Find a Therapist in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

Psychotherapy is an in-depth review of where your life has been and where your life is going. Understanding how your history affects your emotions and current relationships gives you the chance to change long-standing patterns. The goal is to handle difficult emotions, while still making good decisions for yourself. While we all want to feel better, sometimes we have to do better to feel better. We take the time to define your desired outcomes because we will find a natural source of energy and motivation. We identify the behavioral and thinking patterns that will lead to your desired outcomes. Steps are identified toward behavior change that otherwise has been elusive.

Patients often describe their experience working with me as a journey characterized by compassion, understanding, and genuine connection. My approach is rooted in creating a safe and welcoming space where you feel heard and valued. Patients have shared that our sessions feel like open conversations, free from judgment, where thoughts and emotions are explored with a sense of genuine curiosity. Many have expressed a profound sense of relief in being able to share their struggles openly, knowing that they are met with empathy and respect.

My approach to psychotherapy starts with a careful assessment of the problem and your attempts to solve them. We will look at your whole life, your health, your relationships with loved ones, your relationship with God. Sometimes, we are living life out of balance or we are going through difficult transitions and we just need some coaching on how to get ourselves unstuck. Other times solutions seem much more difficult to find. I can help with both but I am especially committed to finding creative solutions for those times when that problem just doesn't seem to go away no matter how hard you try.

"Psychotherapy is the informed and intentional application of clinical methods and interpersonal stances derived from established psychological principles for the purpose of assisting people to modify their behaviors, cognitions, emotions, and/or other personal characteristics in directions that the participants deem desirable" (Norcross, 1990, p. 218-220 ) We use Freudian-based theories, object relations, attachment theories and self-psychology to assist our clients in identifying and understanding the underlying issues that may color their current relationships.

We offer thoughtful and engaging sessions to help treat your mental health concerns. We do so by building trust and providing evidence to support healthy, functional change, but we also do so by challenging your negative thought patterns. We ask if there is another way to think about the situation and provide skills and techniques for you to practice in session and on your own. Psychotherapy is a work in process.