Therapists for college students near University of Chicago

Whether you're navigating a major life transition, battling anxiety or depression, facing burnout, or feeling stuck in patterns that no longer serve you—I offer a space where you can feel safe, supported, and truly seen. Therapy doesn’t have to feel clinical or cold. My goal is to create an open and honest connection where you feel comfortable being vulnerable and showing up exactly as you are. Clients often describe me as kind, collaborative, and real—with a sense of humor that brings ease to even the hardest conversations. I bring my full, authentic self to every session because I believe meaningful change happens when you feel truly connected and understood. I draw from a variety of evidence-based approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Solution-Focused Therapy. I also integrate strategies from my background in sport psychology to support focus, confidence, and performance under pressure. Together, we’ll clarify your goals, explore what’s holding you back, and move toward lasting growth.

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College can feel overwhelming — between classes, internships, friendships, and trying to figure out who you are and where you’re headed. Many students I work with describe feeling anxious, burnt out, or stuck in old patterns that don’t change no matter how hard they try. Others notice that underneath the stress is a sense of loneliness or pressure to have it all together. I work best with students who are curious about going deeper — not just learning coping strategies, but really understanding themselves and healing the patterns that get in the way of feeling connected and confident. If you’ve tried surface-level tools and still feel like something’s missing, this may be a good fit. Together, we’ll create a space that feels supportive, creative, and real — so you can grow in ways that last well beyond college.

I am passionate about supporting young adults through the often challenging, confusing and stressful parts of emerging adulthood.

At Chicago Therapy Group, we are committed to ethical conduct that creates a safe and trusted environment for you to explore your challenges and achieve personal growth. I am a bilingual (English/Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian) therapist. I offer culturally informed therapy and acknowledge individual, intergenerational, historical, racial, and social trauma. These traumas are often at the root of modern human issues. As someone who grew up in unstable socio-political circumstances and as an immigrant, I have reinvented myself many times, and I can help you do the same. I am a fierce fighter for social justice and a supporter of oppressed people.

I am a queer, neurodivergent, South Asian adoptee and first-gen immigrant who is dedicated to social justice and equitable care. I take a collaborative, compassionate approach, creating a safe and open space to explore your identities, experiences, and goals. I know finding the right therapist can feel overwhelming—particularly when navigating complex and marginalized identities. My priority is building an authentic, warm relationship where you feel truly seen and heard. Together, we’ll customize our work to support your growth and healing at a pace that feels right for you. I’m passionate about working with marginalized communities, including LGBTQIA+ folks, immigrants, adoptees, neurodiverse people, and people of color. I have a particular interest in autistic adults and ADHD, and also have experience working with mood disorders, anxiety, complex PTSD, and substance use concerns. I use trauma-informed applications of Client-Centered Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Video Game Therapy (ask me about it!). I believe that you’re the person who knows yourself best. It’s my hope that in our work together, we can find ways for you to implement compassion, kindness, and empathy in your life. A little about me: I am a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) with a master’s in social work from the University of Chicago. Outside of therapy, I enjoy playing video games, learning about herbalism, and engaging in artistic expression. If you’re interested in working together, I’d love to hear from you!

Our Treatment Center therapists specialize in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic psychotherapy, the first and most established form of talk therapy. These are unique forms of psychotherapy that foster personal development and liberation from dissatisfying or painful patterns of living. Together, you and your therapist will work to understand the meaning of your emotional experiences, thoughts, dreams, memories, fantasies, and sensations with the objective of cultivating a more robust sense of self. By applying complementary therapy approaches and techniques, we will unearth long-standing behavioral patterns or negative perceptions that may be holding you back from experiencing a more fulfilling and meaningful life. Whether you’re looking for extra support and guidance through a challenging situation or you’re ready to move in a new direction in your life, our therapists look forward to working with you to transform suffering into growth.

We live in a complex world, presenting unique struggles for individuals and couples moving through varying stages of life. In session, we will work to explore your challenges and process past influential experiences in a safe, supportive and open environment. Unlike big agencies or online therapy platforms, we have the time and emotional energy to treat each client as an individual. We don't believe in using a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, we tailor your treatment plan to you using evidence-directed methods. Our clinicians are also committed to pursuing specialized training and continued education to stay up-to-date on the latest research and advances in the field.

Are you looking for support in order to achieve the kind of life you envision? Maybe you are struggling to succeed in one of life's domains including socially, work, school, or family relationships. I would be honored to have an opportunity to work with you. The warm and supportive environment in my office helps clients feel comfortable working through personal challenges such as depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, family conflict, ADHD (adult and children), trauma, job stress and other life stressors. I have worked extensively helping adults, adolescents, couples, and families. I employ a human-centered cognitive behavioral approach with a solution-focused emphasis. Often the first step is the hardest. The voice you will hear on the other end of the phone will be sincerely interested in helping you.

Cognitive Solutions Learning Center in Chicago, Illinois offers a staff composed of highly educated trained specialists from a variety of disciplines. Our focus is on proper diagnosis and research based treatment for individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders, Learning Disabilities (Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia), Autism, Anxiety, PTSD, and Depression. In addition to comprehensive psychoeducational and neuropsychological testing, our programs include EEG neurofeedback, educational therapy, psychotherapy, tutoring, and executive functioning skills training.

I provide individual counseling to neurodivergent, anxious adults and young adults 18+. I aim to create a nonjudgmental, direct, supportive, and often humorous environment for neurodivergent, anxious adults, & struggling couples. I am experienced working with high profile, actors, lawyers, government workers, other therapists, and aspiring young adults, tailoring aspects of multiple different behavioral and relational approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Exposure & Response Prevention, Prolonged Exposure, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Motivational Interviewing (MI), Psychoeducation, Gottman Method Couples & Marital Therapy, Somatic Therapy, and I’m currently training in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). These evidence based therapies are designed to address a wide range of mental health concerns, from anxiety & adhd to complex trauma. My aim is to help you problem solve and come up with solutions that you think will best work for you. This is through providing talk therapy and a listening ear while also challenging you to think about situations in a different way then you have previously. Together, we can work through your struggles, build on your strengths, and help you achieve the life you envision.

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Grey Area Therapy is a small, private practice conveniently located in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood with easy access to public transportation and an emphasis on building meaningful, authentic connections with clients. Our therapists offer a range of specialties and address needs related to: -Anxiety -Depression -Body Image -Race/Ethnicity/Culture -Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity -Individual/Generational Trauma -Identity -Family-of-Origin -Life Transitions -Careers/Professional Goals Our therapists offer both in-person and virtual appointments and have weekend and evening availability. We accept Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, and United/Optum insurance and offer free 15-minute phone consultations to help you find a therapist that works for you!

Madison’s top priority is creating a safe, supportive space where clients navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, relational concerns, or life transitions can feel heard and understood. She brings warmth, curiosity, and steadiness to each session, offering compassion alongside practical tools for growth. Her integrative approach helps clients better understand their emotions and patterns through parts-work (IFS) and somatic-based interventions to create meaningful change. Madison's counseling philosophy is integrative and collaborative. She emphasizes empathy and authenticity in building rapport. Maddie integrates Cognitive behavioral therapy and Interpersonal Family Systems within her work with clients. Madison meets clients where they are, honoring their pace and readiness for change. Counseling is a journey we take together, at the speed that feels right for you. With warmth and understanding, she will help create a space where you feel safe to heal, grow, and rediscover your strengths.

We primarily work with underserved and marginalized populations. We specialize in treating complex trauma and the many ways in which it can show up clinically.

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Life can be difficult and everyone needs help at some point. I believe in a humanistic/person-centered approach that emphasizes the potential within people. Everyone has a different story, a different journey, a different destination. My goal as a therapist is to give you the support you need to get to where you want to be. Therapy is a collaborative effort and so it is through the combined work of the therapist’s experience in the mental health field and the client’s expertise in themself that this process is most effective. My previous work has primarily been focused on people within the LGBTQIA+ community as well as individuals dealing with substance use disorders and co-occurring conditions including but not limited to anxiety, depression, trauma, OCD, mood disorders, and personality disorders Between my time working at a residential sober house and a community mental health center, where I led substance use and LGBTQIA+ support groups, I have experience working with individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds dealing with a wide variety of mental health issues.

I enjoy helping people navigate things like the coming out process, grieving a death or anticipated one, relational struggles, exploring their sexual and gender identities, loss, major life transitions, and more. I specialize in treating grief, loss, complex trauma, and life transitions using attachment-based therapies and Internal Family Systems. Grief is a part of life that surfaces during death, loss, breakups, identity shifts, and more. As a grief therapist, I guide clients through the often overwhelming emotions that accompany these changes. Whether you're grieving a death, navigating a breakup, or facing life transitions like coming out, I offer tools to express pain, honor your experiences, and find meaning. Together, we’ll work on reconciling parts of you that may feel isolated in your grief or afraid to show your true feelings, while another part is longing for help and connection. Please reach out if you're ready to begin your healing journey. I care deeply about attuning to you and encouraging your healing process by asking meaningful questions and creating a space where safety and vulnerability can thrive. Therapy offers us a chance to collaborate on the issues you’re facing. Please reach out if you are interested in working together.

I am forever amazed by the natural strengths and resiliencies that individual possess. And even with this life is hard. All that we experience and navigate can be overwhelming and can leave us with a jumbled mess of emotions, hurts, and fears that are that can feel daunting and sometimes even debilitating. But you don't need to go through this alone. Together we can begin to better understand your patterns of behavior, thought processes and coping mechanisms, in order to discover and change those that are no longer serving you. We will compassionately face what you have and are experiencing and how those shape you while also moving towards more fullness in yourself and your relationships. I enjoy working with both individuals and couples and take a person-centered, trauma informed approach where holistic care for the emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual parts of self are all important. I strive to tailor my approach to meet the client’s needs where they are at and to draw upon the clients’ natural strengths and resiliencies. I have experience working with anxiety, depression, trauma, ADHD and executive functioning, relationship challenges and spirituality challenges. Additional I spent fair amount of life abroad both as a child and adult and am intimately acquainted with the challenges of transitions, including the losses and grief, as well as struggles with belonging and cultural identity, that can accompany those transitions. I believe this experience positions me to understand and support others with similar experiences and challenges. If you have further questions feel free to email me, or set up a consultation call on our practice website!

I provide both in-person and telehealth therapy for adult individuals. As an Asian/Native Korean clinician, I embrace cultural similarities and differences with clients across the world and provide sessions in both English and Korean.