Chicago Psychotherapy
For decades individual psychotherapy has been a primary component of my practice. My approach, which is practical and results-oriented, fosters empowerment and long term psychological health. My overarching goal is to help my clients resolve the issues that are troubling them so they can have successful relationships and lead happy, healthy lives.
Individual psychotherapy is especially helpful to men and women who struggle with anxiety, depression, poor self-esteem or who are experiencing problems with romantic relationships. Psychotherapy sometimes includes a referral for medication. Mild anti- depressants or anti-anxiety medication can help people feel better and approach life in a more optimistic, balanced way.
I have advanced training in substance abuse treatment and many years of experience working with wives of alcoholics and individuals who grew up in alcoholic families. For family members of alcoholics, individual psychotherapy provides education, promotes greater objectivity towards the substance abuser, and increases understanding of family dynamics. Counseling with adult children of alcoholics (ACOA’S) may include referral to a support group for help in learning how to stop enabling behavior, or to better cope with a family member who is struggling with addiction.
The vast majority of my individual psychotherapy clients are well educated, psychologically healthy middle or upper level executives who are committed to personal growth and change. Many have been in counseling previously. My clients range in age from their mid twenties to their mid sixties.
Anxiety
Many people suffer from anxiety. Symptoms of anxiety exist along a continuum from mild to severe. Anxiety may occur only in certain situations – for example, when flying, riding in elevators or in social situations. It may be related to certain relationships or particular times of day. It may surface as worry or agitation.
Some people experience severe anxiety attacks which are frightening and debilitating. Others develop phobias. Anxiety has a negative impact on a person’s quality of life. A combination of psychotherapy and medication are often useful in treating anxiety.
Infertility
Infertility is an emotionally challenging experience for a woman. It impacts the way a woman feels about herself and her body and it introduces anxiety and uncertainty into the family planning process.
It’s not uncommon for infertility to become a source of stress between marital partners. There are many decisions that must be confronted during infertility treatment and spouses sometimes differ in their attitudes and levels of commitment to various methods of treatment. Also, because it is such an emotionally charged experience, each person may have difficulty managing their own feelings while being sensitive and responsive to their partner’s feelings. Counseling and psychotherapy can help couples work through this process while maintaining the health of their relationship.
Depression
Most people suffer from depression at some point in their lives. Depression may occur in response to a significant loss such as the death of a loved one, a job lay-off or the diagnosis of a serious illness. Women may experience depression related to hormonal changes around their menstrual cycles, following childbirth or during menopause.
Symptoms of depression include a loss of interest, feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism about the future, decreased appetite, withdrawal from others, an inability to sleep or over sleeping. Many depressed people have difficulty concentrating. Sometimes they feel restless or agitated. At its worst, depression disrupts day-to-day functioning and leads to thoughts of suicide. Advances in psychopharmacology have resulted in many options for the successful treatment of depression. Response to appropriate medication not only changes a person’s outlook – it can change their life.
Psychotherapy in conjunction with anti-depressant medication is a common approach to successful treatment of depression. A good therapist not only provides education, support and referral for medication treatment, they also help you make life style, work and relationship changes that will improve your quality of life.
Self Esteem
Poor self esteem is a major factor in dysfunctional relationships. Self esteem impacts one’s ability to be comfortably close and intimate with others. It influences who you choose to establish relationships with and it often contributes to self-destructive behavior. There is probably no single factor that so deeply impacts an individual’s life or has such wide reaching implications as self esteem. Psychotherapy is an important tool for building healthy self esteem and personal fulfillment.
Motherhood
First time motherhood can be both exciting and anxiety-provoking. Many women worry about their ability to parent effectively. The hormonal imbalances following childbirth can amplify these feelings.
Women who’ve decided to give up their careers for full-time motherhood often experience difficulty with this transition. They may miss the stimulation of adult conversation and the satisfaction of having a career. Women who choose to work full-time feel torn and guilty about not being stay-at-home moms.
This life phase -- where family and career are being launched simultaneously-- often leads to marital stress. Counseling can help women and their partners navigate the challenges of this important stage in the family life cycle.
Grief & Loss
Death and separation are a natural part of life, yet they frequently derail a person’s ability to function. Common responses to loss include depression, denial, anger, second-guessing whether more could have been done to prevent the loss, regret, resignation and finally – acceptance. Though people often resist it – talking about their feelings of loss, their memories, disappointments and their past relationship with the loved one, speeds the recovery process. Counseling and psychotherapy provides a safe environment in which to grieve and remember and heal.
Life Planning
Life planning is a self-reflective process that helps people create lives that are fulfilling. After an unexpected loss, retirement or job disruption, people naturally re-evaluate where they are in their lives. These junctures provide an opportunity to explore which aspects of their lives are satisfying and which are not. It’s a good time to develop unused talents, to acquire new skills, and to decide how to move forward into the next phase of life.
Women’s Health
In addition to infertility, I am experienced in treating women who’ve been diagnosed with cancer and STD’s, and those who are experiencing short term emotionally disruptive health-crises. I’ve also provided psychotherapy to women who are distressed due to a miscarriage or an abortion and those who are going through menopause. Any one of these can upset a woman’s psychological equilibrium and reverberate to other parts of her life. Counseling and psychotherapy can help a woman come to terms with her illness or medical condition, better cope with treatment, and maintain good mental health while she proceeds through recovery.
Personal Growth
Many people struggle with repetitive relationship patterns and emotional conflicts in their lives. Psychotherapy is a supportive, exploratory process that promotes self awareness and psychological growth. It helps people identify and change self-defeating patterns of behavior, increases personal resilience, teaches how to develop healthy supportive relationships, and improves psychological health and well being.
Midlife Transition
Midlife is a difficult period for many women. In addition to the normal but often disruptive emotional and physical changes associated with menopause, women frequently feel as if they’ve lost their sense of direction. During midlife it’s both wise and natural to re-evaluate personal and romantic relationships, to assess the level of satisfaction with one’s life and to explore new avenues for personal expression.
Counseling and psychotherapy can help a woman re-examine her present situation and plan for the future. It can also provide education and support as she confronts the inevitable biological and emotional changes of this life stage.
Wives of Alcoholics
Women who marry alcoholics or men with addictions often grew up in alcoholic families or families in which they were abandoned, abused or neglected. Wives of addicts tend to develop both enabling and co-dependant behaviors. They often cover-up for the alcoholic when they miss work or exhibit embarrassing behavior at social events. Some times they drink with the alcoholic and develop an addiction of their own. It’s not uncommon for wives of alcoholics to enlist their children’s help in managing the alcoholic. This has damaging effects on children that last well into adulthood. Women who are married to alcoholics frequently live with a high level of frustration due to the amount of energy they spend trying to rescue or change the alcoholic.
Because of the dynamics of alcoholism and co-dependence, it’s often difficult for women to extricate themselves from these dysfunctional relationships. Counseling and psychotherapy helps women explore their options and enables them to develop sufficient strength and resilience to confront the problems in their marriage.
Romantic Relationships
For most men, their wife or girlfriend is the person with whom they have their most intimate relationship. If problems develop in this partnership they often have no one to talk to. Men are sometimes confused about their own needs and are frequently baffled by their partner’s feelings – particularly anger and resentment. Sometimes they don’t know how to respond to their partner’s upset. Psychotherapy and individual coaching can help men identify their needs, understand their partner’s feelings and learn to communicate constructively.
A woman’s self-esteem and identity is closely linked to the satisfaction and success she experiences in her personal relationships, especially her relationship with a romantic partner. Women who are looking for significant others or those who are struggling in their romantic relationships often benefit from individual counseling or relationship coaching. This is a safe environment where a woman can learn to know herself better and acquire necessary skills for establishing a successful romantic partnership
Adult Children of Alcoholics – ACOA’s
Adults who grow up in alcoholic families sometimes develop addictions of their own. In addition, the dysfunctional relationship patterns in alcoholic families frequently cause problems when ACOA’s begin to develop romantic relationships and establish their own families.
Counseling and psychotherapy helps adult children of alcoholic’s develop insight into the ways in which alcoholism has affected their lives. It also helps them work through unresolved disappointment related to their family of origin. And it teaches healthy coping behaviors and skills for creating emotionally satisfying relationships.
