Forget about fitting in.
You belong here.
Welcome.
Are you struggling to feel safe, grounded and supported? Are feelings of grief, guilt, fear or self-loathing too heavy to bear? You might struggle to take up space, worried that others will see you as strange, broken or unlovable. Perhaps you’ve considered suicide when simply being in the world felt like too much.
In my practice, I support adolescents and adults of all neurotypes who struggle with acute and complex trauma, internalized shame, anxiety, depression, and chronic suicidality. I specialize in providing therapy for LGBTQ+ and autistic individuals from a person-centered, relational lens. I also enjoy working with the “extremely online” queer community, from TTRPG nerds and fandom folks to people with therian or furry identities.
The cornerstone of my approach to counseling is unconditional positive regard, which means that nothing you do or say will stop me from seeing you as inherently worthy and lovable. No matter how you might feel about yourself, therapy is where I will hold the truth that there is nothing wrong with you. There never has been. And you deserve to claim that truth as your own.
As a queer, trans, Mad and autistic therapist, it is important to me that I stand for those whose identities are marginalized and oppressed. I believe in using my intersecting areas of privilege to advocate for meaningful change on behalf of the people and communities I work for. My hope is to offer counseling in a way that honors therapy’s roots in traditional healing practices and indigenous ways of knowing that predate and transcend Western medical models.
If all of that sounds like meaningless jargon—well, in a way, it kind of is. Clinical approach and philosophies aside, the best predictor of progress in therapy is just finding a counselor you click with. If you want to talk for a bit and see if that’s me, I’d love to meet you.
Locations
Through my practice, I am able to see clients in Illinois, Wisconsin and Florida.
For clients who’d like to meet in person, I offer sessions at our Chicago office in the Monadnock building downtown. It’s conveniently located right by the Jackson blue line stop and within a block of all other train lines in the Loop. The sixth floor of the building has two single stall gendered bathrooms.
Consultation & Session Scheduling
Already know when you’d like to meet? See the glamorous table below for currently available weekly appointment times.
My schedule is currently a hybrid of virtual and in-person therapy work. I offer telehealth sessions all week and am available in our downtown Chicago office on Saturdays and Sundays.
For new clients, I typically recommend a free 15-minute consultation for us to meet and talk a little about what you’re looking for in therapy and how I can help. This is a chance for you to see if we click and ask any questions you might have for me as a potential therapist.
To schedule a regular session, please reach out to cy@gracecft.com
Fees & Insurance
Out of pocket cost per session: $150
Initial intake sessions $175
Insurance accepted (PPO only): BlueCross BlueShield, Aetna, Cigna/Evernorth, Humana
There is currently a waitlist for sliding scale appointments.
Benefits Check
Transparency is important to me. Before our first session, the billing department of Grace Therapy and Wellness Center will verify your insurance benefits and let you know exactly what you can expect to pay each week.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Mostly talk therapy! This means the two of us will sit and have a conversation. I don’t give advice or pretend to have some kind of special authority. Instead, I believe therapy is most effective when you have space to explore what feels important to you.
My approach is grounded in relational-cultural theory, which focuses on the human need for connection and acceptance. What parts of you were nurtured over time, and what has been shamed or rejected? These questions can help us to explore deeper topics in our healing work.
I’m also trained in EMDR, a modality that can be helpful for folks dealing with the impact of past traumatic experiences. It’s not for everyone, but ask if you might be interested!
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Sure do! I’m especially suited to support queer and neurodiverse folks experiencing complex trauma, chronic suicidality, treatment-resistant depression and dissociative disorders.
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For me, this is another way of queering our healing spaces and allowing each person to be themselves. Your neurotype—how you experience and interact with the world—is unique and worthy of care. Neuroaffirming therapy celebrates neurodiversity as a central aspect of human community rather than pathologizing deviations from the norm.
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Understandable question! I too feel the capitalist urge to extract maximum value from all my endeavors. My hope is for therapy work to move beyond questions of productivity into a truly human and creative connection. For that, all you need to do is be yourself.
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No, and I never will. Beyond the documented negative impacts of AI technology, I do not believe AI notetaking tools are compatible with a therapist’s ethical obligation to protect clients’ privacy.
More Questions?
Let’s figure it out together.