Therapists for college students near University of Chicago

Main character energy is something that you deserve to give off. Why? Because this is your life and everyone deserves to live the life that they want to live (yes, including you), and I deeply believe this. Since this is something I am passionate about, I will work with you to help make sure that you are able to live life fully and happily. I do this through active listening, patience, open mindedness, kindness, and support. I ensure that you will have a space that is welcoming to be who you are, as you are, safe and judgment free. I know that college is a whole new world, with new fun experiences and stress. I will partner with you to navigate the unique challenges of adjusting to school, friends, independence, and this stage of life. Whether you are experiencing; stress, anxiety, depression, or any unpleasant emotion. You are not alone, and together we will make sure that you are living a life aligned with your goals! Together, we will identify strategies to help you achieve those goals. As the expert of your own experiences, feel free to provide feedback and actively participate in the therapeutic process. It's a team effort, and my goal is to ensure that you get the most out of our sessions, so you can live a life aligned with your goals. Remember, you are not alone, and together we will navigate and overcome any challenges you may face. As an African American woman living in Chicago, I understand the pressure to ‘have it together’ or the need to be emotionally and mentally strong at all times. Life is extreme and when you add in the pressures to conform to the way of the world, life can be unbearable. Growing up on the west side of Chicago, I was able to see the inequities faced by brown and black people. I was able to see the negative impact of the injustices placed on the brown and black people. I was able to see the clear segregation of people, resources, and support and I am able to understand the pain the world has caused. My goal is to remind people of color that they are powerful, that their voices should be loud and clear, and that their presence is necessary. My passion is to be and create a safe space for those who struggle with just being. I enjoy working with the LGBTQIA+ community, the houseless community, and with Black Lives Matter to create a movement for equity, not just equality.

Intuit Healing is for people who are ready to take initiative of their own life. We’re more than a spa, where after your 90 minute massage you’re back to your same old life. No, our goal is that you find true life-long healing. At Intuit it is all about you. We are your oasis, your getaway place. We will give you the tools you need to become your best self. How exactly do we make this promise? We provide healing modalities to take care of your body, mind, & spirit. We have everything you need for your self care journey all under one roof. So you can have talk therapy followed by a massage. Or maybe a reiki session followed by a sound healing class. From experiencing physical pain, to healing grief, to dealing with burnout, we are here to support you through all of life’s transitions. If you’re on your pregnancy journey, we’re there for you too. Our perinatal classes & our maternity massages ensure that you will be physically & mentally ready for baby. We’re a home for people who are looking to better themselves. Feeling like you have so much more to offer but you’re stuck? Make an appointment with us & we’ll help you sort things through.

I help adults, adolescents, and couples. I am deeply committed to my clients' well-being and dedicated to fostering a safe, respectful space where compassionate dialogue shapes our work together. Therapy, in my view, is a place where you can express yourself freely—giving voice to your innermost thoughts, emotions, and desires. It’s also an opportunity to uncover how long-standing patterns in your life influence your present experiences. By bringing these aspects of yourself into conversation, we can remove obstacles to your growth and help you find greater self-acceptance, personal empowerment, and creative resilience in navigating life’s challenges. If you would like to see if we’re a good fit or if you have any questions I might be able to answer, please reach out by phone, email, or through my website linked below.

Hi, I’m Dan (they/them). Life can feel heavy sometimes, and we all reach moments when we need support. Mistakes, falling back into old habits, and difficult periods are often seen as signs of failure, but in mental health, these moments are often part of the process rather than the end of it. During these times, it can become easy to feel disconnected from yourself, your progress, or the direction you once had. Therapy can become a space to explore your experiences, make sense of them, and reflect on how you want to move forward. Because everyone brings different experiences, needs, and goals into therapy, I approach the process collaboratively and individually. I believe your insight, lived experiences, and understanding of yourself should remain central to the work we do together. I utilize a holistic, harm-reduction-based approach to create a non-judgmental space where you can feel free to be yourself while recognizing that you are not defined by the difficulties you face. I draw from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Psychodynamic Therapy, and Client-Centered Therapy. Many of the ways we respond to stress, relationships, emotions, and uncertainty are shaped by earlier experiences and coping strategies that may no longer fully serve us in the present. Moreover, there are aspects of life and our circumstances that we may not be able to change. Therapy can provide space to better understand those patterns while exploring new ways of coping, relating, and responding to those experiences with greater awareness, flexibility, and intention. I work with individuals navigating trauma, substance use, LGBTQIA+ related experiences, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, and life transitions. My goal is to create a space where you feel genuinely seen, heard, and supported throughout the therapeutic process. If you feel ready to begin exploring these experiences more deeply, I would be honored to support you through that process.

Meredith Starr is a Registered Dietitian and Director of Nutrition Services at Allow Wellness in Chicago. She is an alumna of the University of Illinois at Chicago Coordinated Nutrition Program and began her nutrition career at UI Health general inpatient services while working part-time at a residential treatment facility for eating disorders. Meredith is deeply passionate about the treatment of eating disorders and has been practicing in this field for the past nine years. Meredith's personal nutrition philosophy centers on building a healthy relationship with food and is inclusive of mental, emotional, physical and social health. Meredith aligns herself with size-inclusive and non-diet nutrition approaches. She is passionate about empowering others in their relationship with food and their bodies. Allow Wellness is currently offering outpatient group nutrition sessions and profession presentations. Meredith welcomes all stages of readiness with regard to your relationship with food and your body shape and weight. If ready to schedule, please contact her today.

SHFT is Chicago’s first mental health urgent care created specifically for young people and their families. Designed to bridge a long-standing gap in the behavioral health landscape, SHFT offers a full spectrum of services, including crisis assessments, one-time “chat” sessions with licensed clinicians, routine therapy, and medication management. Our clinical team brings deep expertise in adolescent and young adult mental health, with backgrounds across higher levels of care that allow us to respond to a wide range of needs quickly, safely, and compassionately. Open seven days a week, SHFT supports both walk-ins and scheduled appointments. Guided by a “come as you are” philosophy, our space is intentionally warm, contemporary, and non-clinical - created to help young people feel safe, welcomed, and understood from the moment they arrive.

Are you carrying pain that feels too heavy to name, let alone heal? Do the things you’ve lived through feel like a weight you can’t put down, or old wounds that echo into the present? Do you struggle to trust your emotions, or feel like they run the show? Or maybe you feel disconnected from others? Yet, even in the midst of all that, there’s a part of you longing for something different? Hello and welcome! I work with folks navigating complex trauma, deep emotional pain, and unjust systems. Through the use of collaborative, non-judgmental, and anti-oppressive frameworks, we center your resistance, healing, and self-determination. I integrate a variety of therapeutic interventions including Internal Family Systems (IFS)/ parts work, DBT, grounding techniques, and mindfulness to help you accomplish your goals and move through shame, guilt, depression, loneliness, anxiety, overwhelm, anger, trauma/c-PTSD, suicidal ideation, self-hatred, interpersonal distress, and emotion regulation. Here, healing is not a linear path or a checklist to complete. It is a remembering, a reclamation, radical act, it is relational. As an autistic, queer, trans non-binary therapist, I believe that you are inherently worthy as you are, and still, you deserve to carry heavy burdens more lightly. If you're ready to begin, I’d be honored to walk alongside you.

Many of the students I work with are thoughtful, self-aware, and often hard on themselves. On the outside, they might look like they have things together—but internally, they’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or unsure of who they are and where they’re going. You might be navigating big transitions—starting college, figuring out relationships, questioning your identity, or feeling pressure to meet expectations (your own or others’). You may notice patterns in relationships that leave you feeling stuck, disconnected, or not fully understood. In our work together, I focus on creating a space where you can slow down, feel genuinely understood, and make sense of what’s coming up for you. I take a relational approach, which means I pay attention to how you experience connection—with others and with me—so we can better understand patterns and create more fulfilling ways of relating. If you’re looking for a therapist who is warm, engaged, and collaborative—and who will help you explore both your emotions and your relationships—you might find this to be a good fit.

Does it feel like having a person to talk to would make life less hard? While acknowledging that I cannot determine whether a space is safe or not, I strive to offer a space of non-judgement, validation, compassion and growth where you can get to know yourself more, build insight and acknowledgement of your strengths, and talk about whatever you need to for an hour. Areas that I work with include body positivity/ body image, sex positivity, LGBTQ+, self-harm, anxiety, and trauma. Using multiple therapy frameworks grounded in mindfulness, a social justice lens, and the Health at Every Size (HAES) model, I work with you to live life a way that is important to you. Whether you need to vent, address unhelpful coping skills, rant about your roommate, process trauma, or show me a funny therapy TikTok that you felt spoke to you too much, I look forward to working with you.

We specialize in working with clients who are struggling with transitions, like new living situations, shifting relationships, job changes, and striking out on a new path. We especially love supporting recent college and graduate school graduates in figuring out their next steps to create a life they love. Please check out our website to learn more about our team! We'd love to meet you.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

At HumanKind Psych we specialize in anxiety and eating concerns, but we also work with a variety of different struggles, from mood and panic to relationship difficulties, addiction, and trauma. We are passionate about helping high-achieving young adults let go of perfectionistic tendencies, treat themselves with more compassion, and stop being so hard on themselves. We also offer ADHD evaluations. We are not here to tell you what to do-- we believe YOU are the expert on yourself and we will help you build trust in yourself to move forward toward the things that matter most to you. We use the Intuitive Eating framework and the Health at Every Size approach when working with food and body image concerns. We work hard to ensure you feel safe and understood, and we welcome your feedback along the way. We're always learning and growing, so if something doesn't land quite right, we encourage you to tell us so that we can move through it together and help you get the support you need. Our therapists are warm and authentic, and it's important to us to keep it real. We don't sugarcoat or tiptoe around things (even the difficult things!) because we truly want to help you live your best life.

Our mission is to help individuals, couples, and families live authentic, connected, and happy lives.

Starting therapy can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re juggling school, relationships, identity questions, and pressure to “have it all together.” My role is to offer a grounded, compassionate space where you don’t have to perform or explain yourself perfectly to be understood. I’m a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with experience working with college students and young adults navigating anxiety, trauma, depression, identity development, relationship concerns, self-worth struggles, and life transitions. I’ve worked in a variety of settings including higher education, group therapy, and community-based car. My approach is collaborative, relational, and trauma-informed. I don’t believe therapy is about fixing you. It’s about helping you understand yourself more deeply, unlearn patterns that no longer serve you, and build a life that feels aligned with who you actually are. Together, we work at your pace, honoring your history while focusing on practical tools that support emotional regulation, boundaries, confidence, and resilience. Students often tell me they appreciate that sessions feel both reflective and grounding. We can explore the “why” behind your experiences while also building skills you can use day to day. I welcome clients who feel stuck, disconnected, emotionally overwhelmed, or unsure how to trust themselves again. Reaching out for support is a meaningful step, not a sign of weakness. If you’re looking for a therapist who is thoughtful, honest, and genuinely invested in your growth, I’d be honored to work with you.

Erika Siesennop, Beckie Magnuson, and Sarita Aguirre are Registered Dietitians who specialize in working with individuals who struggle with disordered eating and body image. An anti-diet, weight-inclusive approach. We accept BCBS PPO and Blue Choice PPO plans.

My name is Jenny Logan (She/Her/Hers), and I have over a decade of professional experience in my field. I am dedicated to supporting clients in cultivating more meaningful and fulfilling lives, even in the face of mental health challenges. I am passionate about helping clients strengthen their relationships, heal from attachment wounds and trauma, navigate parenting challenges and life transitions, and address issues such as perfectionism, substance use, grief and loss, social anxiety, and self-acceptance. My work focuses on supporting clients living with chronic pain and conditions, substance use, trauma, and mood related disorders. I am deeply committed to creating affirming spaces for LGBTQIA+, parents, women, young adults, BIPOC, and neurodivergent clients. We focus on fostering a safe, non-judgmental space where you can feel comfortable at your own pace. I know that opening up can take time. In my free time, I enjoy traveling, spending time with my cats, embracing my role as an aunt, and watching true crime documentaries. I also love road trips, exploring new restaurants, & singing along to music in the car.

Flourish Counseling and Wellness is a large group psychotherapy and medication management practice, seeing clients both virtually and in person in the Chicagoland area. Our dedicated providers are skilled in working with young adults needing support around college and other life transitions, anxiety, depression, family of origin issues, trauma, and much, much more. If you are looking for a warm, skilled therapist or psychiatric medication provider, Flourish would love to welcome you to our family! We are in network with BCBS PPO, Cigna, and Aetna.

Thirty years ago, I made one of the most important decisions of my life by leaving another career to become a psychotherapist. Mental health care is my life’s calling, and I love it. I have served hundreds of clients, and many say that I helped them. I’ve also been a professor, researcher, leader, and author at two great universities, training hundreds of students to become therapist themselves. Academic work gives me deep scientific knowledge of mental health care, how to forge deep relationships with clients, how to support clients to understand thoughts and emotions in tough seasons, and to take steps to improve their lives. I offer restorative counseling for HEARTS, MINDS and SOULS of clients. HEART- the center of human emotions, desires, and connections, can be downcast or broken. MIND- the control tower of daily living, can be strangled by mindsets of powerlessness and victimhood. SOUL- source of individuality, purpose, and identity, can be wounded or troubled but restored. I begin with clarity that mental health care can positively influence everyday decisions. I try to contribute something useful to address clients' suffering and despair. With compassion and respect for their backgrounds and worldviews, I encourage clients to take courageous actions to change. Clients have appreciated my work, which makes me want to do more.

I center my approach on an unwavering commitment to clients, emphasizing warmth, compassion, positivity, and empathy, which fosters quick and meaningful connections. My primary goal is to offer client a safe space to learn, grow and experience life in more positive and healthy ways, while cultivating the desired changes that bring them into therapy. I enjoy positively helping couples with their relationships. Being trusted with the opportunity to help them get along better, communicate better, and last long term is one of the experiences I find so rewarding in my work. With individuals I like to help them find the answers they are looking for, delving into the past to find the connection to today’s reactivity and behaviors. I work to create a secure space for clients to explore the dynamics of their relationships, and situations actively engaging with both individuals and couples to unravel how their past experiences influence their present and future.

You may be navigating a rupture in your relationship, adjusting to a major life transition, or trying to reconnect with yourself and those around you. Maybe you’re part of a family balancing the pressures of athletics, or you’re working to reintegrate into a familiar or new life context. At the core, you want to feel understood, rebuild trust, and find a sense of stability and connection within yourself and your relationships. I specialize in working with couples rebuilding trust after infidelity, families of athletes navigating sport and family life, individuals facing major life transitions, and those reintegrating into their environments. My therapeutic style is collaborative, supportive, and systemic, drawing from approaches like CBT, EFT, narrative, IFS, and more. I tailor therapy to each client’s needs, often using metaphors and shared interests to make the process relatable, meaningful, and personal. As a bilingual speaker, I am able to provide therapy in English and Thai. Starting therapy can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to take that step alone. I know how important it is to feel seen, hopeful, and reassured when facing challenges in life and relationships. Together, we can explore what feels heavy, uncover your strengths, and create space for healing and growth. If you’re ready to reconnect with yourself and those who matter most, I’d be honored to support you on that journey.