Anxiety and depression therapists and psychiatrists in Skokie, IL

Welcome! Congratulations on this courageous step toward healing. I am a compassionate and relational therapist who believes that healing happens through connection, understanding, and collaborative effort. With a strong foundation in evidence-based practices, I combine the latest research with a warm, individualized approach to support clients in navigating life’s challenges. Whether you're managing anxiety, trauma, relationship issues, or just seeking personal growth, I work to foster a safe, non-judgmental space where you can feel seen, heard, and empowered to create meaningful change.

Welcome — I'm so glad you're here! With 23 years of experience as a school social worker, I am passionate about helping children, adolescents, and families navigate life's challenges and build the skills needed to thrive at home, school and in their communities. I work with children and teens ages 3-17, as well as parents and caregivers who are seeking support, guidance, and practical strategies to strengthen family relationships, work through family conflicts and improve daily functioning. My goal is to help build the necessary skills to strengthen relationships and homeostasis within family structures and the individual.

I specialize in working with neurodivergent children, adolescents, and families including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), social-communication challenges, anxiety, emotional regulation difficulties, and behavioral challenges. I also specialize in working with high conflict family dynamics which include parent-child relationships, divorce (for families that are both in and/or out of the family court system), sibling rivalry, and multicultural child rearing.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with almost 20 years of experience. I believe that healing is a process of nurturing what already lives within you. Whether you are facing stressors, anxiety, parenting stress, conflict, finding your assertive voice and boundaries or simply looking for clarity; I will walk beside you on this journey. I have experience with anxiety, life phase transitions, school related difficulties, navigating parenting, self-esteem, and family/relationship conflict. My experiences have come from working with a diverse population of individuals of all ages across settings including community agencies, hospitals, military installations, and private practice.

My approach blends clinical rigor with genuine warmth. I ask a lot of questions, not to check boxes, but because I want to understand the full picture of your life, biology, and history before we decide on a path forward. I'm not interested in just managing symptoms; I want to understand the root of what's going on — whether that's biological, situational, relational, or some combination- so that treatment actually addresses the cause, not just the surface presentation. Clients often describe our sessions as feeling more like being truly listened to than being processed through an appointment. As an integrative provider, medication is one tool among several we might use, and I stay curious rather than settling for the first explanation.

Hi, I'm Maurissa. Much of my background has involved work with people on the Autism spectrum and I found that they struggle with the same things that many people do, including grief, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, etc. My experience with people on the spectrum has helped me to provide an open perspective to work with those struggling with emotional regulation and different ways of thinking.