Experience personalized individual therapy in Chicago and Skokie for anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, panic symptoms, ADHD, OCD, and life transitions. We offer individual therapy for support with self-esteem, mindfulness, career stress, identity struggles, relationship and connection struggles, mood disorders, difficulties with intimacy, and attachment struggles. Individual therapy is available for children and teens, emerging adults and college students, young adults, and adults of all ages. Work with an individual therapist can address symptoms of anxiety, symptoms of depression, ADHD symptoms, sleep difficulties, difficulties with mood, trauma symptoms, and difficulties in relationships.
After we confirm if you plan to use insurance and determine anticipated out of pocket costs, we will connect you with a therapist. That therapist will confirm a weekly or biweekly opening that matches with your availability and then schedule an initial consultation session. This initial session is an opportunity for you to determine if the therapist feels like the right fit for you and for the therapist to explore if their areas of expertise address your therapy needs. For some people the “click” with a therapist happens right away and they feel confident about settling into the process. Others aren’t sure and take multiple sessions to determine whether or not they want to move forward. There is no wrong way to begin therapy.
The formal “assessment” stage of therapy typically lasts for 1-3 sessions, but in the way that all people are ever changing and developing, “assessment” is also ongoing. Your therapist will determine what diagnosis is most appropriate and embark on a plan for treatment that fits your needs and goal.
The first session is the beginning. You likely won’t be able to cover all the details of your history, symptoms, and parts of yourself that you want the therapist to know about. It is helpful to learn about what is leading to seek out therapy at this time (why now?), the goals that you have for therapy and aspects of your life that you wish were different, any symptoms of anxiety, depression, or other mental health struggles that you have, and details about your history of attachment, relationships, mental healthy struggles, therapy experiences, formative events, and traumas.
The golden rule of therapy is to say whatever comes to mind. In the same way that there is no wrong way to start therapy, there is also no wrong thing to say in therapy.
The quality of the “fit” between therapist and client is a critical aspect of the treatment process. Research has shown that the most impactful aspect of a therapy experience is the therapeutic relationship itself. We encourage you to consider the following when thinking about this aspect of the therapy process:
Sometimes you just don’t know what will be right for you until you try. We encourage all of our clients to be open with your therapist if you think that a different provider would work better for you. Our therapists will also check in with you about this after the initial session and assessment period. We are more than happy to help connect you to a different therapist if the first therapist you meet with is not the right fit for you. If you’d like to discuss therapist options with our practice manager feel free to reach out directly to Alissa Rotblatt, LCSW at admin@northshorepsychotherapy.com or 847.686.1158.
We love our customers, so feel free to visit during normal business hours.
2835 North Sheffield Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60657, United States
Open today | 09:00 am – 05:00 pm |