Therapists for college students near University of Chicago

Welcome to The Healing Palace ✨ College life can feel like a whirlwind — balancing classes, relationships, work, and figuring out your future. At The Healing Palace, we understand that behind the hustle, students often carry stress, anxiety, trauma, and unspoken challenges. We’re here to be your safe space. A place where you can breathe, unpack the weight you’ve been carrying, and discover healthy ways to thrive mentally, emotionally, and socially. Our team of therapists specializes in supporting young adults as they navigate identity, relationships, and the pressures of everyday life. Whether you’re seeking one-on-one therapy, group support, or just a space where you can feel heard without judgment, The Healing Palace is here to walk with you. Because your mental health matters. Your voice matters. You matter.

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You are holding a lot right now... Balancing coursework, expectations, relationships, and the quiet pressure to figure out who you are (and who you are becoming) can feel overwhelming. From the outside, it might look like you are managing, but internally, there may be anxiety, self-doubt, burnout, or a sense of disconnection that is harder to name. I work with college and graduate students who are navigating exactly these kinds of experiences. Many of the people I support are thoughtful, driven, and deeply self-aware, yet find themselves feeling stuck, exhausted, or unsure of how to move forward in a way that actually feels aligned. Therapy becomes a space to slow down. A place where you do not have to perform, keep up, or have everything figured out. Together, we begin to make sense of what is underneath the stress, whether that is long-standing patterns, identity exploration, relationship dynamics, or the impact of academic and societal pressures. My approach is relational, collaborative, and grounded in a sociological lens, meaning we do not just look inward, but also consider the larger systems and expectations shaping your experience. I integrate attachment-based, psychodynamic, and trauma-informed care, while also offering practical tools when helpful. I am especially attuned to: • Academic pressure and burnout • Anxiety and emotional overwhelm • Identity exploration (including cultural, relational, and personal identity) • Life transitions and uncertainty about the future • The pressure to “hold it all together” while feeling unseen or unsupported Our work unfolds in a space that is steady, thoughtful, and deeply human. We move at a pace that honors your capacity, gently creating room for clarity, compassion, self-trust, and more sustainable ways of showing up in your life. You do not have to navigate this chapter alone. I offer tele-health sessions for students located in Illinois, Iowa, and Nevada, and would be honored to support you in this season of your life!

I help thoughtful, high functioning adults navigate anxiety, burnout, depression, and major life transitions. I especially enjoy working with men, professionals, creatives, and new or expecting parents. My work integrates insight-oriented therapy with a practical, pragmatic approach, often utilizing mindfulness and meditation practices as a foundation for building effective skills and strategies. Additionally, I offer preparation, integration, and harm-reduction support when appropriate for clients who are exploring the benefits of plant medicines. Ultimately, my goal is to help you live a more meaningful life. I help those who desire improvement in their love life, family life, work life, or in their physical health and wellness. I emphasize the importance of developing new behaviors outside of the therapy, especially practicing mindfulness and meditation. I also specialize in psychedelic integration for those exploring alternative approaches. An initial consultation is of course no cost to you, so please feel free to call or email me with any questions. If you decide I'm not the right therapist for you, I'm happy to help you find one. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sometimes you feel like you just can’t take it anymore. Sometimes it's just a gnawing question. Everyone emphasizes the fun and freedom of your college years, but they don't always mention that emerging adult years are also HARD. You're building a whole new life, a whole new independent person. I have helped hundreds of people in serious situations turn things around and build the lives they want. I know what it’s like to be in your head with doubt and worry and shame, and can help people who are struggling with mental health and/or substance use get real results. If you're holding secrets and stresses that are keeping you up at night, affecting your appetite, your friendships, your concentration, your academics, reach out. I offer a free 10 minute chat that can be your first step to freeing yourself from the burden of what you’ve been carrying. Let me know if I can be of service to you. You don't have to do this alone.

There are so many things outside of our control that are inevitably difficult to cope with. Even with the unforeseen situations and stressors that life throws our way, the one thing we do have control over is the way we respond to them. However, it is difficult to know how to respond when we are experiencing fear, anxiety, and other heightened emotions. I want to help people strengthen their coping capabilities in an environment that is open, non-judgmental, and collaborative. My goal is to provide support to individuals, couples, and families tackling every day and life stressors with more confidence, hope, self-empowerment. I have been working in mental health for 5 years and have over 5,800 hours of supervised and specialized experience with OCD, anxiety, and ED. I use CBT, ACT, ERP, BA, and DBT Skills to treat a variety of disorders including OCD, skin picking, hair pulling, hoarding, phobias, BDD, GAD, social anxiety, panic, depression, eating disorders, and others. I am a Board Certified TeleMental Health Provider (BC-TMH) and a multi-state licensed professional counselor including Tennessee (LPC-MHSP), Kentucky (LPCC), Illinois (LCPC), Oklahoma (LPC), and FL. I currently live in the Chicago area and provide professional counseling to individuals in ALL FIVE states via TeleMental Health services. I look forward to connecting with you!

If you’ve been feeling anxious, down, overwhelmed by stress, or stuck in a hard transition, you’re not alone. I work with people 16 and up who want support around anxiety, depression, life stressors, and eating disorders. My goal is to help you feel understood while we work toward steady, meaningful change together. I believe therapy works best as a real collaboration. I tailor our work to your strengths and needs, using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and strengths-based therapy to support growth in a way that feels personal and practical.

At Fables Counseling, we believe that every individual has a unique story worth telling and improving. Our mission is to support and guide our clients through their personal journeys, helping them rewrite their narratives in a way that fosters growth, healing, and empowerment. We provide a warm, welcoming environment that feels far from uncomfortable—our focus is on creating a space where you can truly feel at ease to be uniquely you as you embark on your journey toward healing. At Fables, we are deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our team of dedicated therapists brings a diverse range of experiences and specialties to our practice. Each therapist is committed to ongoing professional development and staying current with the latest in mental health research and techniques. We strive to create a safe space for all individuals, regardless of their background, identity, or experiences. Our practice is built on the principles of respect, empathy, and understanding. We look forward to engaging with you!

I offer a warm, flexible, and low-pressure space where clients can show up exactly as they are. I honor sensory needs and nervous system responses, incorporating mindfulness practices to bring gentle awareness to our experiences. I often use somatic strategies to support connection and foster a sense of safety that is essential for growth. My background includes training in a wide range of approaches from traditional talk therapy to play-based modalities. I’m especially passionate about working with clients who may feel misunderstood or overwhelmed by conventional models of therapy. Clients can expect to feel supported and encouraged without pressure or judgment. I aim to co-create a space that feels steady and grounded. Whether we’re working through emotional regulation, identity, relationships, or everyday overwhelm, therapy can be a space for you. It can feel overwhelming to know where to start, but reaching out is the first step.

College can feel like a lot... managing classes, relationships, identity, family expectations, and your future all at once. At Favorite Therapy, we work with students who feel overwhelmed, anxious, stuck, or unsure of themselves. You might be the “strong one” in your circle, but inside you're struggling to keep it together. We provide a welcoming, judgment free space where you don’t have to have it all figured out. Whether you’re navigating trauma, stress, burnout, or just trying to find your way. We’re here to help you feel seen, supported, and more like yourself again. We offer virtual sessions and we accept PPO insurance plans with BCBS, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, and Cigna, as well as self pay options with sliding scale availability. Therapy that meets you where you are so you can grow into who you're becoming.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Growing up, I felt very isolated because I was a half-Japanese child growing up in a predominantly white community. When I was young, I didn’t understand why I was treated differently or why people would constantly ask my Caucasian mom where I was adopted from. Living a life full of questions like “What are you?” “Where are you from…originally?” and being told that I wasn’t able to play with other kids in the community because I was “different” and being bullied because I looked different, really encouraged me to seek more understanding of the world. Throughout my development I found solace in learning more about human relationships, and exploring what I thought about myself, my values, and my hope for what my life could be, rather than allowing the judgements of others to drive my behavior and thoughts of myself. Learning about intersectionality, racism, microaggressions, implicit bias, and social justice changed my life. I know that psychoeducation, compassion, curiosity, and challenging shame can change lives. Kimi is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Illinois and Utah. Kimi has a Master’s of Social Work from The Ohio State University and provides evidence-based treatments through EMDR, IFS, ACT, MI, DBT, CBT, TF-CBT, shame-informed therapy, and a self-compassion focus. Kimi has completed Level 1 Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy, and she uses Gottman Method Couples Therapy in her work. Before becoming an outpatient therapist Kimi has worked in community mental health, hospital settings, and has intensive training in acute care, suicidal ideation and self-harming assessment and treatment, and crisis intervention.

I am a licensed clinical social worker offering telehealth psychotherapy to adults (18+) across Illinois and Maine. I work with students and young adults navigating anxiety, stress, trauma, identity exploration, and major life transitions—particularly those who may appear high-functioning on the outside while feeling overwhelmed internally. My approach is collaborative, relational, and trauma-informed, integrating ACT, CBT, psychodynamic, and mindfulness-based interventions. I aim to create a supportive, nonjudgmental space where clients feel truly seen and can build insight, resilience, and practical coping skills. Telehealth allows for flexible, accessible care that fits into busy academic schedules and supports students who are living off campus, balancing work and school, or transitioning between home and school environments. I am happy to serve as an off-campus referral resource and collaborate with campus partners as appropriate to support continuity of care.

You’ve spent your life proving you are enough. You excel professionally, yet behind the success, you are exhausted by people-pleasing, romantic struggles, and the quiet ache of unworthiness. If you grew up with family dysfunction, you likely learned to manage everyone else’s emotions at the cost of your own. You may over-function to feel seen, sometimes relying on alcohol or other substances to numb the pressure. I help driven adults heal their family-of-origin wounds, pivot from unwanted patterns, and build a deep, unshakeable sense of self-worth. Up Late Therapy offers premium therapy tailored for high achievers living in Illinois or Massachusetts, available exclusively during evening and late-night hours.

Throughout our lives, we go through events that change us, often permanently. I consider therapy to be a sacred and compassionate space of exploration. It can be exhausting having to explain your story over and over again. Oftentimes we might feel unheard in our daily lives or get fixated on who we “should be” instead of exploring who we already are. Your story has meaning and it deserves to be heard. You are the expert on your own life experiences and identities. You deserve to feel empowered, validated, and safe. When meeting with a potential client I consider you in the context of your relationships, experiences, and culture. When working together we can move through difficult therapeutic concepts in an accessible and warm way. With your permission, I hope to guide you through challenging life transitions and support you in creating a life that you feel is worth living. I work from a collaborative, person-centered, relational, and strengths-based approach. This means I will use non-judgment to consider all aspects of your life and identity— while remaining open to things that cannot be changed. I utilize an intersectional feminist lens and I specialize in trauma, anxiety, boundaries, relationships, abuse, sexuality, gender exploration, life transitions, disability, memory loss, identity exploration, and resiliency work. MORE INFO ABOUT THE PRACTICE: We accept BCBS, Cigna, Aetna, and United PPO Plans, as well as, Sliding Scale rates. Currently, I have a variety of morning, early afternoon, and evening spots open! Please feel free to reach out.

Hello! For over 30 years, I have worked with clients as a clinical psychologist providing a safe, compassionate, and non-judgmental space for adolescents, adults, and couples of all genders and sexualities. My counseling focuses on embracing tools for self-empowerment, self-worth, self-compassion, self-care, and assertiveness through reclaiming parts of oneself to feel whole. Reaching out for therapy can be intimidating and my goal is to make this experience as comfortable, safe and welcoming as possible! I have worked extensively--30 years with college students specifically--struggling with depression, anxiety, bipolar, suicidality, body image issues, abuse, trauma, self-mutilation, addiction, ADHD, grief/loss, gender/sexual identity, parenting, intimacy issues, spirituality, and cultural/religious identity. I also have supervised/consulted with doctoral students and fellow psychologists to help them find their own unique way of practicing. Additional certifications: EMDR for trauma MBSR/Yoga/Reiki for meditation/movement/breath work Insurance: BCBS PPO/out of network receipts are provided

At Lion's Heart Therapy PLLC, we believe that everyone deserves a safe, compassionate space to heal, grow, and rediscover hope. Life can bring unexpected challenges—whether you're navigating a stressful life transition, struggling with anxiety or depression, facing relationship difficulties, grieving a loss, or simply feeling overwhelmed. You don't have to face those burdens alone. Our mission is to provide personalized, evidence-based psychotherapy in an environment where you feel heard, valued, and supported. We meet each person with empathy, respect, and genuine care, helping clients develop practical tools, deepen self-understanding, and move toward lasting emotional wellness. Our work is inspired by Christian values of compassion, grace, hope, and restoration while honoring each person's individual beliefs and experiences. For those who desire it, faith can be thoughtfully integrated into the therapeutic process as a source of strength and healing. Whether or not faith is part of your journey, every client is welcomed with dignity, acceptance, and respect. At Lion's Heart Therapy, we believe healing is possible, hope can be renewed, and meaningful transformation can happen. Wherever you are in your journey, we are honored to walk alongside you as you move toward greater peace, resilience, and the life you were created to live.

I know that reaching out for therapy can feel overwhelming, especially when you're already carrying so much. You don’t have to do this alone. I’m Mariana Bednarek, a Licensed Professional Counselor, and I work with adults navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, eating disorders, and life transitions. I offer a warm, nonjudgmental space where you can feel seen and accepted as you are. As an LGBTQ+ and neurodiversity-affirming therapist, I am committed to helping you feel safe, validated, and understood.

Gretchen Aich (she/her), PMHNP-BC, is a board-certified Psychiatric–Mental Health Nurse Practitioner who specializes in treating anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD, ADHD, and substance use disorders. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing from Lewis University and is certified through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Gretchen has advanced training in crisis intervention and trauma-informed care and works with children, adolescents, and adults, including Spanish-speaking clients. Gretchen brings experience from diverse mental health settings, including emergency departments, inpatient psychiatric units, outpatient clinics, private practice, and telehealth. Her background includes supporting individuals in crisis, working in community and court-mandated programs, and collaborating closely with multidisciplinary teams. During her clinical training, she worked extensively with children and adolescents with complex needs, provided substance use and court-ordered therapy, and assisted with advanced treatments such as SPRAVATO and TMS. In her work with clients, Gretchen creates a safe, judgment-free space grounded in empathy, respect, and cultural humility. She believes each person is the expert in their own life and uses a collaborative, flexible approach to care. Through active listening and evidence-based techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy and solution-focused therapy, she partners with clients to set meaningful goals and support healing in a way that fits their lives.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.