Find a Therapist in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois.

With over 20 years experience as a Therapist and Coach and a graduate of Wheaton College, Margo continues to devote her lives work to encouraging people in all walks of life. She especially loves walking along side women, helping them discover and grow the person they were created to be. She believes the core of all life work will include: Identifying the Voices that hold you back, as well as the root of those Voices. Telling and Rewriting your lives journey, creating meaning from the ugly-beautiful in your life, and knowing and Unleashing the Amazingness of who you were created to be.

Psychotherapy - for those willing to take the journey - can be one of the most amazing experiences we do in life. When a person gets insight into their own psychological processes, and achieves that understanding of how it all comes together and interacts on a psychological level, it can be really empowering, liberating, and exciting. This can also be a bit scary to try because usually there is a lot going on before someone decides to find a therapist. But any journey starts with that first step - and that first step can be a great step.

The process of engaging in psychotherapy can be a rich and rewarding experience. With a kind, engaging and inquisitive mind, my approach to therapy is based in humanistic, client-centered and existential philosophies. I truly believe that each person has within them the power to heal through thoughtful exploration of emotional patterns, spiritual concerns and resulting experiences. While focusing on present-moment concerns, the past will arise and show its influence. We will work together to piece out what is necessary to explore but not dive into your entire past. Sometimes this is necessary, sometimes it is not. I encourage each person to work with me in guiding their healing process.

I have provided psychotherapy services to adults for over 35 years. Change is an essential element of all of our lives. When we find ourselves in new situations or enter into new relationships we are often able to easily adapt; but sometimes we feel overly anxious and distressed. These feelings interfere with iving a successful and enjoyable life. I work in a collaboratively to help you understand how to change ways of responding successfully to life situations.. These changes lead to thinking more positive thoughts, creating better relationships, more appropriately expressing emotions and living a happier and more hopeful life.

It is not always easy or comfortable to share how you are feeling, what you are struggling with, or thing that are bothering you with others even people you are very close to because it is very vulnerable. I am here to help you with that process of opening up and talking about issues that are negatively impacting your life. Therapy can help you acknowledge the issues and become more aware of how you want to manage, resolve, and work through them. This path can help you work towards your meaningful life while address the issues that may be standing in your way.

My approach to psychotherapy starts with a careful assessment of the problem and your attempts to solve them. We will look at your whole life, your health, your relationships with loved ones, your relationship with God. Sometimes, we are living life out of balance or we are going through difficult transitions and we just need some coaching on how to get ourselves unstuck. Other times solutions seem much more difficult to find. I can help with both but I am especially committed to finding creative solutions for those times when that problem just doesn't seem to go away no matter how hard you try.

Everybody reaches a time in their lives when they need help. If you're suffering from a past experience or it's still going on now, together we will decide on a course of action and move through the feelings, behaviors or images that you want to shift. While I've had many clients respond well to music and imagery experiences, your story and way of working will determine the best way through to the other side. Often initiating a daily practice can help, perhaps breathing, imaging, or a way of mindfully observing what you're feeling can help empower a different way of reacting to the world around you.

Psychotherapy can be an intimidating term. Society has caused a lot of people to believe that seeking help has negative connotations. In reality, it's a sign of strength that you can acknowledge there's a problem and be brave enough to seek out a solution. Psychotherapy will do just that. I can help you navigate through whatever problems you may be facing and aide you in alleviating your symptoms and overcoming these obstacles.

I believe our current struggles often have a link to past struggles. I work with clients to understand the both/and. What are the current challenges and struggles that you want to improve or change and in doing that how is it link to the past. In other words what previous distortions or hurts are causing the person current struggles and how to they build current health to grow and heal from previous hurts.

I am trained in a variety of traditional and non-traditional treatment methods that I integrate in a holistic approach to psychotherapy. While grounded in scientifically proven methods such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, I also integrate with treatment methods such as Positive Psychology which emphasizes the development of strengths over targeting weaknesses, and hypnotherapy approaches that incorporate subconscious and body-based processes.

I take a Positive Psychology/Strengths-Based approach to all of my work. People often lose their sense of self when they are struggling with any type of Anxiety, Depression, major life stressors, relationship difficulties, or health issues (including Eating Disorders and Addiction). All of these things cloud our judgment and interfere with our ability to function as well as we might otherwise. Using both Cognitive-Behavioral and Narrative Therapy techniques, I can help you increase your level of self-awareness and separate your true self from the problems currently impacting you. This will allow you to regain your confidence and move forward with your life as you would like it to be.

I can't tell you what you will get from psychotherapy or counseling. I can only tell you what I got from the hours I spent sitting in the client's chair. I got help with everyday decisions and concerns. I expected that. I also learned how I approach everyday decisions and other problems such as relationships; the patterns that I was following that I didn't know about. Remember that old saying "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." What I really learned in therapy was how to fish, how to see my own patterns, what I was doing that was not making me happy and then blaming it on life, my job, even other people. So, I decided I wanted to pass this on others. I want to teach others to fish.

I believe that the therapy process should be one in which the therapist and client work TOGETHER to achieve the client's vision. The relationship should be built on trust and mutual respect. I will offer guidance and recommendations if you request it, but will never tell you how you should or should not live your life. I believe you're an expert on your own life. Together, we will work to determine what you want from life, what's getting in the way, and what to do to help you feel better and let go of old behaviors or thought patterns that don't serve you anymore.