Therapists for college students near Chicago, IL

Thanks for visiting Helpful! With a combination of education, specialized training, and genuine compassion the entire Helpful team is proud to provide therapeutic services to the Chicagoland area. Simply put, the vision of Helpful is to help as many people as possible find their way to being the best versions of themselves. We are all in this life together and our hope is the work done at CIC creates meaningful change in people's lives that then creates meaningful change in our world. Feel free to browse our website to learn more or reach out to us. We hope to be a resource for you!

I am Anita Rao, MD, an ABPN board-certified psychiatrist trained in adult psychiatry at Northwestern University, where I had the honor of being a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, recognized for teaching medical students. I earned my MD from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and obtained my undergraduate degree in International Health from Georgetown University. I adopt an approach that goes beyond treating disorders to focus on mental wellness and whole-person health. I utilize holistic treatment modalities, including evidence-based medication management, and collaborate with other members of our treatment team to ensure comprehensive mental health care. My specialization lies in anxiety and depressive disorders, bipolar disorder, and PTSD, with a particular focus on populations that are new to psychiatric care. I take pride in delivering accurate diagnoses, including second opinion evaluations, and am committed to educating and empowering my patients to understand their illnesses and themselves.

Therapeutically, we approach each client differently, and pick our tools according to your needs and preferences. We are looking to help you find acceptance, success, meaning, and/or anything else on your terms, as you define it. We share a commitment to practicing in anti-oppressive, harm reductive, and relational ways, but each clinician has their own eclectic approach. Our clinicians have deep experience working with LGBTQ+ and especially trans/non-binary/gender expansive clients — from childhood through adulthood. As an organization founded by queer folks, we’re here to provide a space where you can feel safe and brave all at once. Our clinicians also focus on chronic illness or disability, and neurodivergence.

Do you struggle with anxiety that affects your daily life? Do you feel overwhelmed just getting through the day? Do you hope that life could be better? Now more than ever, people are feeling uncertain in life. I believe there is hope. I offer a safe, holistic, and client-centered approach to therapy, so you can get the help you need. I am passionate about helping young adults learn to cope with anxiety, depression, body image/eating, and life transitions. I will guide you to accomplish your goals.

At Bridgepoint Psychology Center clients are the experts of their own lives and we, the clinicians, are here to provide support, guidance, and foster reflection. As a center that honors and celebrates diversity, Bridgepoint provides a safe space for clients to connect with their authentic selves. Equipped with unique specializations and advanced training, Bridgepoint Psychology Center provides superior care to individuals, couples, and families in the Chicagoland area.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Mr. Husbands received training in CBT working with individuals experiencing depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD as well as other issues such as role adjustment and career changes. Mr. Husbands specializes in the use of CBT and enjoys working with clients to help find how their thoughts, feelings and behaviors are connected. He especially values working with depression, anxiety disorders and trauma in adult populations. Mr. Husbands is a firm believer in the expertise that clients bring into therapy about from their own lives and he enjoys collaborating with clients to find new ways of thinking and behaving in order to achieve their goals as well as create meaningful and lasting change. He is committed to valuing and honoring the diverse experiences and identities of all clients and aims to create a safe and welcoming environment for all in his practice.

Growing up, I did not know much about mental health and therapy until I was in my own crisis. I was greatly impacted by mental health stigma that has had such a big impact of my Latinx community, and my own experience. I understand stigma is something that many different communities may face, and I hope to help break down that stigma so people can openly receive the help they need. After reaching out for help myself, I was able to start living up to a better version of myself. Now I hope to provide similar hope to others. I believe therapy is not just a tool to be used when you are at your lowest, but a resource in instances of uncertainty, challenge and life transitions. You have unique experiences and have been impacted by the systems that surround you whether they are cultural, familial, religious or something else. My goal is to work hand-in-hand with you to create an empathic space where you can share your feelings and work through learned patterns to discover what serves you best today. Together, we can start the healing process, using with self-awareness, exploring the past, gaining empowerment, and creating meaningful changes within your life and relationships. I have been a clinician with Active Therapies for the past year. Active Therapies offers in person therapy in North Park, Ravenswood and Telehealth.

Head First Health provides 1:1 counseling for gen-z and millennials struggling with anxiety, depression, OCD, eating disorders, trauma, life transitions and substance abuse.

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 help adults navigate through their depression and anxiety by using humor and authenticity, so that they can successfully cope with whatever life throws at them." Part of the MQA family since 2020 Presenting Concerns; Categorized under the following core areas of concern and title: – Adults; ADHD, Anxiety, Behavioral Issues, Depression, Grief/Loss, Life Transitions, OCD, Peer Issues – Social Skills, PTSD/Trauma Presenting Concerns – - Children: Anxiety, Behavioral Issues, Depression, Peer Issues, Social Skills I earned my Master of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lewis University in 2018, and completed my clinical practicum and internship at Family Behavioral Health Clinic in Des Plaines, IL. I have had the privilege of working with children, adolescents,and adults of all backgrounds, who were coping with a wide range of concerns ranging from depression and anxiety, to trauma and PTSD. I believe that one of the most powerful approaches to overcoming life’s tricky obstacles is resilience, and that working with my clients from a genuine and supportive place of connection is the key to overcoming even the most difficult of times. I gravitate towards a humanistic style of counseling while utilizing cognitive-behavioral tools in order to give clients research-supported, “take-home” coping strategies. I enjoy incorporating aspects of mindfulness, humor and art into my therapeutic work. Outside of work, I enjoy riding roller coasters, being outdoors and spending time with family and friends. I also love to travel! I have traveled to over 10 different states and four countries. One of my life goals is to visit all 50 states as well as many more countries that our world has to offer. Culture is a big aspect in the work that we do as counselors, and I strive to experience as much of it as I possibly can. I am fluent in Greek and I enjoy learning new languages whenever I get the chance! Please feel free to contact me via email at dstathopoulos@mqatherapy.com with any questions and inquires for scheduling appointments. Thank you and I look forward to working with you!

Everyday Psychotherapy Chicago focuses on helping clients bridge the gap between insight gained in the therapy room and meaningful action in daily life. Our goal is to create a collaborative space where you can develop practical, evidence-based skills — emotional regulation, communication, problem-solving, and self-awareness — and actively practice them outside of sessions. Whether you’re navigating stress at work, deepening relationships, managing ADHD, building resilience after loss, or striving for personal growth, therapy becomes a rehearsal space for real-world living. We work together to translate concepts into concrete strategies you can use in everyday moments — from morning routines to high-stakes meetings, from quiet reflection to important conversations. At Everyday Psychotherapy Chicago, change isn’t limited to our sessions — it’s woven into the way you think, feel, and respond in your daily life.

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.

Our practice is guided by the most current research available. The treatments we utilize have been shown to be most effective in reducing symptoms and improving quality of life among patients with anxiety, mood and related disorders. We focus on what works. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an umbrella term for methods that share a focus on thoughts and behaviors that maintain symptoms, willingness to try new behaviors, and patterns of relating to our experiences. Between-session practice of these strategies serves to consolidate gains achieved in treatment sessions.

When we are caught in mental distress, we need a trusted partner to help us face our challenges and act from a place of honesty and courage. This creative partnership provides a secure and supportive connection in which to experience solace, find joy, and transform difficulty into resilience. Art therapy is an established mental health profession that helps clients to access a visual entry point for deepened self-awareness. Through guided engagement with the innate creative process, a new way opens to safely explore and better regulate thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This creative lens is integrated with holistic evidence-based counseling models for effective, personalized care. From a renewed place of expanded perspective and self-acceptance, clients are able to live more emotionally balanced, fulfilling lives in accordance with their personal values and developmental goals.

I can work with a variety of clients who are looking for an empathic connection which allows them to understand themselves better and solve problems. Students I have seen are dealing with academic pressures, relationship issues, depression, anxiety, transitions, self esteem etc. Each situation is unique.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Anxiety fights dirty. When anxiety gets out of control, it can feel like a bully, always pushing you around. I get it, I’ve been there. When you’re really in it, you feel stuck and worse still, it can feel like there’s no way out. Constantly living in survival mode doesn’t feel much like living at all. The good news is that you don’t have to face anxiety alone. Together we can push back against anxiety and get your life back. We can use tried and true methods to reduce the symptoms of anxiety and get you out of survival mode. Imagine being more present and connected to life, feeling more like yourself again. More at ease, as you look to the future with a renewed sense of confidence and hope. A way forward is actually, finally here. If you’re ready to change your relationship with anxiety and want to stop living in survival mode. Let’s talk. Give me a call and let’s get to work.

I aim to make therapy a space where, above all, two humans can come together to connect, while working to understand and process the difficult thoughts, feelings, and sensations that come along with life. I work primarily with adults, and always seek to create a therapeutic space based on connection, empathy, understanding, and sometimes humor. I specialize in the treatment of OCD and anxiety diagnoses, as well as experiences with chronic pain, illness, and other somatic-based problems. Others areas within my experience include: depression, trauma-based diagnoses, relational problems, and psychodynamic informed talk therapy. I aim to make therapy a space where, above all, two humans can come together to connect, while working to understand and process the difficult thoughts, feelings, and sensations that come along with life. I work primarily with adults, and always seek to create a therapeutic space based on connection, empathy, understanding, and sometimes humor. I specialize in the treatment of OCD and anxiety diagnoses, as well as experiences with chronic pain, illness, and other somatic-based problems. Others areas within my experience include: depression, trauma-based diagnoses, relational problems, and psychodynamic informed talk therapy. I have experience and expertise working in CBT, specializing in the modality of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). I also utilize techniques and philosophies from DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) and RO-DBT (Radically Open Dialectical Behavioral Therapy). We will work to clarify your strengths, current obstacles in life, and create a path forward.

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.