Populations: Children, Adolescents, Teens, Adults, Couples
Deciding to embark on the journey of therapy can be daunting, yet it marks a courageous step towards healing and self-discovery.
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Beginning therapy is a meaningful step toward understanding what you are experiencing, how earlier events or relationships may still affect you, and what you would like to change moving forward.
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I specialize in working with couples, adults, children, and adolescents, with a primary focus on trauma and attachment.
My approach is collaborative, compassionate, and tailored to each person or family. Together, we can explore your experiences, recognize existing strengths, and work toward changes that feel meaningful and sustainable.
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I provide in-person therapy at Calm Mind Counseling Center’s Forest Park office and online therapy for clients located in Illinois.
Meet Phil
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Somatic Therapy Foundations Practitioner, Gottman Level I–trained therapist, and EMDR-trained clinician.
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I earned my master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from The Family Institute at Northwestern University. My clinical experience includes working with children, adolescents, adults and couples.
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I believe therapy should recognize that you are the expert on your own life. My role is to help you explore what you have experienced, understand the patterns that may be affecting you, and identify strengths and possibilities that may be difficult to see when you feel overwhelmed or stuck.
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Therapy can involve challenging work, but it should also provide a supportive and nurturing environment in which that work can take place. We will approach the process collaboratively and shape our sessions around your needs, experiences, and goals.
Who I Work With
I work with:
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Children
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Adolescents
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Teens
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Adults
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Couples
I specialize in working with couples, children, and adolescents facing a variety of concerns, including trauma, depression, anxiety, adjustment, intimacy and relationships, career stress, as well as life transitions. My trauma-informed approach is rooted in compassion and humanistic principles, tailored to meet the unique needs of each individual.
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The concerns that bring someone to therapy rarely exist in isolation. A child’s behavior may be connected to stress, developmental changes, relationships, or experiences they do not yet know how to communicate. Conflict between partners may reflect communication patterns, unmet needs, earlier relationships, or difficulty feeling emotionally connected.
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Our work begins by understanding your experience rather than assuming that one explanation or treatment approach fits everyone.
What Therapy With Me Is Like
My goal is to empower clients by helping them navigate challenges, explore their narratives, and cultivate resilience. Together, we will work collaboratively to uncover strengths, foster growth, and achieve meaningful change.
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You bring essential knowledge about your life, relationships, family, and experiences. I bring clinical training, therapeutic tools, and an outside perspective that can help us examine concerns in new ways.
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Together, we may explore:
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The challenges bringing you to therapy
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Patterns within relationships or family life
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Past experiences that continue to affect the present
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Emotional and behavioral responses
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Personal and family strengths
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Communication and coping strategies
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Goals for growth and change
My goal is to help clients better understand their stories, navigate challenges, and build resilience. I aim to provide an environment rooted in compassion and respect while recognizing that therapy should be responsive to the individual rather than based on a rigid formula.
My Approach to Therapy
My work is trauma-informed, client-centered, humanistic, and integrative.
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Depending on the needs of the client, couple, or family, I may incorporate approaches including:
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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
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Gottman Method couples therapy
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Play Therapy
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Attachment-based therapy
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Relational therapy
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
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Emotionally Focused Therapy
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Narrative Therapy
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Person-Centered Therapy
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Psychodynamic Therapy
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Mindfulness-based approaches
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Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
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Somatic therapy
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Trauma-focused therapy
I do not expect one approach to be effective for every client. The methods we use will depend on your concerns, age, goals, relationships, history, and readiness for different forms of therapeutic work.
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My ongoing training in EMDR, Gottman therapy, somatic therapy, and other modern approaches reflects my commitment to continued learning and individualized care.
Therapy for Children and Adolescents
Children and adolescents may not always have the words to explain what they are experiencing.
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Emotional distress may appear through changes in behavior, school performance, relationships, sleep, communication, motivation, or the ability to manage frustration. Young people may also be navigating trauma, anxiety, grief, peer conflict, family changes, identity development, or other transitions.
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When working with children, I may incorporate Play Therapy and behavioral, relational, or trauma-informed approaches. Play and age-appropriate activities can provide additional ways for younger clients to communicate and engage in the therapeutic process.
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With adolescents, therapy may involve exploring emotions, relationships, identity, family concerns, school pressures, coping strategies, and greater independence.
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My goal is to create a supportive space where children and adolescents can participate in therapy in ways that are appropriate to their developmental stage and individual needs. Phil’s published profiles identify children and adolescents as central areas of his practice and list Play Therapy among his treatment approaches.
Support for Parents and Families
Challenges affecting a child or adolescent often affect the entire family.
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Parents may be trying to understand changes in behavior, manage conflict, respond to emotional distress, or support a young person through experiences that are difficult to discuss. Families may also be adjusting to transitions, loss, changes in relationships, or patterns that have become difficult to resolve on their own.
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My experience includes working with parents and families as well as directly with children and adolescents. Depending on the circumstances, therapy may include collaboration with caregivers or family sessions when appropriate to the client’s needs and treatment goals.
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The objective is not to assign blame. It is to better understand the relationships and systems surrounding the concern and identify ways family members can communicate, respond, and support one another more effectively.
Couples and Relationship Counseling
I also work with couples experiencing relationship concerns.
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Partners may seek therapy because they feel caught in repeated arguments, disconnected from one another, uncertain about the future of the relationship, or unable to communicate effectively about important issues.
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My training includes Gottman couples therapy and relational approaches. These frameworks can help couples examine interaction patterns, communication, emotional connection, conflict, and the strengths already present within the relationship.
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Each relationship is different. Our work will be shaped around the couple’s experiences, concerns, and goals rather than a predetermined idea of what the relationship should look like.
Trauma-Informed Therapy and EMDR
Trauma and attachment are central areas of focus within my work.
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Earlier experiences and relationships may continue to influence a person’s sense of safety, emotional responses, behavior, and ability to trust or connect with others. These effects may appear differently in children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families.
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My trauma-informed approach draws from EMDR, somatic therapy, attachment-based treatment, relational approaches, and other methods depending on the needs of the client.
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I am trained in EMDR and may incorporate it when it is appropriate to the client’s age, history, treatment goals, preparation, and readiness. I am also a Certified Somatic Therapy Foundations Practitioner, which informs my awareness of the relationship between emotional experiences and physical responses.
Credentials and Professional Background
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Licensed Professional Counselor
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Illinois professional counselor license 178.020804
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Certified Somatic Therapy Foundations Practitioner
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Gottman Level I
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EMDR trained
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Training in Play Therapy
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Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
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The Family Institute at Northwestern University, 2024
Outside the Therapy Room
In my free time, I love to cook, play and watch soccer, spend time in nature, and read thriller novels.
Therapy in Forest Park and Online
I provide individual therapy for adults through Calm Mind Counseling Center.
Forest Park Office
7621 Roosevelt Road
Forest Park, IL 60130
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Online Therapy
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Telehealth appointments are available for eligible clients located in Illinois.
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Please contact Calm Mind Counseling Center to ask about current availability and whether in-person or online therapy may be appropriate for your needs.
Begin Therapy With Phil
You may be concerned about your child, struggling within a relationship, working through the effects of trauma, or navigating a transition that has become difficult to manage.
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You may also simply recognize that something needs to change without knowing exactly what that change should look like.
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Therapy can provide a supportive place to explore your experiences, understand the patterns affecting you or your relationships, and build on the strengths you already possess.
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To ask about working with me, contact Calm Mind Counseling Center.
