Existential / Humanistic therapists in Chicago, IL
Browse Existential / Humanistic therapists in Chicago, Illinois. Compare credentials, specialties and therapeutic approach. Contact a therapist to learn more.
Existential
Merrisa Dawn Santos
Licensed Professional Counselor, MA, LPC, NCC, CCTMHP, CCTP
In the intricate tapestry of our lives, the pursuit of happiness, safety, and love is a universal quest. Yet, for many, the journey toward emotional wellness is fraught with challenges beyond their control. Trauma, familial history, and the burdens of life can cast shadows that obscure life's inherent beauty. I believe that each individual deserves to uncover, rediscover, and reclaim life's joy and purpose.
As a compassionate and dedicated psychoanalytical therapist, I aim to guide you through this transformative process with warmth and understanding. Through welcoming and conversational counseling services, I aim to create a space where you can explore the intricate connections between your mind, body, and spirit. This holistic approach seeks to assist you in reconnecting with your higher purpose, allowing you to navigate life unburdened by emotional pain.
5 Years Experience
Online in Chicago, IL (Online Only)
Existential
Dr. Adam Shafer (Chicago, IL)
Psychologist, Psy. D., M.A.
I do my best to listen in the service of understanding and provide thoughtful responsiveness, which I have found helps my clients connect to their inner life and with others. Using gentle honesty and compassion, I value autonomy and collaboration to help people feel less alone while finding a sense of purpose within their lives and in the world.
17 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60607
Online in Chicago, IL
Existential
Jason Herr
Psychologist, Psy.D.
My approach to therapy is grounded in the belief that meaningful change begins with understanding—of ourselves, our patterns, and the biological and emotional systems that shape how we experience the world. I work with individuals, couples, and families across a wide range of concerns, integrating clinical experience, psychological insight, and education about how the brain and nervous system function under stress, trauma, and emotional strain.
Throughout my career in community mental health, private practice, medical settings, and teaching, I have worked with people facing complex emotional and relational challenges. These experiences have shaped a practical, compassionate, and direct style that focuses on helping clients understand why they feel and react the way they do, while developing concrete skills for change. I believe therapy is not only about symptom relief but about increasing self-awareness, emotional regulation, and the ability to navigate life with greater clarity and intention.
My work often includes helping clients understand the connection between thoughts, emotions, and physiological responses. By learning how to regulate the nervous system and tolerate uncertainty, individuals can respond more thoughtfully rather than react automatically. I aim to create a collaborative and respectful therapeutic environment where clients feel safe to explore difficult experiences, retell their stories when needed, and move toward a stronger sense of stability and self-understanding.
Therapy is a process of growth, accountability, and compassion. Whether someone is navigating anxiety, grief, relationship challenges, trauma, or life transitions, my goal is to help them build insight, resilience, and a more grounded sense of who they are and how they want to live.
16 Years Experience
Online in Chicago, IL (Online Only)
Existential
Emily Blitz
Psychologist, PsyD
Welcome! For me, this work is deeply relational in nature, as I find a steady, trusting relationship to be central for deeper exploration. Together, we can attend to both immediate concerns and deeper themes such as emotional experiences, attachment styles, and family-of-origin dynamics. I offer a warm, steady presence alongside attuned and practical feedback, supporting meaningful insight that can lead to lasting change. Online therapy offers us a wonderful opportunity to engage in this work from the comfort of your own space, while also offering flexibility when needed. Moves, new jobs, or growing families - our work can remain an anchor through the change. If you'd like to discuss working together, please reach out for a free consultation.
12 Years Experience
Online in Chicago, IL (Online Only)
Existential
Andrew McKenzie, Psy.D.
Psychologist
What if the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors you struggle with aren't signs that something is wrong with you—but clues that something important deserves your curiosity? Many of us spend years asking, "What's wrong with me?" I believe therapy begins with a different question: "What makes sense about the way I've learned to survive?" Together, we'll explore the patterns that have shaped your life with compassion rather than judgment, helping you develop more flexible ways of responding to difficult thoughts and emotions while creating meaningful, lasting change. If you're looking for a therapist who combines warmth, honest conversation, and evidence-based care, I'd be honored to work with you. If you'd like to learn more about my approach, I invite you to reach out for a complimentary 15-minute consultation.
15 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60640
Online in Chicago, IL
Existential
Dr. Andrew Bingman
Psychologist, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, PsyD
Many people struggle with the belief that they are not good enough, and they subsequently suppress parts of themselves that they fear will alienate them from others. My primary task as a therapist is to create a safe and validating environment in which you can feel free to be your whole self, without fear of rejection or judgment. My goal is to recognize, understand, and honor each part of you, especially the parts that feel most vulnerable.
15 Years Experience
Online in Chicago, IL (Online Only)
Existential
Elaine Flockerzi
Licensed Professional Counselor, MA, LPC
Navigating life at any age can be tough, and it’s important to remember that some struggles are too challenging to face on your own. I believe that everyone has strengths and the ability to grow, overcome challenges, and heal. That’s why I intend to support you on your journey by helping you get the most out of therapy and life. I provide a safe, judgment-free space for you to discover, use, and expand your strengths. I also use evidence-based approaches suited to your specific needs, goals, personality, and learning style.
With 15 years of experience in community mental health and residential treatment, I use evidence-based approaches for anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, low self-esteem, identity exploration, education/career transitions, and LGBTQIA+ issues.
Don't let doubts stop you from reaching your goals. You deserve happiness and fulfillment in every part of your life. If my profile resonates with you, I would be honored to join you on your journey. I look forward to being someone you can trust, depend on, and work with to achieve the meaningful change you seek.
8 Years Experience
Online in Chicago, IL (Online Only)
Existential
Faye Williams
Marriage and Family Therapist, ALMFT
The therapeutic relationship should result in strengthening your relationship with yourself. Meeting with individuals of all ages as well as families and partners, we will get to the heart of what's bothering you so you can get back to feeling like yourself.
4 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60611
Online in Chicago, IL
Existential
Cultivate Your Essence
Registered Psychotherapist, LPC, LCPC, MFT
At Cultivate Your Essence, we believe healing is more than symptom management—it's about reclaiming who you are. Our practice specializes in supporting Black women, professionals, adolescents, and families navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, relationship challenges, burnout, and identity development. We provide culturally affirming, trauma-informed care that honors each client's lived experiences while empowering them to move toward healing, restoration, and personal growth. Whether you're seeking support during a difficult season or investing in long-term emotional wellness, we're committed to helping you become H.E.R.—Healed, Evolved, and Restored.
8 Years Experience
Online in Chicago, IL (Online Only)
Existential
Maggie Reynolds
Licensed Professional Counselor, LCPC, EMDR Certified, NCC
With 15 years of experience as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, I genuinely love being part of the moment when things start to shift, when you feel more grounded, more open, and more like yourself again. My goal is to create a space where you can show up as your whole self, and I’ll do the same. Many of my clients are thoughtful, capable people who have already done therapy and want something that helps them break through old patterns and grow in a new direction.
16 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60611
Online in Chicago, IL
Existential
Dr. Sam Macy
Psychologist, PsyD
As a licensed clinical psychologist, I have more than 15 years of clinical experience providing multiculturally-informed therapy to adults across the lifespan. I work with people experiencing depression, anxiety, relationship difficulty, high stress, professional dissatisfaction, struggles with meaning and purpose, and identity issues among others. I aim to provide a warm, down-to-earth therapeutic experience while prioritizing growth, balance, and intentionality in the lives of my clients.
16 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60605
Online in Chicago, IL
Existential
Lincoln Park Psychology, Inc
Psychologist, Licensed Clinical Psychologists, LCPC, LPC, LCSW, LSW, CADC, AMFT
At Lincoln Park Psychology, we believe that the therapy process should provide results. Although we offer a range of services for a variety of populations, our goal-focused mindset never shifts. When clients come to LPP, our friendly, compassionate, affirming, and capable clinicians work with the client to develop goals that will set the client up for long-lasting change and a positive shift. It is also our firm belief that therapy should be as enjoyable as possible. Although "the work" can be hard, our clinicians are dedicated to forming a solid relationship built on commonalities, differences, openness, and humor.
17 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60657
Online in Chicago, IL
Existential
Best Therapies, Inc.
Therapist
An inclusive group practice of Emotion Experts, Trauma-Informed Therapists, Gender Guides, and Sex-Positive Relationship Nerds, here to help.
7 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60618
Online in Chicago, IL
Existential
Gemstone Wellness, Inc.
Psychologist, PsyD, LCPC, LCSW, LPC
Gemstone Wellness offers trauma-informed, insight-oriented therapy for teens and adults seeking more than symptom relief. Our work is grounded in a deep understanding of trauma, anxiety, and nervous system regulation—helping you not just cope, but understand yourself at a meaningful level and create lasting change.
We also bring specialized expertise in sex therapy and grief and loss, supporting clients through some of life’s most vulnerable and complex experiences with care, nuance, and respect.
What sets us apart is how we show up. Therapy here is collaborative, human, and genuinely interactive. We are engaged with you—curious, attuned, and responsive. We laugh with you when it’s there, sit with you when it’s hard, and approach your story without judgment. You won’t find cold, clinical distance here—just real warmth, thoughtful insight, and a relationship that helps you feel seen.
10 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60604
Online in Chicago, IL
Existential
Emem Itiat
Counselor/Therapist, LCPC
I believe in the power of healing through promoting self-awareness, autonomy and empowerment, and also in people's strength to move towards change. Though suffering is a part of life, something that all humans share, working to manifest helpful and sustainable coping mechanisms, and skills that will work to serve you long term makes a difference in the quality of life a person experiences. I work from a Health at Every Size (HAES) and humanist framework, observing individuals as a whole, and when it comes to the war against body discrimination and terrorism, I believe in working to enhance radical acceptance through promoting self-contentment, end weight discrimination by identifying the underlying and overlying systems of oppression, dismantling those systems, and working against the cultural obsession with diet culture, and the pursuit of thinness and perfection. I believe in concepts such as radical self-love, self-trust, self-awareness, radical-acceptance, freedom, agency, self-compassion, and self-actualization to help guide individuals to fulfill their potential and maximize their wellbeing.
16 Years Experience
Online in Chicago, IL (Online Only)
Existential
Dr Calvin Young
Counselor/Therapist, PhD, LCPC
My work begins with you. For over two decades, in different locations I have set out to use the power of the spoken word to help those who struggle with psychological and emotional issues. I have not perfected the art of therapy as yet -still trying! I promise to always deploy the best thinking and scientific research in behavior change, and brain support dynamics and technologies to help you to optimize your potential and live your best emotional life.
30 Years Experience
Online in Chicago, IL (Online Only)
Existential
Nostos Psychotherapy
Psychologist, PsyD
We provide affirming care for 2slgbtqia+ and bipoc individuals, grounded in feminist ideals, we strive to provide a space that is welcoming and empathic for all individuals.
12 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60661
Online in Chicago, IL
Existential
Roxy Zarrabi
Psychologist, Psy.D.
You may deeply desire to feel safe and connected with yourself and others but find yourself stuck in the same dating or relationship patterns that leave you feeling disconnected and unsatisfied. As a result, you may struggle to feel fully present in your life. Feelings of anxiety, insecurities, and past dating or relationship challenges can interfere with creating or maintaining the meaningful relationships you desire. You know you’re ready to make a change and feel more confident about yourself but have no idea how to get there.
I specialize in helping women struggling with relationship or dating challenges, low self-worth, and/or anxiety to create the life they desire. Our work together can help you learn to manage your anxiety, overcome longstanding patterns that are holding you back, and develop tools to improve your relationship with yourself as well as others.
11 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60602
Online in Chicago, IL
Existential
Join the Rebellion (JTR23 Inc)
Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC
My name is Damon Neely. I have been a therapist since 2012. I didn't come to this work through a straightforward path. Before I was a therapist, I was a U.S. Marine — trained to project strength, suppress what's underneath, and keep moving regardless of what I was carrying. That orientation served me in a lot of contexts. It also cost me things I didn't fully understand until later.
When I transitioned out and eventually found my way into healthcare and then into clinical mental health work, I brought that background with me — not as a credential to display, but as a lived reference point. I know what it's like to operate in high-pressure environments where vulnerability is a liability. I know what it costs to perform competence while something quieter is going on underneath. And I know how unfamiliar it feels to sit across from someone and actually say what's true.
That's the man I built my practice around. Not because it's a profitable niche — though it is — but because I understand him from the inside. The high-performer who has optimized everything in his life except his relationship with himself. The man who can hold a room but can't quiet the voice in his head. The man who takes meticulous care of everyone except himself. These aren't abstract client profiles to me. They're men I recognize.
Over two decades in healthcare and eleven years in clinical practice have sharpened how I work, but the core of it hasn't changed: I believe most men are carrying more than they've ever said out loud, and that saying it — to the right person, in the right space — changes something fundamental. Not just symptom relief. Something deeper. A shift in how a man understands himself and what he believes he deserves.
That's what I show up to do.
11 Years Experience
Online in Chicago, IL (Online Only)
Existential
Bergen Counseling Collective
Counselor/Therapist, LCPC
You've been carrying too much for too long. The anxiety that won't quit. The depression that makes everything harder than it should be. The relationship that feels stuck. The past that keeps showing up uninvited. We help individuals and couples do the hard work that leads to real change. In-person appointments in Chicago. Telehealth across Illinois. Insurance accepted. Accepting new clients.
20 Years Experience
In-Person in Chicago, IL 60640
Online in Chicago, IL
Chicago's size and diversity mean therapists here cover an exceptionally wide range of specialties, with strong representation in trauma, anxiety, depression, and cultural identity work across the city's distinct neighborhoods. The South and West Sides experience community-level trauma tied to violence and systemic inequity, driving particular demand for therapists who specialize in PTSD, grief, and resilience-focused work. The city is home to Rush University Medical Center, Northwestern Medicine, and the University of Chicago Medicine, with a large independent practice community concentrated in Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Wicker Park, and the Loop. Chicago also has robust bilingual therapy communities serving its large Spanish-speaking, Polish, and Mandarin-speaking populations.
Existential / Humanistic Therapy therapists in Chicago, IL Statistics
Existential / Humanistic Therapy therapists in Chicago, IL average 17 years of experience and charge around $206 per session. 98% offer online sessions. The most commonly treated issues are Anxiety or Fears (85%), Depression (76%), and Stress (67%).
Average years in practice
17 Years Experience
Average cost per session
$206
Accept insurance
51%
Offer sliding scale
33%
Gender ID
| 60% |
Female |
|
| 34% |
Male |
|
| 3% |
Gender Fluid |
|
| 3% |
Non-Binary |
|
Session Type
| 59% |
In Person and Online |
|
| 39% |
Online Only |
|
| 2% |
In Person Only |
|
Top Specialties
| 85% | Anxiety or Fears |
| 76% | Depression |
| 67% | Stress |
| 64% | Self Esteem |
| 60% | Trauma and PTSD |
| 59% | Loss or Grief |
| 50% | Social Anxiety |
Ages Served
| 100% | Adult |
| 77% | Young Adult |
| 62% | Senior |
| 42% | Teen |
| 23% | Children |
Client Focus
| 56% | Women |
| 50% | LGBTQ+ |
| 41% | Men |
| 32% | Military / Veterans |
| 26% | Hispanic / Latino |