Therapists for college students near University of Chicago

I support LGBTQIA+ students navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, bipolar disorder, and identity exploration, including gender and cultural identity. My approach is collaborative and adaptive, drawing from CBT, ACT, DBT, and attachment-based practices to find what works best for you. I'm LGBTQ+ affirming, culturally responsive, and committed to supporting neurodivergent and disabled students. Together, we'll build coping skills, confidence, and a stronger sense of self. My pronouns are she/her.

I support students navigating issues around sex, intimacy, gender identity, relational dynamics, shame, creativity blocks, or spiritual and religious trauma, using holistic, trauma-focused, interpersonal, and EMDR-informed approaches. I believe therapy should create a space where your truth matters, your experiences, your identity, and your spirituality all shape how you heal. Together, we'll work to build tools, growth, and connection so you can move past what's hurting you and towards what you value. My goal is to help you feel seen, empowered, and more in tune with who you are. My pronouns are he/him.

I'm a bilingual (Spanish/English) therapist supporting students navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, identity concerns, and life transitions. My style is culturally sensitive, strengths-based, and LGBTQIA+ affirming, creating a safe space where your background and identity are respected. Together, we'll build coping tools and confidence so you can move forward with support and resilience. My pronouns are she/her.

I support students exploring gender identity, LGBTQIA+ concerns, anxiety, depression, intimacy, and stress related to academic or work/life balance. My approach is client-centered, drawing on CBT, DBT, motivational interviewing, and psychodynamic tools, with tools you can use here and now. I aim to create a space where who you are is honored, your experiences are heard, and your identity feels valid. My goal is to help you build confidence, strengthen your relationships, and feel more grounded in your life. My pronouns are he/him.

I help LGBTQIA+ students dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, identity development, and issues around culture/LGBTQIA+ belonging. My approach is strengths-based, insight-oriented, culturally sensitive, and trauma-focused. I want you to feel seen as your whole self. We'll work together to build tools that help you cope, gain clarity, and grow in confidence. My aim is to create a supportive, affirming space where your story matters, and you can explore toward healing on your terms. My pronouns are she/her.

Have you ever wondered why you keep falling into the same patterns, even when you know better? Maybe you replay conversations in your head, shut down during conflict, worry about how others see you, or feel overwhelmed by emotions that seem to come out of nowhere. Therapy can help you understand where these patterns come from and how to begin responding differently. I work with college students and young adults navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, emotional overwhelm, and life transitions. Together, we'll explore how your past experiences, attachment style, and nervous system may be shaping the way you think, feel, and connect with others. As those patterns become clearer, you'll begin building new ways of responding with greater confidence, self-compassion, and emotional balance. My approach is warm, relational, and collaborative. I believe you're the expert on your own life, and my role is to help you better understand yourself with curiosity, compassion, and practical support. Along the way, I'll offer tools you can use between sessions so the work we do together becomes part of your everyday life. I integrate CBT, DBT, ACT, Internal Family Systems (IFS), attachment-focused therapy, somatic therapy, and polyvagal-informed approaches to meet your unique needs. Our work may include gentle nervous system regulation practices, such as grounding, breathwork, and mindfulness, alongside traditional talk therapy to help you feel more connected to yourself and better equipped to navigate life's challenges. I also support clients healing from childhood, relationship, and sexual trauma, as well as those navigating self-harm or suicidal thoughts. My goal is to help you feel safer in your own mind and body, strengthen your relationships, and move through life with greater confidence, resilience, and self-compassion.

You may understand your patterns and still find yourself repeating them. Insight can be an important first step, but sometimes you also need support turning that understanding into real change. I work with adults and couples navigating anxiety, trauma, life transitions, relationship challenges, and identity exploration. I especially enjoy supporting clients exploring multicultural or interracial identities, strengthening communication, building self-compassion, and creating healthier ways of relating to themselves and others. My style is warm, direct, and action-oriented. Together, we’ll identify the patterns keeping you stuck, build practical tools, and help you make changes that feel aligned with your values. I offer therapy in English and Spanish and integrate DBT, somatic and body-based approaches, Dance/Movement Therapy, expressive arts, and Imago Relationship Therapy. Therapy with me is a culturally responsive space where every part of your identity is welcome, and where you can expect both support and honest encouragement.

College and graduate school can make everything feel up for question: your relationships, your future, your identity, and who you are outside of other people’s expectations. You may be burned out, navigating ADHD, recovering from painful experiences, or trying to find a stronger sense of purpose. I work with college students, graduate students, and young adults navigating relationship concerns, life transitions, trauma, mood challenges, stress, burnout, and identity exploration. I especially enjoy supporting clients exploring gender or sexuality and those who want to better understand themselves and their relationships. My style is warm, collaborative, and grounded in humor. Together, we’ll explore the beliefs and patterns keeping you stuck, build on your strengths, and help you make choices that feel more aligned with your values. I also work with individuals and couples around intimacy, communication, and sexual well-being. Therapy with me is an affirming space where every part of your identity is welcome and you can show up fully as yourself.

Holistic, Culturally Attuned Psychiatric Support in English & Vietnamese. As a bilingual Vietnamese psychiatric nurse practitioner in Chicago, I provide compassionate, trauma-informed psychiatric care for adolescents and adults navigating anxiety, depression, OCD, ADHD, and other mental health conditions. Being a second-generation Vietnamese American, I understand the complexities of identity, family expectations, and cross-cultural stressors that often go unspoken in traditional mental health spaces. I approach care with cultural sensitivity, humility, and an appreciation for the role identity plays in emotional well-being. Whether you’re exploring psychiatric care for the first time or looking to adjust your treatment plan, I’m here to help you move forward with confidence. Empowerment, Collaboration & Holistic Healing. I believe mental health care works best when it centers you—your values, your story, and your goals. My treatment plans integrate evidence-based medication management with: • Supportive education about your diagnosis and treatment • Open, respectful communication and shared decision-making • Trauma-sensitive, stigma-free care • Consideration of lifestyle, cultural background, and personal strengths Together, we’ll build a plan that feels personalized and sustainable—never one-size-fits-all. Conditions I Commonly Treat: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder • Generalized Anxiety Disorder Obsessive Compulsive Disorder • Major Depression & Dysthymia • Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) • Trauma and PTSD • Sleep concerns and burnout • Adjustment issues related to culture, work, or identity

As an Asian therapist based in Chicago, I am deeply committed to supporting individuals, couples, and families—especially those from marginalized communities—who are navigating mood disorders, life transitions, self-esteem challenges, interpersonal conflicts, cultural identity questions, and the healing of trauma. Therapy with me is not about “fixing” you—it’s about understanding and honoring who you are, so that healing can naturally unfold and guide you toward the life you want with authenticity and confidence. I integrate multiple approaches to personalize your care, including Internal Family Systems (IFS), Psychodynamic theories, Expressive Arts Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Narrative Therapy, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, and Somatic practices. I offer trauma-informed therapy in both Mandarin and English, creating an affirming, nonjudgmental space for you to feel heard, understood, and supported—especially if you’ve never had that opportunity before.

Ellie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who believes healing begins within safe, trusting relationships. She works to create a warm and nonjudgmental space where individuals feel seen, heard, and understood. Her work is informed by psychodynamic and attachment theories, and an understanding of nervous system regulation. She is attentive to how early relationships and life experiences shape emotional patterns, self-perception, and how we relate to others. Ellie also helps clients recognize how their nervous system responds to stress, supporting them in becoming more grounded, connected, and in control. Her approach invites greater self-awareness, emotional flexibility, and lasting change. Ellie is passionate about working with individuals who have dealt with various forms of overwhelming stress and trauma, focusing in particular on work with children and adolescents. She incorporates a range of modalities including play, talk, and art therapy, recognizing the unique ways children express themselves and explore their worlds. She meets each child where they are at and allows play and the relationship to serve as powerful tools for healing, growth, and connection. Ellie also strives to support parents and caregivers in understanding their child more deeply and fostering strong and healthy family relationships. Whether working with a child, teen, or adult, Ellie brings warmth, curiosity, and deep respect for each person’s story. ​

JD Peters (he/him), is Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC). He earned his master’s degree in Addiction Studies: Advanced Practice from the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School, and spent his career walking alongside individuals and families navigating the challenges of addiction to alcohol and other substances, as well as the broader journey of healing and recovery. He works with people facing a wide range of concerns—from anxiety and depression to grief and trauma—and offers both abstinence-based and harm-reduction approaches depending on what feels most supportive for each person. He believes healing is deeply personal, and that change is hard to do alone. His role is to create a space where you feel safe, seen, and empowered to explore what works best for you. JD has experience working with LGBTQIA+ individuals as they navigate identity, relationships, internalized stigma, and family or societal stressors. He strives to offer affirming care that honors each person’s truth and lived experience. He draws from evidence-based practices like DBT, CBT, ACT, and Motivational Interviewing, blending these approaches into conversations that support growth, healing, and hope. Whether you're just beginning your journey or looking to deepen your understanding of yourself, JD is here to support you with compassion and curiosity.

Colleen is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with three years of experience providing therapy in private practice. She received her Master's in Social Work from Dominican University, with a focus on health and well-being. She supports children, adolescents, and young adults by providing a safe, open, and nonjudgmental space to explore challenges, embrace strengths, and feel empowered. Before private practice, Colleen worked in community settings as an advocate for those impacted by domestic violence. These experiences shaped her passion as a therapist and her commitment to social justice. She values understanding how exposure to trauma, oppression, marginalization, and grief/loss can influence one’s experience of the world and contribute to challenges like anxiety, depression, life transitions, and relational conflicts. Her approach is client-centered, trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, neurodivergent-affirming, and play-based. By prioritizing these lenses, Colleen helps clients feel engaged, authentic, and supported in their therapeutic growth.

Vicky is a licensed clinical social worker who earned her Masters degree in social work at Loyola University Chicago. Vicky has experience working with young adults, children, adolescents and their parents on a variety of different issues including social skills, self-compassion, emotional regulation, anxiety, life transitions and grief. Vicky has worked in a variety of settings including schools, summer camps and private practice. In her work, Vicky understands the importance of experiences and how they can greatly influence one's perspective in how they relate to themselves and others. She believes it is important to process significant events, in order to gain a better understanding of one’s needs and potential. Vicky uses a relational and strengths-based approach to allow for her clients to feel supported along every step of the therapeutic process. She also uses elements of cognitive behavioral therapy and play therapy to support clients in their therapeutic journey. Vicky aims to provide a warm, welcoming and safe space for her clients and feels honored to walk alongside each individual’s unique path.

Hi! My name is Destinee Wells (she/hers). I enjoy getting to know new clients and look forward to our potential work together! I believe that we all go through times in life when we encounter challenges that are rooted in our past and affect our present. Therapy can be a great place to make these connections and gain insight and power over our present-day experiences. As a therapist, I am focused on how our past experiences can form who we are and how we interact with others in the present. I am curious about your early relationships, the relationships you have today, and the relationship we will build together. As we look at patterns in your life, we can work together to make sense of present day experiences. I have worked with a variety of identities including different cultural and racial backgrounds, religions, and sexual orientations. I have worked with differing levels of needs from depression and anxiety to substance use, complex trauma and dissociation to name a few. I approach each client with their unique needs and with a trauma-informed lens.

From the earliest moments of our lives, we are searching for and are in need of relationships and connection – it is in our early life where we begin to understand who we are, who others are, and what kind of world we live in. It is through this quest for connections outside of us that shades of Meaning, Purpose, and Creativity emerge within us. The quality of these aspects of life produces in us both wounds and liberties. Fortunately, therapy can be a place for us to gently and intentionally tease these qualities out toward a life and sense of self in line with your goals. In my practice, I work with adults of all ages. I have concentrated experience engaging with those who come from and/or are currently engaged in religious communities and the concerns that emerge from religious ideologies. I utilize a trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, and relational approach to our work together to cultivate curiosity, connection, and care. I believe that people are in a constant flux of Becoming – who we are, how we understand ourselves, others, and the world around us is changing all the time. Ultimately, I am not the arbiter of your life, you are. Intentional and sometimes difficult self-reflection can bring about amazing shifts in our approach to life.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), and I also have my MBA. My goal is to create a safe, empathetic, and trusting space for clients to feel comfortable in their therapy journey. In working together, you can expect the beginning of the therapeutic process to include space for utilizing curiosity and empathy to strengthen the therapeutic relationship in order to begin creating meaningful change. The therapy journey is unique for each client and with that, my approach is not a one size fits all.

Dr. Aubrye Brower, Psy.D. is a licensed neuropsychologist who earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Adler University and her undergraduate degree from DePaul University. She completed her APA-accredited predoctoral internship at the Gulf Coast Veterans Healthcare System in Biloxi, Mississippi, where she obtained advanced training in inpatient psychiatric services, Community Living Center (CLC) care, and neuropsychology. Dr. Brower went on to complete a two year APA-accredited postdoctoral fellowship at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which included an additional rotation at the Medical College of Wisconsin with a focus on traumatic brain injury (TBI), neurodegenerative disorders, and deep brain stimulation (DBS) evaluations. Throughout these clinical settings, she collaborated on interdisciplinary teams addressing the care and symptom management of individuals with stroke, TBI, multiple sclerosis, and geropsychiatric conditions. She also developed extensive experience conducting inpatient evaluations related to decision-making capacity, DBS candidacy, and normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). In her current practice, Dr. Brower provides comprehensive psychological and neuropsychological evaluations for adults 18 years and older. Her areas of expertise include assessments related to normal aging, dementia and memory concerns, mood disorders, ADHD, TBI, strokes, and medically complex patients. In addition to diagnostic evaluations, she provides psychotherapy and capacity evaluations for adults in assisted living facilities, supporting individuals as they navigate cognitive, emotional, and functional changes. Dr. Brower is passionate about working with patients during times of uncertainty—when there are often more questions than answers. Her goal is to provide clarity, understanding, and compassionate guidance to patients and their families as they explore concerns related to cognition or emotional functioning. Believing that aging and illness can be times of great adjustment, Dr. Brower strives to accompany patients through the beginning phases of their journey—from diagnosis to aftercare—with empathy, education, and evidence-based care.

Ziyi approaches therapy through an integrative clinical framework grounded in client-centered principles and cognitive-behavioral theory. She prioritizes the therapeutic alliances as the core foundation for effective work and collaborates closely with clients to deepen insight into the connections between thoughts, emotions, and behavioral patterns. Guided by a trauma-informed perspective, Ziyi maintains a warm and steady process. She invites clients to explore their inner experiences with curiosity and compassion while honoring their unique histories and capacities.

College and young adulthood can be an incredible time of growth, discovery, and new possibilities—and, let’s be honest, it can also feel overwhelming at times. You may be trying to balance school, relationships, family expectations, your future, and figuring out who you are, all while wondering if you’re somehow supposed to have it all figured out. You’re not alone, and you don’t have to navigate it all by yourself. I’m deeply passionate about supporting college students and young adults through this unique chapter of life. I understand the pressures, transitions, and questions that can come with becoming more independent and building the life you want. Whether you’re adjusting to college, entering the workforce, navigating relationships, or simply trying to understand yourself better, therapy can offer you a space to slow down, breathe, and feel supported. I work with clients experiencing anxiety, depression, ADHD, overwhelming stress, and difficulty adjusting to major life changes. I also have a special interest in supporting individuals as they explore cultural identity, acculturation, family expectations, and the impact of systemic stress on their emotional well-being. My approach is warm, collaborative, culturally sensitive, and trauma-informed. Most importantly, I want therapy to feel like a space where you can be yourself without judgment. Your story, identity, culture, and experiences matter. Together, we can explore how your past may be influencing your present while building practical tools to help you feel more grounded, confident, and connected to yourself. Taking care of your mental health during this stage of life can be one of the most meaningful investments you make in yourself. You deserve the opportunity to feel better—not simply to get through the next semester, transition, or challenge, but to build the confidence and resilience to create a life that feels authentic and fulfilling. I would be truly honored to walk alongside you as you navigate the challenges, celebrate the wins, and grow into the person you’re becoming. You deserve support. You deserve to thrive.