Hey, I'm Liz.
And I'm a psychotherapist located in Oak Park, Illinois.
If you’re wondering how a lifetime of shenanigans led to a therapy practice–read on…
I went to undergrad with an idea that I was going to be a diplomat or work in politics. In retrospect, this fact is hilarious. So naturally, I did what any 18 year old with a know-it-all attitude and a very idealized version of myself would do, I went to Washington DC and studied International Affairs at George Washington University. I got out and went to work in the non-profit space for a few years, quickly realizing that sitting in meetings and behind a computer was not for me. I wanted connection, meaning, and face-to-face job talking in the language of depth, not Outlook calendars. Snoozefest. Spoiler alert: I also secretly wanted to heal myself! So on I went to University of Tennessee to get a master’s degree in social work and left with a diploma and optimism that only a 26 year old can have. Here I am, 14 years in, with less youthful optimism but still in love with the work.
If you’re curious about the technical stuff…
Like many therapists of my generation, I originally trained from a psychodynamic lens, which basically just means your past (especially your early experiences) shapes your emotions, beliefs, and relationship patterns today. It also uses the relationship between you and me as a real-time lens to understand the deeper emotional and relational stuff that shows up in your life. While lots of different types of therapy have become popular over the years, I think psychodynamic therapy is like Ralph Lauren or a chocolate chip cookie – a classic. It is still the North Star of my work even though I have grown and learned other ways to approach therapy since those early training days. I’m energized by what the therapeutic dynamic evokes in us, both for the therapist and the client. When we are courageous enough to give care and attention to the feelings elicited by this unique, abstract relationship – a kind of deep healing is possible. If you are interested in learning more about the approaches I use today, you can check that out here.
I love being a therapist because I get to witness my clients let go of the things that have been holding them back and begin to actively create the life they want for themselves. I am driven to understand my clients as deeply as possible. I work very hard to both understand what is going on in your life and what is going on “in the room” between us.
Around 9 years ago, I was working as a therapist in a medical setting, practicing in an integrated care model at a big hospital system. To be honest, my team members were highly suspicious of me. Some providers wouldn’t even put a consult in for very appropriate situations because they were freaked out by my very existence in the building. I loved working with my patients, but the most meaningful thing that happened to me there was that nurses, physicians, PAs, NPs, and MAs who thought therapy was voodoo nonsense started to trust me. They started to come to me, to confide in me, to ask for help with their patients and even more importantly, sometimes their own personal or professional struggles. I loved working with my patients but this experience with my colleagues changed my life. I really saw how high functioning people learned to hide their pain. I saw how much high performing people had become that way because they had to adapt from their own emotional aloneness and adversity. I became devoted to figuring out how I could help people just like them in the therapy room.
I try to keep it pretty real both in therapy and out in the world. I was born in Chicago and raised in the western suburbs so “Chicagotude” is a made up adjective a friend once gave to describe my moxy and it stuck. I trained as a classical ballet and modern dancer for my entire childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. I “retired” from dance when I was in my mid-twenties but I think my identity and experiences as a young artist has an impact on how I show up in therapy.
I love being a therapist. Truly. Many of the folks I work with start their journey with me at an extreme low point in their lives. Few things are more rewarding than helping people transform and give birth to a new, more whole self.