A Certified Child Life Specialist is an expert in child development. They help youth and families cope with the stress and uncertainty of acute and chronic illness, injury, trauma, disability, loss and bereavement.

As a child life specialist and therapist - I use my background in medical care together with my mental health training to provide comprehensive care that addresses the overall wellbeing of children and adolescents impacted by illness and grief. I am also uniquely trained to explain difficult terms using age appropriate language, play based materials, and parenting strategies.

I work with parents and caregivers of all ages and development. I work with children as young as 2-3 years old together with their caregivers and as old as late adolescence and early adulthood (~22 years). I also have experience working with different neurotypes.

I value multidisciplinary care and will consult with outside providers and care teams to provide collaborative care as well as provide appropriate referrals when needed.

If interested in complementary services for the adults in your child’s life, visit my trusted colleagues at Illness Navigation Resources for collaborative support.

I am an LCPC licensed in the state of Illinois located on Chicago’s North Shore. For traditional mental health counseling and therapy services, I am limited to IL based clients. For child life, parent and clinical consulting services - I am available nationwide via Telehealth.

I offer services in a range of settings including in-office, in-home, in-hospital, memorial services, and telehealth.

Depending on the goals and focus of our work together, sometimes I meet with kids and parents a handful of times to address very specific medical events and difficult conversations.

Other times, I provide ongoing weekly or biweekly support and sometimes it is episodic and intermittent with the flow of illness and grief. I meet families where they are at and make recommendations accordingly.

Parent guidance sessions are designed to help with specific conversations or topics and often result in 1-3 sessions as needed.

For more about what to expect, see services.

I am out of network with all insurance companies. This means that the full fee is due to me at the time of service. It also means that I can provide customized service without the constraints of insurance guidelines.

Depending on the type of services provided, you may be able to request documentation from me with necessary codes to submit to your insurance company for out-of-network reimbursement. Out of network coverage and reimbursement varies depending on a patient’s insurance company, plan, and the types of services provided. I recommend checking with your provider in advance.

Some patients also utilize their Flexible Healthcare Savings Accounts to pay for treatment.

My clinical hourly fees range from ~$225-$250 depending on the type of service. For example, home, hospital, or memorial service visits tend to require travel time, materials, and extended stay. Initial intake meetings for assessment and planning have a higher rate than ongoing weekly sessions. Contact me to see how we might work together.