising two toddler boys. We love spending time experiencing life through the eyes of our little boys. Family is everything to us. In my free time (what is that? ha-ha), I love watching Friends or One Tree Hill on repeat, going shopping with my mom, and playing video games. I believe in a holistic and person-centered approach. It's important to me for you to be the leader of your therapy. We will work as a team to set goals and work on what you feel is most important. I want to create a nonjudgmental and unbiased space for you to talk about the hard things. Your life is worth my time.

Regret, self-criticism, guilt and shame are far too often root causes of the depression and anxiety plaguing our minds. Sometimes we don’t even realize these feelings until we examine our thoughts more carefully. My goal in talk therapy is to help you recognize how thoughts and emotions impact your behaviors so we can break unhealthy patterns and find strategies that work best for you. I work to create a casual, stress-free environment where you can truly be yourself, feel understood, and validated. Using empathy and a conversational style, I bring knowledge, experience, and most importantly, a fresh perspective into the (virtual) therapy room. We will work together to build upon your strengths, and I will strive to help you find insight and practical solutions to implement into your daily life to find a path forward and heal. I offer telehealth video therapy for clients in Iowa, Illinois and Florida. I work with adults and couples aged 18+ with issues including anxiety, depression, women’s issues, empowerment, work stress, improving communication, interpersonal and relationship issues, life transitions, aging, living chronic illness, spiritual growth, and trauma.

Therapy is a unique process, one that aims to guide you through challenges and roadblocks, helping you move towards a healthier and more meaningful life. My goal is to create a space where growth is safe and cultivated. Using an evidence-based approach, I work to help you gain awareness of your emotional experience, working to understand the way you experience and interact with the world. I help you explore parts of yourself you may not be completely comfortable with, learning to tolerate the discomfort that surfaces during this process. I challenge clients to try something different, encouraging a more intentional approach. Change can be hard and scary; it takes courage and willingness to say you need help. I see individuals with a wide range of presenting concerns, including anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, relationship concerns, and identity development. I also maintain a strong commitment to cultural humility. Life can throw out some pretty tough things, and while we don't always have a choice in what comes our way, we do have a choice in how we respond. Let's work together to find out how you want to respond to the challenges in your life.

My passion for psychiatry began during my undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan, where I graduated with a degree in neuroscience and a GPA of 3.9. Due to my academic excellence, I was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, America’s oldest honor society, which includes 17 former U.S. Presidents and 40 Supreme Court Justices among its members. Before pursuing a career in medicine, I taught Algebra to middle school students in New York City as a public school educator. I was initially hired to help students pass their state exams, and to my surprise, they succeeded. This experience reinforced my belief in the importance of education. At Rush University, I hold three administrative roles: Executive Chief Resident, Education Chief, and Internal Moonlighting Coordinator. As Executive Chief Resident, I organize two literature review series: Rush’s Journal Club and a program called “Controversies in Psychopharmacology,” which explores new and controversial topics in psychiatry. Together with faculty, I also coordinate the PRITE exam review series. As an enthusiastic test-taker, I achieved scores above the 90th percentile in neuroscience on the 2020 and 2021 exams. Additionally, I oversee the Balint group, a support group aimed at addressing physician burnout and promoting wellness among residents. In my role as Education Chief, I manage Rush’s Teaching Clinic, designed to support medical students. I regularly lecture to both medical students and residents. I have collaborated with my co-residents to create a personalized tutoring series for at-risk medical students focused on helping them pass their NBME shelf exams; I’m proud to report that 100% of my mentees have successfully passed. Furthermore, I co-lead a neuroscience curriculum aligned with materials from the National Neuroscience Curriculum Initiative (NNCI) and deliver lectures to my co-residents. As the Internal Moonlighting Coordinator at Rush, I ensure continuous and effective psychiatric care in the emergency department. I have logged over 1,000 hours in the emergency room, gaining experience in stabilizing high-acuity situations such as psychosis, mania, and agitation. This role has also provided me with valuable experience in accounting and bookkeeping, allowing me to work closely with the payroll department. I am actively involved in the Illinois Psychiatric Society, the Illinois branch of the American Psychiatric Association (APA). I serve on several committees, including the anti-racism committee and the government affairs committee. My interests lie in interventional psychiatry, and I currently work at Rush’s TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) and ketamine clinic. In October, I collaborated with IV Chicago Solutions and shadowed Dr. Eugene Lipov, a pioneer of the stellate ganglion block procedure for treating PTSD. You can easily schedule your session through our online booking link. Click "Website" to find a convenient time for you.

If you feel stuck emotionally, mentally, or in your relationships, you’re not alone. Life transitions, anxiety, depression, past trauma, or daily stress can leave you overwhelmed and unsure how to move forward. My goal is to create a safe, affirming space where you can unpack challenges, gain clarity, and build coping skills that help you feel more grounded, confident, and connected to yourself. I use a person-centered, strengths-based approach, blending CBT, mindfulness, and solution-focused techniques. In sessions, we’ll explore what’s working for you, challenge unhelpful patterns, and create practical strategies to manage emotions, set realistic goals, and achieve lasting change. Taking the first step can feel hard, but you don’t have to do it alone. If you’re ready to explore healing and growth, I invite you to book a session through my online calendar today. Together, we can work toward clarity, relief, and a stronger sense of self-worth.

We all need trustworthy guidance to lead fulfilling lives. But where do you turn when you lack support to overcome your problems? You need growth-oriented counseling to lighten your load. My passion is to help individuals find ways to be successful in life, by utilizing your strengths. I do this by understanding your unique desires and providing individualized support to help you achieve them. I like to focus on the person, and their current goals to help support future success. I specialize in evidence-based counseling approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Solution-Focused Therapy (SFBT). Utilizing my skills to make life-changing connections with clients every day.

I work with students and young adults who are struggling with anxiety, perfectionism, and dealing with the undergoing changes of going to college or starting full time work. I offer therapy without judgment, I am here to help you challenge the critic in your mind telling you that you're doing everything wrong and that everyone is judging you all the time. I use a mix of cognitive and behavioral approaches to help you learn ways to change how you think about yourself and the world around you. I help by providing a nonjudgmental space and time for you to process through the thoughts that are troubling you and the worries you have. I am available to see clients in Illinois and Indiana.