New Therapy Location: Chicago office in Noble Square providing counseling for kids, families and adults.
We’re so excited to announce and celebrate the opening of our new location in the Noble Square neighborhood of Chicago! We have been wanting to open this for such a long time.
We want to help families better understand their children’s behavior and what is at the root of their distress.
We work with young children and their caregivers to help create more understanding and sturdiness within the family system. If your child is experiencing tantrums, challenging behaviors, or has feelings that feel hard to understand, you are at the right place. Our team of experienced therapists are experts in development. We work with children of all ages (even babies!) and their caregivers to help support the system, create more connection, and empower caregivers to feel in charge of their parenting.
We also work with individual clients to help understand what may be getting in the way of feeling satisfied and fulfilled in life. Our approach is depth-oriented and support clients in exploring the origins of their suffering. We attempt to get underneath a person’s presenting symptom, to help you better understand the fabric of you.
When you invest in therapy, you’re investing in yourself.
Therapy is a space to be curious about yourself. It is permission to slow down and feel the things that so often we push away or don’t have time for. Therapy is a place to play, explore and imagine the lives that we are hoping for. Therapy is a place to be witnessed in our pain. Therapy is a place to feel held and supported. Therapy is a place to grieve and a place to grow.
We’re near West Town and Wicker Park. We are a 7 minute walk from the Blue Line and right off the 90/94 highway.
We love this neighborhood. Venture up the road for some amazing ramen at Rudy’s Ramen; try out award winning food at Kasama; check out Standing Passengers for coffee, a breakfast taco, and retro video games; head up Milwaukee and check out the Barnes and Noble bookstore that is housed in the beautiful, historic Noel Bank Building.
How to visit: parking and visiting hours
Our office is located at 1000 N. Milwaukee. There is free and pay to park street parking up and down Milwaukee and also on Augusta Ave. The building is a secure building, so when you begin treatment, you therapist will give you a code that allows you to enter. Once inside, head upstairs to the 3rd floor, either be elevator or stairs. Our suite number is 301. At the end of the hallway you’ll find a waiting room as well as a conference room where you can wait comfortably for your session.
How do I know which therapist is right for me?
We work closely with each person to ensure a good fit because we believe that relationships are central to the healing process.
Erika Velasco, LCPC
Therapist in Chicago, Skokie and telehealth
Erika offers therapy in both English and Spanish. Her style is warm, collaborative and relational. She uses a culturally responsive lens in her work and understands that mental health is impacted by socio-political factors. Her goal is to help people make connection between past experiences and present challenges. She brings an extensive knowledge of child development, trauma informed care and play therapy into her work.
Maria Kontoudakis, MS, MSW
Therapist in Chicago, Skokie and telehealth
Maria strives to create a nurturing environment where clients feel understood, centered, and empowered. She listens from a space of empathy and non-judgement in hopes that people can bring all of themselves into the therapy space. She holds a Masters degree from the Erikson Institute in Child Development, which guides her work with families and young children. She believes that the therapeutic relationship is a collaboration, where therapist and client work together to understand the root of what is going on.
