Psychological Services PC

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Elliott DeVore

My Background & Approach

Elliott earned an M.Ed. in Education and Student Affairs at Iowa State University as well as his M.A and PhD in Counseling Psychology from University of Tennessee. He completed his pre-doctoral clinical internship year at UIC Counseling Center with a special rotation in Consultation and Outreach and graduated this summer with his PhD. Prior to becoming a Psychologist, Elliott worked for 3 years at the University of San Francisco. During his tenure, he oversaw leadership development and social justice education programs, taught peer support and practicum courses, and supervised masters level graduate students.

My Personal Beliefs & Interests

As a therapist, I believe a central goal of counseling is to assist clients with developing their awareness and curiosity about how they have learned to navigate relationships and cope with painful experiences. What did these relational strategies protect them from in the past? Are these methods working for them in their present reality and relationships? Does something seem familiar about their current emotional distress? I see the emotions that underlie these “default” ways we respond as complex and physiological.  By having clients engage with and express their emotions, I support them in increasing congruence across important areas of their life. This may involve helping clients process uncomfortable topics, explore complicated memories, and understand the motivations in their present realities in order to heal past pain and deepen their awareness of their values and needs.  I believe an understanding of our full range of emotions is critical to knowing ourselves more fully, recognizing our purpose, and building more meaningful connections in our relationships. In our work, we may also explore how aspects of race, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, social class, and culture may have influenced your sense of self and ability to navigate the world. Ultimately, I aim to help clients reorganize how they understand themselves through insight, attuned emotional awareness and increased interpersonal effectiveness.

During his spare time Elliott enjoys playing games, singing, and training for and running long-distance races.

About My Clients

Elliott also has extensive experience working in counseling centers and in an in-patient drug and alcohol facility. Through his work, Elliott has cultivated specialties in depression and anxiety, personality concerns, LGBTQ Issues, trauma, relationship/couples therapy, perfectionism and overwhelming career expectations, and family of origin concerns. Elliott also received specialized training in Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples, a research supported approach, through the International Centre for Excellence in Emotion Focused Therapy. EFT is a clinical passion for Elliott, and he enjoys working with relationships in their diverse forms as clients strive to connect deeply and work through “feeling stuck” while moving through life’s challenges.

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Psychological Services PC

Copyright © 2018 Psychservices Chicago, PC
30 N. Michigan Ave. Suite 1909, Chicago, IL 60602
T. (773) 362-6222

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Psychological Services PC

Daniel Lovan

Approach

“I believe that people heal, grow, and thrive when they are able to genuinely connect with someone who makes them feel deeply seen and allows them to explore their emotional needs and desires. That’s why I strive to compassionately understand my clients and provide them with a safe and warm psychotherapy environment where we can collaboratively improve your mental health and well-being.

My Interventions
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT)
• Multicultural Therapy
I address client’s needs through a mix of person centered and cognitive approaches to help clients explore patterns of negative thought, identify core feelings, and practice new coping skills. For many LGBTQ+ clients I also address concerns through a multicultural lens in order to take into account the many ways in which an individual’s intersectional identities may be at odds with living their life authentically.”

Education & Training
• Loyola University Chicago- M.A. Community Counseling
• St. Elizabeth’s Hospital Outpatient Mental Behavioral Health- Internship
• Saint Louis University- B.S. Psychology
I tend to work with adolescents and adults experiencing a wide variety of concerns including depression, anxiety, trauma, loss, parenting concerns, and social struggles. I am particularly passionate about working with LGBTQ+ individuals with religious and spiritual concerns.

Amy Rivas

Qualifications & Training

  • I received my EdS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Loyola University Chicago
  • I received my BS in Psychology from Pacific Union College
  • I am Licensed Professional Counselor with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
  • I am bilingual and conduct therapy in English and Spanish

Who I Work With

I work with adults, couples, and families who are navigating trauma, depression, anxiety, relationship/attachment issues, and life-transitions. I am also passionate working with those in the LGBTQIA+ community, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and bi-cultural/bilingual individuals.
A lot of the clients I work with, whether therapy newcomers or seasons therapy goers, are hoping to carve a dedicated space to gain insight, reflect, and process their reason for seeking therapy.

Working with me

I know for a lot of people the choice to attend therapy can be a difficult one so I will always honor your effort and strength in making this choice. I work from a psychodynamic, attachment based, and also incorporate emotion-focused therapy (EFT) techniques. This basically all means that I like to process past traumas or past relationships to understand how that’s impacting our current way of understanding our world.
You can often find me also incorporating grounding/self-regulation techniques into my sessions with clients as a tool for dysregulation, numbness, and disassociation. I’m a firm believer that our bodies carry our traumas and stress so its important that we incorporate a body-based, somatic techniques to assist with our bodies also healing.

Lilia Berkovich

Dr. Berkovich received her Bachelor’s Degree from Tel-Aviv University in Israel and her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, Illinois. In addition to her work at Psychological Services, PC, Dr. Berkovich has worked in medical and psychiatric hospitals, drug and alcohol treatment centers, the juvenile court/probation system, and schools.

My Mission

In my work with clients I rely primarily on relational-psychodynamic, mindbody, and trauma-informed perspectives. I believe that growth and change are achieved by shedding light on those sides of ourselves that we are not in direct contact with, as well as learning new ways of being with others. I strive for therapy to provide a genuine, stimulating, and welcoming space to interact openly and experience new emotions.

Working with me

While I adjust my therapeutic goals to each client’s presenting concerns, goals, and needs, I tend to focus on increasing emotional insight and developing effective internal coping mechanisms. In sessions we might choose to process patterns that show up in the client’s past and present relationships, as well as address the “here-and-now” of the therapy session. I might provide reflections and feedback as a way to help my client see themselves and their situation from a new angle. We may focus on feelings, thoughts, physical experiences, and behaviors, and try to tap into new sources of information about the client’s self. As a multicultural clinician, I recognize the importance of our cultural experiences, and value the exploration of ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, physical ability, and other factors that shape identity and social interactions. As we work toward making everyday experiences less obscure, the client may feel more confident about expressing their true self, form more fulfilling connections with their environment, and find that they are better equipped to cope with distress and painful emotions.

Who I work with

I am a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in working with individuals struggling with trauma, mood dysregulation, overwhelming anxiety, stress-induced somatic symptoms, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, complex grief, substance misuse, and maladaptive interpersonal and relational behaviors. I also work with couples seeking help with relational well-being, communication, and conflict resolution

Michael Bricker

Approach

“I believe each of us is hard-wired with emotions that play an important role in how we understand our world and how we function internally, as well as in our relationships with others. When used adaptively, our emotions can serve to alert and orient us to what is important in our lives and can help inform how we cope with challenges and conflict. In contrast, when we feel stuck in our emotions, lack awareness of them, or are unable to express our feelings and needs, we can feel depressed, anxious or generally unhappy in our life, relationships, and/or career. This lack of clarity can also leave us feeling stranded; struggling to make sense of why we are feeling the way we do or what we need to make things better.
By exploring underlying emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in the context of a warm and empathic relationship, I assist individuals in learning how to use their emotional experience as a guide in recognizing, both generally and specifically, what they need from themselves and from others in order to feel content and resilient. This awareness also plays an integral role in helping them choose behaviors that are more satisfying and accommodating of their needs. In addition, I aim to help clients solidify a long-term framework for understanding how they organize themselves and make sense of their world and relationships, while helping to ensure that they have the tools needed to achieve consistent and lasting improvements in their lives well after therapy has ended.”
 

Dr. Bricker has been providing professional counseling services to individuals, groups, and couples for over 20 years. He earned his Masters degree in Counseling and his PhD in Counseling Psychology from The University of Memphis and holds licensure as a Clinical Psychologist (LCP) in the state of Illinois. 
In addition to his education and training in traditional psychotherapy approaches, Dr. Bricker has sought out specialized education and training in the practice of Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), a scientifically-supported psychotherapy approach for individuals and couples. Dr. Bricker is also an active lecturer and trainer on EFT and the adaptive use of emotion, and enjoys educating other mental health professionals in this area. Dr. Bricker also has extensive education and experience in providing services to couples (working from an Emotion-Focused Couples Therapy framework).  In addition, he has extensive education, training and experience working with individuals with addictions and substance use/abuse concerns.
Although Dr. Bricker’s varied clinical experiences in hospitals, mental health centers, outpatient clinics and counseling centers have prepared him to work with individuals and couples from diverse racial/ethnic/cultural backgrounds, and with wide-ranging concerns/diagnoses, he has developed a particular specialty in areas including: depression, anxiety, couples/relationship concerns, LGBTQ issues, grief/loss, and concerns unique to professionals in various domains who are navigating important roles in leadership and/or demanding careers.  
Dr. Bricker spends the majority of his clinical service providing psychotherapy to individual clients and couples; however, he is experienced in, and available to offer Executive Coaching, as well as organizational and clinical consultation to businesses and individuals.  In addition, he provides supervision and workshops in EFT for mental health professionals.

Outside the office, Dr. Bricker enjoys travel, cooking, attending events in the arts, physical fitness, and spending time with his family and friends.