Therapy has been an essential part of my personal healing journey, and it is my honor to be able to join clients on their own paths towards expansive and resilient wellness. Simply exploring the prospect of therapy is no small feat, so I want to acknowledge the courage it takes to take those first steps.
I deeply believe in the healing power of experiencing safety in a therapy relationship. I aim to recognize the bravery it takes to be vulnerable by inviting open discussion about dynamics felt in the therapy room and honoring the time needed for me to earn your trust. The pace you need to feel secure and confident in our therapeutic alliance will be the guiding force of the pace of our time together.
As a therapist inspired by Narrative therapy, Queer feminist theory, Gestalt therapy, and IFS, I strive to honor all parts of you and welcome the integration of your personal interests and cultural traditions into our work. While therapy may include examining past pain and grief, I hope to create a collaborative environment that also makes room for joy and play. I’ve witnessed the power of the arts, music, movement, and play in the work towards healing and am eager to support your use of the therapy space creatively.
I am passionate about understanding intergenerational, historical, and racial trauma. Using a systems-critical and strengths-based lens, I hope to support clients in their journey towards self-empowerment and resistance to oppressive systems. Feeling “othered” can limit the space we have to truly explore our genuine identity, so I am honored to work with folks exploring facets of their identity including racial, sexual, gender, disability, neurodivergent, cultural, and beyond. You are the expert of your own experience, and I would be honored to join alongside you on your path. Our work together could, of course, include talk therapy, but can also include experimenting with identity through games, using arts and crafts to express nonverbally, and mindful listening to music to access important feelings. I trust in the brilliance of the mind to find a way towards recovery and would be honored to support variations in how you access your healing.
Experience
I have worked as a clinical therapist with both adolescents and adults whose struggles included living with symptoms of PMDD, Borderline Personality Disorder, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, GAD, disordered eating, substance use, childhood trauma, and dissociative disorders. I’ve had the honor to support clients exploring their sexual, gender, racial, disability, neurodivergent and autism identities. My work with clients has also included exploring relational issues, family of origin dynamics, life transitions, social justice/activism, and acculturation stress. During my NBCC Minority Fellowship, I experienced trainings focused on the use of Motivational Interviewing with marginalized groups and developed skills to continuously pursue working from an anti-racist, neurodiversity-affirming, anti-oppressive, body-neutral, sex/poly/kink-positive and anti-ableist lens. In my role as the coordinator of BrainstormLIVE, a neurocounseling webinar, I learned about deep interconnectedness of the mind and body informing my holistic approach to this work. My research interests include de-pathologizing the community-born, social justice-motivated tools for healing in the Chicago Latine-led queercore DIY punk scene.
In my previous lines of work, I taught neurodivergent high school and college students and helped them navigate traditional school systems. I also worked as a caregiver for folks with cerebral palsy and traumatic brain injuries.
I have experience in the non-profit sector supporting the development of community events exploring intergenerational and historical trauma through arts and somatic work for the Asian-American and Japanese American Chicagoland communities.
Licensure
I am a Clinical Fellow at Balanced Awakening, completing the final steps toward LCPC licensure. I have several years of clinical experience and I am currently accruing additional supervised practice to be eligible for the LCPC credential in Illinois.
THERAPIST SPECIALITIES
ADD/ADHD/AuDHD
Neurodivergent & Disability Identity Development
Depression
Relationship/Family of Origin Challenges
Racial/Historical/Intergenerational Trauma
Sexual Exploration/Kink
Queer Identity Exploration
Biracial/Mixed Race Identity Development
Client focus
Teens
Adults
Artists
College/Emerging Adulthood
Intellectual/Cognitive Disability
LGBTQIA+ Community
Neurodivergent Community
Multiracial Individuals/ Families
Location
Telehealth (IL)
Insurance Accepted
BCBS PPO
Blue Choice PPO
Aetna
Licensure
Supervised Clinical Fellow
Education
Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, 2023, Northwestern University
Bachelors in Biology, 2013, Loyola University Chicago
Availability and Scheduling:
Mx. Vasilou sees clients online over video (telehealth) Monday through Friday. They also see clients in-person at our 4043 N. Ravenswood Ave. (Lakeview) location on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Mx. Vasilou has availability for new individual clients. If you’re interested in working with them, you can book an appointment below.
If you’re a couple interested in working with Mx. Vasilou, you can join the waitlist by clicking here.