Have a particular life obstacle you’re trying to overcome?
Individual Therapy in Chicago, Austin, & Online
You deserve to feel like yourself again.
Maybe you've lost touch with who you are. You're going through the motions but nothing feels quite right. You're struggling to make choices that are actually yours, not what someone else expects or what you think you're supposed to want.
If you've never tried therapy before, you might be wondering if this is even for you. If it'll actually help. If you'll know what to say or how to start.
Or maybe this isn't your first time. You've sat across from someone who didn't quite understand your experience or didn't really try to. They talked too much about themselves, or stayed stuck on surface-level stuff when you needed to dig into what's actually going on. You never felt heard.
Whether this is your first time or you're trying again, you're allowed to want something different.
At Bright Light Counseling Center, we listen with real curiosity. We check in regularly about how things are going because this only works if it's actually working for you. And when we mess up? We own it. We're humans too.
Our job isn't to tell you what to do. It's to help you find your own inner light again, the confidence, clarity, and strength to make your own choices and build the life you actually want.
We can help with...
In Person and Online Therapy Available
Whether you prefer meeting face-to-face or the convenience of online therapy from home, we're here.
In-Person: Chicago, IL • Austin, TX
Online Therapy: Illinois • Texas • Indiana • Colorado • Wisconsin • Virginia • Florida
What Therapy with us Actually Looks like
Forget the one-size-fits-all approach. Individual therapy at Bright Light Counseling Center is built around you. Your pace. Your needs. Your life.
Your therapist will ask about the coffee date you mentioned last week. The book you're reading. The assignment that's stressing you out. Not because we're being polite, but because we actually care about your life and what's happening in it.
We're warm. We use humor. We're real people sitting with you, not clinical AI robots. If we're teaching you a coping skill, we're practicing it with you right there in session.
We nod along. We reflect back what we're hearing. We ask clarifying questions. We offer observations when something stands out. We're actively present with you.
Here's what we want you to know upfront:
Progress isn't linear. Some weeks you'll feel like you're moving forward. Other weeks you might feel stuck. That's normal. We don't expect you to get better in a straight line, and you shouldn't expect that from yourself either.
You might be scared that we won't be able to help you. That's a fair fear, especially if therapy hasn't worked before. But here's something people don't expect: many of our clients feel a bit better after just the first session. Not "cured" just lighter. There's something powerful about saying out loud why you're here, what's been happening, and what you're hoping for.
This isn't about fixing you. It's about understanding you and working together to build the life you actually want.
Your First Sesssion
First sessions can feel awkward. You're talking about personal things with someone new. We get it. We're a little nervous too. We want to make sure you feel understood and that we're communicating we can help.
All the paperwork gets handled before your first session, so when we meet, we can focus entirely on you.
We'll talk about what brought you in, your past experiences in therapy (if you've been before), the people who matter most to you, patterns that have been difficult, and what you're hoping will be different.
We'll also start exploring what you hope will look different in the future. How will you know therapy is working? What do you need from us to support that change?
Then together, we'll craft goals that actually align with what matters to you. This is a team effort. You're the expert on your own life. We're here to support you, offer insight, and provide tools, but you're in the driver's seat.
Most people leave the first session feeling a bit lighter. Not fixed, just heard.
You might also feel nervous and vulnerable. That's normal too. Give yourself some credit for showing up.
How Therapy Works
Most people start with weekly sessions. That consistency helps build momentum. As things improve, we often move to every other week.
Therapy isn't forever. Some people stay for years. Others come for a couple of months, go out and live life, and then reach back out when something new comes up. Both are completely fine.
Here's what therapy might include: listening, really listening, teaching coping skills and practicing them together, reflecting back what we hear, offering observations when we notice patterns, exploring pros and cons when you're working through a decision, actively processing traumatic incidents, challenging unhelpful thoughts and beliefs, helping you understand emotions and what they feel like in your body, and providing a safe place to think things through without judgment.
The hard part? It's taking all that work and applying it to your actual life. Making changes. Using coping skills when you're stressed. Confronting fears. Setting boundaries. Doing the thing that feels uncomfortable because it's what you need.
That's the work. And it's not easy. But you won't be doing it alone.
What Changes for You
When you show up and do the work, things change.
You start understanding yourself on a deeper level: why you think the way you do, why your relationships always seem to go a certain way, what patterns keep showing up and where they came from.
You build the confidence to have hard conversations. The ones you've been avoiding. The boundaries you need to set. Our clients tell us this all the time, they're able to confront difficult conversations they never thought they could handle.
You actually feel proud of yourself. When you use the tools you've learned and they work? When you handle something differently than you used to? That pride is real. And it builds on itself.
You get unstuck. Those patterns that kept you spinning, you learn how to break them. You start making different decisions. Better ones. Ones that are actually yours.
You reconnect with your bright light. The confidence. The clarity. The strength to advocate for yourself and live a life that feels full, meaningful, and truly yours.
Therapy for Teens: Your Safe Space to Figure Life Out
Being a teen right now is overwhelming. You're trying to figure out who you are while dealing with school pressure, friend drama, family expectations, and a world that feels like it's constantly judging you.
Maybe you're struggling with anxiety or depression. Maybe you don't recognize yourself anymore. Maybe you just need somewhere you can be honest without worrying about what everyone thinks.
We work with teens navigating:
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Anxiety and panic attacks
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Depression and low mood
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Self-esteem and body image
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Friendship conflicts and social pressure
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Family relationship struggles
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School stress and academic pressure
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Identity and sexuality questions
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Self-harm or suicidal thoughts
Therapy for teens isn't about fixing you or telling you what to do. It's about having a space where you can actually talk about what's going on. The stuff you can't say to your parents or friends. Where you don't have to pretend everything's fine when it's not.
We'll work together at your pace. Some teens want tools right away. Others need time to just talk and feel heard. Both are okay.
And when it helps, we'll work with your parents too, not to tell them everything you say, but to help them understand your world better so home feels less like a battlefield.
Therapy for College Students: Navigating Your Path to Adulthood
College is supposed to be the best time of your life. But it's also really hard. You're making huge decisions about your future while trying to balance classes, work, relationships, and figuring out who you actually are outside of what you've always been told to be.
The freedom is exciting. It's also terrifying.
You might be dealing with:
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Who am I beyond what my parents expected?
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What do I actually want to do with my life?
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How do I adult when no one taught me how?
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What career path is right for me?
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How do I balance everything without burning out?
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Am I on the right track, or should I change direction?
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How do I maintain relationships while I'm changing?
These aren't easy questions. And you don't have to have the answers right now.
In therapy, we'll work together to:
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Manage stress and anxiety that comes with all this pressure
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Explore what you actually value (not what you're supposed to value)
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Build confidence in your own decision-making
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Work through relationship struggles
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Address depression, anxiety, or other mental health concerns
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Figure out how to move forward when you feel stuck
This is your life to build. We're just here to help you figure out what that looks like for you.
Counseling for Adults: Navigating Life's Complexities
Life as an adult rarely looks like what you thought it would. You're managing career pressures, relationship struggles, family responsibilities, and trying to figure out what you actually want, all while feeling like you should have it more figured out by now.
You don't need to have it all figured out.
You might be navigating:
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Career transitions or feeling stuck in your work
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Relationship conflicts or feeling disconnected from your partner
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Balancing family responsibilities with your own needs
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Loss, grief, or major life changes
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Anxiety, depression, or burnout
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Feeling like you're going through the motions but not really living
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Wanting personal growth but not knowing where to start
In our sessions, we'll work together to:
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Develop real strategies for managing stress
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Understand patterns in your relationships and your own life
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Improve communication so you can actually connect with the people who matter
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Process difficult emotions instead of just pushing through
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Work through anxiety and depression
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Set goals that align with what you actually want, not what you think you should want
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Therapy isn't about someone telling you how to live your life. It's about having space to figure out what your life should look like and supporting you as you work toward building it.
You Don't Need to Have it All Figured Out
You don't need to know exactly what's wrong. You don't need the perfect words to describe what you're feeling. You don't need to have a clear plan or specific goals mapped out.
You just need to show up.
And please, don't apologize for crying. We can sit with you and all your emotions. That's what we're here for.
You have permission to be unapologetically you in this space. Messy, confused, uncertain, overwhelmed, whatever you're bringing, it's welcome here.
Meet Our Therapists
Let's rediscover your Bright Light.
Even if right now, hope feels hard to hold onto, we believe you can get there.
Whether you're in Chicago, Austin, or joining us for online therapy from anywhere in Illinois, Texas, Indiana, Colorado, Wisconsin, Virginia, or Florida - we're here when you're ready.
Insurance & Fees: We accept most major insurance plans and we accept self-pay and offer reduce rates. Learn more about insurance and fees here.
You don't need to keep carrying this alone.