Therapists for college students near University of Chicago

At Tailwinds, we believe mental healthcare should be accessible, transparent, and deeply human. Too often, people seeking support encounter long waitlists, confusing costs, or clinicians stretched thin by systems that don’t support them. Our vision is to remove those barriers, creating a practice where clients and clinicians alike feel valued, supported, and equipped to thrive. We see mental healthcare not just as a service, but as a partnership that helps individuals, families, and communities move forward with strength, sureness, and compassion.

Melody Stauffer, LCPC is a licensed clinical professional counselor in Illinois who has counseled children, teens, and adults for over 10 years. She graduated from Judson University with a bachelor’s in psychology. She then graduated from Argosy University in 2013 with a Master of Arts in Community Counseling. Her areas of expertise include: depression, anxiety, trauma, parenting, children/adolescents, communication issues, stress management, grief & loss, self-esteem issues, self-harm, substance abuse, psychosis, and crisis stabilization. Melody recognizes each client has their own story to tell and specific wounds to heal and will let her clients lead the way on their mental health journey. Melody is also trained in EMDR therapy that is helpful with patients with trauma, old or new. Schedule your appointment with me by simply clicking on the "Visit Website" link below!

I’m Mercedes Yates-Jones, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Illinois and Virginia. I am also the founder of Safe to Say Therapy located in Winfield, IL. I earned my Master’s in Social Work from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and have spent over a decade helping individuals and families navigate life’s challenges. Before starting my private practice, I worked with the Department of Veteran Affairs and in several private practice settings, supporting clients with a wide range of needs. I also have experience in inpatient psychiatric care, which has shaped my calm and steady presence when clients are feeling overwhelmed or facing difficult moments. I work with children ages 10 and up, adolescents, and adults who are dealing with anxiety, depression, burnout, academic stress, relationship concerns, life transitions, or periods of feeling stuck. I also have a heart for supporting students, veterans, parents, caregivers, and individuals from underserved communities. I created Safe to Say Therapy because I believe everyone deserves a space where they feel safe, understood, and truly supported. My goal is to meet you with warmth and authenticity and walk alongside you as you move toward clarity, confidence, and meaningful change, at a pace that feels right for you.

As a dedicated and compassionate Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), I am committed to supporting students' mental health and emotional well-being. With years of experience working in diverse academic settings, I help students navigate the challenges of college life, including stress, anxiety, academic pressures, and relationship dynamics. I offer a supportive, confidential space where students can explore their thoughts, emotions, and struggles without judgment. Through evidence-based therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness techniques, and person-centered approaches, I empower students to build resilience, develop healthy coping strategies, and achieve personal growth. My goal is to create an open, inclusive environment where students can feel heard and validated while gaining the tools necessary to succeed both academically and personally. I believe in the power of self-awareness, self-compassion, and community support to foster lasting change.

I believe that everyone deserves a safe, compassionate space to be heard, understood, and supported. My work is grounded in empathy, respect, and a deep commitment to helping individuals navigate life’s challenges with confidence and resilience. I am especially passionate about supporting teens, young adults, and individuals seeking trauma-informed care. My approach is evidence-based, yet flexible—focused on empowering you with practical tools while honoring your story and strengths.

Welcome, and thank you for reaching out. Emotional wellness leads to happiness and peace in your life and in your relationships. I'm here to help. Together we'll explore what's happening in your life, and how to live from a place where you can feel your best. I help people get curious about their feelings of depression, anxiety, and relationship issues, and understand how to feel more relaxed, and at ease in their life. My therapy style is relational, where you can feel heard, and seen, and supported. I have over 25 years of experience helping young adults navigate college, work, and all of their important relationships. I'd like to help you.

Hello! I believe in a holistic approach to treatment and meeting the client where they are to assist them in where they want to be. I offer a unique understanding and appreciation for those who are also in the helping profession. My empathetic and culturally sensitive method strengthens self-esteem and motivation; heals abuse; rebuilds careers; resolves conflicts; supports dreams; teaches effective communication/relationship skills; helps to lower reactivity; identifies triggers; lessens anxiety and depression; heightens creativity, and offers coping techniques towards creating a life well-lived. As a Licensed Master Clinical Social Worker, I have over 13 years of experience and specialize in work with those impacted by: complex trauma, depression, anxiety, life-transitions, education/work/life balance, family dynamics, co-parenting issues, racial identity, interracial/interpersonal relationship challenges. I am trained in EMDR. I am Trauma Focused CBT certified. Finding a therapist who is a good fit can seem like a difficult task. It's important to feel understood, heard, and accepted in a non judgmental space. *Treatment is provided exclusively 100% via HIPPA compliant tele-psychotherapy (video)* Don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email with questions and to schedule a free consultation. I will respond.

I believe in providing a safe and supportive environment for clients to express themselves without judgment. My approach to therapy is collaborative and tailored to the client - I believe that different techniques work better for different people. I integrate cognitive behavioral, dialectical behavior, and humanistic styles into my treatment plans to create a productive and empathetic therapeutic experience. My clients have described me as comforting yet honest, with a knack for encouraging insight. I specialize in working with members of the LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent, and disabled communities, though I’m passionate about providing compassionate therapy for all. I have experience with a diverse range of clients and presenting problems. I worked as a special education recreation counselor for children and adolescents with developmental and physical disabilities. My clinical experience comes from working in a residential treatment center with a focus on trauma, eating disorders, and addiction. Many of my clients have also struggled with anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorders.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure where to turn, you’re not alone. I’m Ron, a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) providing thoughtful, compassionate psychiatric care through telehealth. My goal is to offer a supportive, respectful space where you feel heard and understood. I work with individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, mood disorders, ADHD, trauma-related symptoms, perinatal and postpartum concerns, stress, and major life transitions. My approach is collaborative and individualized, taking time to understand what you’re going through and creating a plan that fits your goals. Medication management with me is never rushed or one-size-fits-all. I prioritize education, shared decision-making, and minimizing side effects. I take a holistic view of care and strive to create a calm, nonjudgmental virtual space where you can speak openly and feel supported. Reaching out for help can feel like the hardest step. My goal is to make that step feel a little lighter by offering care that is accessible, respectful, and genuinely human. If you’re ready to begin, I’d be honored to work with you.

Drawing from 10+ years of clinical experience, I use a solution-focused approach to teach skills to overcome worry, depression, anger, stress, guilt, low self-esteem, sleep issues, relationship struggles, and parenting challenges. My clients and I work on improving their wellness and their lives by exploring helpful solutions, perspectives, and habits.

I try to provide a warm but structured therapeutic experience designed to help my clients address their difficulties in productive and forward-moving ways. I use a variety of different therapeutic techniques designed to help my clients gain insight into their behavior and the behavior of others, and together we work toward devising new approaches to past problems that will serve them better. I have over 25 years experience working with young adults. I particularly enjoy working with anxious clients suffering from stress, generalized anxiety, and social anxiety, providing them with ways to manage their stress and thoughts using cognitive restructuring, behavioral calming strategies, mindfulness, meditation, and problem-solving strategies. I also have expertise in working with individuals who have OCD and use an exposure with response prevention paradigm in treatment. In addition, I have also had considerable training and experience in working with individuals who struggle with anorexia and bulimia as well as those struggling with relational problems. I think flexibility and collaboration with clients is the key to a positive therapeutic experience.

If you’re here, it’s probably because you’re ready to make some changes in your life. Maybe you’re struggling to form deep and meaningful relationships. Maybe you’re tired of constantly making to-do lists but never finishing them. Or maybe you’re tired of being plagued by indecision and self-doubt. As a licensed professional counselor, I’ll help you let go of perfectionism, people pleasing and other related anxieties. I’m a perfectionist therapist who loves working with high achievers, anxious college students and overwhelmed adults. I'm a licensed professional counselor in Missouri, Illinois and Colorado. I also offer Brainspotting.

I welcome the individual that is curious to understand the myriad of feelings, patterns and issues in one's life. I create space to be known and understand the self. Young adulthood is a time of discovery, to figure out how you want to be. Old defenses and coping skills may not be working as well. My professional interests are broad when it comes to the human condition including grief and loss, relationships and transitions. I work through a relational psychodynamic strength-based attachment lens. You and I work within the relational interaction between us as we discover your self-structure. This allows a person to expand and evolve. The hardest step is reaching out. If the way I work is of interest, please give me a call to see if treatment would be a good fit. All questions are good questions. Invest in yourself, you are worth it. I practice in Missouri, Maine, Illinois and New Mexico. My undergraduate educational experience is from Dartmouth College along with my MSW from Washington University. I have certificates of study from the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute, in the Advanced Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Program and from The National Institute for the Psychotherapies, NYC, in Integrative Trauma Studies. I am currently in year 2 of Somatic Expererience Method Training. I have worked inpatient, residential and outpatient with a team oriented approach in nationally known facilities, McLean Hospital, St. Louis Children's Hospital, and Care and Counseling St. Louis prior to opening my own practice in 2015. Be well, Cindy

You're more than just a client—and therapy is more than a place to vent. It’s a space for healing, growth, and transformation. I offer a warm, supportive, and empowering environment where you can safely explore who you are and where you're going. I’m a faith-affirming and culturally responsive therapist with over ten years of experience working with adults, teens, and families. My approach integrates evidence-based therapies like CBT, ACT, and Solution-Focused Therapy with attention to spiritual well-being, generational healing, and identity development. Whether you're facing anxiety, depression, trauma, or feeling stuck in patterns that no longer serve you, I’m here to help you move from surviving to thriving. Together, we’ll work toward peace, clarity, and lasting change.

I received my Master's in Social Work from New York University's Silver School of Social Work. I have years of experience working with individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, OCD, eating disorders, as well as different phobias. I am trained in Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (EX/RP), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).

Relational trauma can make you feel like you’re not good enough and somehow too much at the same time. You might be hyper aware of others' needs which leaves you feeling emotionally exhausted. You over-function in relationships and struggle with conflict and boundaries due to fear of rejection. No matter what you do, it feels like you’re a supporting character in the cast of your own life. You may have developed these parts of yourself in order to feel safe, but what would life look like if you could shed old scripts and live authentically with emotional balance and self-trust? Let’s explore how trauma and loss may influence the way you interact with the world around you. I prefer a more holistic approach to therapy and don’t believe that we can always think our way out of something. I’m interested in helping you develop healthy relationships with others, but more importantly your relationship with yourself.

Colleen is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who enjoys collaborating with adolescents, adults and families in order to help them make changes that will allow them to find balance, and an enhanced quality of life. Having worked closely with adoptive families, families experiencing crisis and violence in the home, veterans, and individuals managing severe and persistent mental illness, Colleen is well versed in the treatment of trauma and attachment, mood, and anxiety disorders. Colleen's greatest reward as a therapist is helping clients explore ways to make changes in their lives that allow them to look forward with hope and confidence. Her specialties include depression, anxiety, bi-polar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Her special interests include adoption, divorce, trauma, and relationships. We all need someone to talk with who will really listen and accept us without judgment. Colleen creates that warm, nonjudgmental environment. With a caring, supportive, strengths-based focus - and a touch of humor, Colleen uses a variety of approaches and interventions such as EMDR, CBT, DBT, Motivational Interviewing, Mindfulness and Harm Reduction.

🫶🌿🌹 Welcome!! Are you ready to feel different? The RIGHT therapist can change your life! I can provide a safe place to explore your innermost thoughts and help you cope with the emotions that can feel overwhelming. I provide insight oriented talk therapy with a focus on nervous system regulation. What does that mean? It means I strive to help you heal through insights that we learn TOGETHER, and I teach you about your nervous system and how to regain control of the emotions that threaten to take over. Most of my practice is young adult/college age individuals and I help people with depression, anxiety, life transitions, grief/loss, relationship difficulties, skill building, assertiveness, improving communication and emotional intelligence. I've spent many years working with crisis clients in an emergency department setting and have experience with clients in crisis, self injury, bipolar disorder and suicidal thoughts. Today CAN be better than yesterday but the first step is to GET CONNECTED!

We are a team of clinical social workers specializing in yoga/mindfulness, EMDR, and CBT. Our understanding is that in order to truly heal, we must honor our whole-body and mind working together. Many of our clients find that much of their suffering is stored throughout their bodies as anxiety, depression, and stress begin to take over. We support students as they navigate the unfamiliar and sometime daunting transition into adulthood and offer a warm, hopeful guide towards joy and purpose. Our virtual counseling services are available to individuals located in Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Vermont, Maine, Illinois, and California. We welcome you to get to know us, the services we offer, and reach out to schedule session.

Your first session is simply the beginning. There’s no pressure to have everything figured out. We’ll start by getting to know each other and talking about what is bringing you to therapy. I’ll ask questions to better understand your experiences, your strengths, and what feels most important to focus on right now. Therapy is a collaborative process, and this first meeting is about taking those initial steps together. We’ll begin identifying your goals and what meaningful change would look like for you. Just as importantly, this is your opportunity to see how it feels to work with me. A strong therapeutic fit matters, and I want you to feel comfortable, supported, and confident moving forward!