Therapists for college students near Chicago, IL
We provide individual, couples, and family therapy and will co-create therapy goals with you. In addition to understanding your experiences from your cultural lens, we are also conscious of the impact of sociocultural dynamics, historical trauma as well as current and past political systems on your life. We recognize that it is not uncommon to be trapped in narratives and roles from your past. If this is the case, we will help you identify contributors to the “stuckness”, and guide you in recreating your narrative, keeping in mind your values and aspirations, to help you feel the authentic version of yourself. During the course of therapy, in addition to exploring and helping you recreate your story on your terms, we will also assist you in identifying a repertoire of skills and tools that make you feel more connected and make daily life more meaningful. We specialize in serving immigrants, South Asian, and Middle Eastern communities. Please see our specialization page for more information.
Hi, my name is Selena Bradshaw. With a lifelong passion for helping others, I am a dedicated Licensed Social Worker with experience in both child welfare and school social work. I have always been driven by a deep desire to support individuals and families in navigating life's challenges, fostering resilience, and empowering positive change. My work is rooted in trauma-informed care, ensuring that each person I work with receives compassionate, individualized support. Outside of my professional life, I enjoy being outdoors and staying active, as I believe in the importance of maintaining a healthy balance between physical and emotional well-being.
Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.
At The Juniper Center, we understand that it takes courage to ask for help. But we also understand asking for help can be hard. It can feel daunting to share your life with someone you don’t know. If you’re considering therapy – whether to improve your mental health, restore a relationship, adjust to a life transition, or to recover from a trauma – finding the right therapist is the first step on your path to achieving your goals. We’re here to help make this process as safe and comfortable as possible for you.
Today’s world presents many challenges: navigating family, careers, relationships, stress, and personal concerns, as well as wider issues like racism, political changes, and the demands of a post-pandemic world. You may feel somewhat lost or distressed in what can feel like an ever-changing landscape. This can be felt as depression, anxiety, addiction, alienation or difficulties in understanding identity. Although these challenges can be intimidating, there is hope. Through psychotherapy, I can support you in examining and exploring the intersection of identity and mental health. This can help you live a fuller, more authentic life, with meaning and direction. I will work collaboratively with you to build a relationship that is trusting, non-judgmental and compassionate. Beyond this, psychotherapy can help you to understand mental health concerns, and can reduce symptoms and their impact on your daily life. I teach my clients coping skills, such as mindfulness practices and cutting-edge exercises drawn from the latest research, as well as ways of troubleshooting specific problems, such as communication and stress-management. In this way, there is space for you to tackle issues as they arise throughout the process of therapy. This creates opportunities for you to learn and practice skills independently, with a newfound sense of self-reliance and confidence. I venture to help you nurture a strong and consistent sense of self, so you can bring out the very best versions of yourself. I specialize in working with trauma, depression, anxiety and exploring identity across culture, society and values. Additionally, I have extensive experience working with youth and young people. I have experience supporting my clients in many ways, including through processes of fostering an authentic sense of self, working through challenges with emotional regulation and expression, exploring unique family dynamics, and navigating the complexities of societal and social pressures. Understanding one’s place in the world can be difficult, especially when facing added difficulties brought by concerns related to one’s mental health. If you feel you could benefit from psychotherapy, please reach out. I value and embrace diversity in both my personal and professional life, and have had the privilege of living, working and learning from peoples of various backgrounds throughout my career. This shapes my cross-cultural existential therapy perspective, where I help my clients nurture their best selves within the balance of society, culture, values and spirituality. Together my clients and I find solutions to challenges with their mental health, as well as to connect them with their roots and place within the world beyond. In addition to adults, I have worked with youth, supporting them in developing emotional regulation skills, understanding family dynamics and managing social pressures. Men’s issues are also important to me, especially destigmatizing male mental health challenges, and exploring both positive and negative aspects of traditional masculinity across cultures. With all my clients I value navigating challenges collaboratively, and look forward to the opportunity to support you on your journey. Some of my favorite activities include cooking, global history, playing my guitar, drawing, and staying active, both in nature and the gym.
As a queer and socially informed therapist, my practice is shaped by lived experience, intuitive connection, and a commitment to integrative healing. At Lucid Flame Body & Mind, I offer somatic, sex, and spiritual therapy that honors the complexity of identity, the wisdom of the body, and the power of relational depth. Clients working with me can expect a space that is attuned, inclusive, and rooted in trauma-informed care—where nervous system safety, emotional nuance, and spiritual connection are prioritized. My areas of focus include sexual wellness, disordered eating, identity exploration, and trauma recovery, alongside holistic modalities such as energy work and intuitive practices such as tarot. These are important to me because they reflect the layered ways we heal—through evidence-based support, embodied presence, and culturally respectful integration of spirit and self. Whether you're seeking clarity, connection, or liberation, I welcome you into a practice that centers authenticity, compassion, and empowerment.
I have worked with college students and young adults since 2017 providing outpatient counseling in settings such as a college counseling center, nonprofit agency, and private practice. I work with goals such as building healthier relationships, including managing difficult family dynamics, developing independence from family, exploring dating or building healthy romantic relationships, or navigating friendships and relationships with people they see at school and work. In addition, many of my clients are navigating their relationship with themselves! I particular love working with clients who are exploring sexuality and gender identity, religion and spirituality, socioeconomic class dynamics, and their understanding of self in a political context. I have worked with a lot of young people who identify as artists and activists, high achievers, and young people who are coping with life as an adult child of an alcoholic.
Being in college right now is tough. Personal struggles, family issues, and the pressure to keep it all together, plus the chaos of everything going on in the world, it makes sense that you're feeling overwhelmed. If you’re dealing with difficult past experiences, family stress, or just the daily pressure of trying to stay afloat, you don’t have to go through it alone. I specialize in helping people process tough emotions, navigate life transitions, and manage stress in healthy ways. I’ve worked with folks navigating trauma, family dynamics, and anxiety—and I use tools like EMDR and IFS to help you work through what’s weighing you down. Therapy is about giving you the space to deal with what’s hard and find practical ways forward, so you can feel more in control and less stuck. I’m passionate about working with women, gender-expansive individuals, and LGBTQ+ folks. No judgment. Just real, down-to-earth support to help you move forward.
Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.
Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.
Bethesda Behavioral Health Services fosters the personal, emotional, and social well-being of its clients and helps them reach their fullest potential by providing comprehensive clinical counseling, consultation, coaching, supervision, crisis intervention, and psychoeducational services.
Liberation Therapy Collective is a private practice based in Chicago. We center the care of queer, trans, brown and Black communities and prioritize the liberation of all who have been marginalized. This includes our clinical staff who we believe are frontline workers in the fight against oppression
I work best with students and young adults who are thoughtful, overwhelmed, and trying to make sense of who they are while carrying a lot more than they should have to. Many of my clients are navigating anxiety, trauma, identity exploration, burnout, family stress, or major life transitions like college, grad school, or early career shifts. I offer a warm, collaborative space where you don’t have to perform or have it all figured out. Therapy with me is grounded, reflective, and practical. We focus on understanding your nervous system, building emotional regulation skills, and unpacking patterns that keep you stuck while honoring your cultural background, values, and lived experience. I am especially affirming of LGBTQ+ clients, BIPOC students, neurodivergent folks, and those who have felt misunderstood in previous therapy spaces. My approach blends evidence-based therapy with curiosity, compassion, and real conversations. We move at your pace, with the goal of helping you feel more steady, more connected to yourself, and more able to navigate life with clarity and confidence.
Do you struggle with feeling guilty after eating certain foods? Have you tried diet after diet hoping that the next one will finally stick? Do you feel obsessed with food and what your body looks like? Is overeating and binge eating common for you and/or do you struggle with restriction? Do you base your worth on the number you see on the scale? Are you hoping to finally stop calorie counting and learn how to eat intuitively? If any of these questions sound familiar, you are in the right place! While working with me, you will learn how to: build meals and snacks that are both physically AND emotionally satisfying, build trust with your body again (or maybe for the first time), decrease binges and/or guilt experienced with certain foods, and gain freedom once and for all from obsessive feelings about food/body image!
Woven Wellness is a virtual mental health practice providing care in both Illinois and Vermont. The practice specializes in perinatal mental health and addictions. Shaina is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Illinois and Vermont. Her therapeutic lens is rooted in attachment theory and is neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ affirming, trauma-informed, harm-reductionist, sex-positive, HAES-aligned, and anti-oppressive. She utilizes an interactive and collaborative approach that draws from multiple therapy modalities, with a focus on the relationships that we have with others and with ourselves. She is also a Certified Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor (CADC) in Illinois and has advanced training with the treatment of chemical and process addictions. Additionally, Shaina has completed Postpartum Support Internationals’ training for perinatal mental health. Shaina has worked in various settings in the mental health field for ten years in both inpatient and outpatient settings and currently also works as a consultant and School Social Worker. “I believe in a collaborative, supportive, and interactive approach that focuses on your strengths and the relationships you have with others and with yourself. Together, in a judgement free and safe space, we can explore the places where you’re feeling stuck and work together to discover new perspectives, make meaningful changes, and find new ways to move forward. It is possible to build an authentic and affirming life rather than feeling forced to fit into societal standards and expectations. This is a comprehensive approach to treatment, which goes beyond merely treating symptoms. I approach my work with genuine humility and sincerity to create a space that is inclusive and affirming to all. I believe in the importance of holding space for all of the parts of you, acknowledging the ways that they impact and guide our lived experiences.“
I seek to build a strong therapeutic relationship through active listening and collaboration. My role as your therapist is to appreciate the complexity and nuances of your concerns. I believe you have the innate ability to heal from pain and dysfunction, and my role is to meet you where you are at and provide perceptive to your situation. At the early stages of our work together, I emphasize establishing trust through clear communication and active listening. As we get to know each other, my style adapts to your needs. Regarding my training and experience, I have worked as a master’s-level licensed counselor for eight years. I have extensive experience working with a variety of people and presenting problems. To illustrate, I have worked with creative students as well as adults entering the workforce, individuals struggling with mood disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder), and life transitions issues. I enjoy working with people from all walks of life and am particularly attuned to the needs of the LGBTQIA+ community, creatives, and emerging adults. my therapeutic approach is rooted in fostering an environment of open dialogue and trust, where clients feel validated and supported. I tend to use the following therapeutic modalities in my practice: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Psychodynamic, and Solutions focused.
I believe that my clients know themselves better than anyone else, so my role is to provide resources and support to help them meet their goals. As a social worker, I also help my clients unpack how larger systems impact their mental health and relationships. I work from a queer-affirming, anti-oppressive, and neurodivergent-affirming approach to therapy.
I believe change occurs in the context of our relationships, with our own self and with others. Oftentimes, when people seek out therapy, they are feeling lost, discarded, and may be filled with self-doubt and negative thoughts and feelings about themselves in the world. I work with clients to forge new ways of relating to ourselves and others to engage more fully in the world. We do this by learning a range of new skills and processing past experiences, but at its core, it is about connection with another human being and being seen, heard, understood, respected, and known. Therapeutically, I primarily use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and EMDR. With these two treatments you learn effective skills to manage painful thoughts, feelings, and sensations, develop direction and purpose, as well as process painful past experiences towards resolution and prepare for how to handle the future. My style as a therapist is energetic, accepting, compassionate, and challenging. I truly love my work and experience a deep sense of gratitude for being able to participate in it. People are endlessly complex and I am constantly in awe of our resilience and depth as human beings. If what I’ve written here speaks to you, I encourage you to reach out.
Life can feel overwhelming at times. Between the pressures of social media, constant distractions, and the growing sense of disconnection in our relationships, it’s easy to lose sight of who you are and what brings you peace. If you’ve been feeling lost, uncertain, or simply not like yourself, you’re not alone. Therapy can be a space to slow down, breathe, and start finding your way back to balance. Together, we’ll work at your pace to navigate life's mental, emotional and physical obstacles to help you feel more grounded, more confident, and more connected to the person you want to be. My passion lies in supporting individuals navigating life's challenges. Whether you’re dealing with anxiety, depression, anger or relationship issues, I’m here to listen, support and walk alongside you. Together we'll work to better understand your experiences, develop healthy coping tools and create meaningful changes that allow you to feel more at ease. I believe therapy works best when built on trust, authenticity and genuine connection. Everyone’s story is unique, and I take the time to understand what matters most to you. My goal is to create a safe, supportive space where you feel heard, valued, and empowered to move forward. I'f you're ready, I would be honored to walk alongside you on your journey.