Mindful Life Counseling

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says during an interview: “Representation isn’t something I’m interested in anymore. I’m not interested in being repres...
04/19/2026

says during an interview:

“Representation isn’t something I’m interested in anymore. I’m not interested in being represented within a broken system. I’ve let go of the illusion that just being in the room changes anything. Often being in the room just changes you.

Rather than being represented in the structures that already exist. I’m really excited in reimagining them. Doing our own thing. I think less about knocking on the door to being allowed in and more about building my own house now”.

Damn these words hit deep 🫶🏽.

This is what is about; we built our own home, our own community and to the team, thank you for daring to reimagine everyday.

Liberation work asks us to be here for the long haul, y’all. That means we have to recognize somatic work as part of our...
03/04/2026

Liberation work asks us to be here for the long haul, y’all. That means we have to recognize somatic work as part of our responsibility to the liberation movement.

A lot of times what happens is we react to injustice, we get flooded by it, then we dissociate to cope… and then we react again. That cycle is understandable but it’s NOT sustainable. If we want to stay in this work, we have to move toward sustainability, regulation, and collective care.

Yoga philosophies have always called us into awareness, accountability, and relationship with ourselves and with the world. (Note: which is very different from how wellness culture appropriates yoga as a way to escape or check out). These practices help us stay present with the full range of what we’re feeling; anger, grief, despair, and channel that into grounded, LONG-TERM advocacy.

Members of our team took time to honor the roots of movement, sound, and breath as a practice of sustainability and as a way of embracing anti-burnout, anti-urgency, & mission-sustaining work ethic (credit language to )

Practicing somatic work with intention isn’t self-indulgence during these political times, period. It’s part of the work. One can’t exist without the other.

We hope this gives you permission to engage in movement, sound, & breath in the way that feels best for you… so we can all stay in this liberation work for the long haul 🫶🏽.

01/07/2026

“Come here, authenticity. Be with me in 2026.”

Authenticity is about congruency when our values, thoughts, feelings, and actions all line up. It’s how we show up as from our most highest and grounded self.

& as therapists, this is the kind of authenticity we intentionally bring into the therapy space.

Why does it matter that your therapist is authentic in session?

Because when we are, we’re clearer and more accountable in how we show up. That means being honest about our experience while staying open to hearing yours.

We’re not playing the role of the expert but instead we show up as real people. That means you can disagree without us getting defensive, and we invite you to challenge or correct us while we respond with curiosity and care.

We model authenticity so together, we can build a sense of realness both inside and outside the therapy space. What great way to walk into 2026 🫶🏽



BIPOCTherapy

12/28/2025

We jumped on the trend!

Y’all are probably nodding to the 👆🏽b/c we already know why patriarchy should be dismantled (it doesn’t just harm women and marginalized genders but it also confines men). But why is it so f-in hard to let go of it, even when we know it’s hurting everyone?

B/c patriarchy lives in ALL of our nervous systems.

Letting go of patriarchy asks men to:
🌀 grieve identities they were promised would keep them safe
🌀 risk vulnerability when they have historically been punished them for it
🌀 move toward interdependence when worth = independence.

** All identities patriarchy itself created and rewarded **

For everyone else, patriarchy has required women and marginalized genders to survive through overfunctioning, caretaking, accommodation, shrinking, and self-abandonment. Letting go of patriarchy would mean re-evaluating identities built around endurance and sacrifice, and DARING to want more in systems that have historically retaliated against that desire! It means trusting ANGER, grief, and our needs when the patriarchal system labels it as “too much”.

Dismantling patriarchy requires unlearning what all of our bodies have learned about power, safety, intimacy, and belonging. And that kind of unlearning is slow, uncomfortable, somatic, and deeply relational.

12/23/2025

What a year it’s been! This year we held space for each other & our clients with the collective lows AND we also shared our collective highs! It’s as important to celebrate connection & joy during these times and we did just that. Loved celebrating everyone’s professional wins this year. Thank you for sharing, MLC team! 🫶🏽

Huge huge huge congratulations to Tiffani Clay, LCPC & Sylvia Chen, LCSW!! Tiffani joined MLC in 2022 & Sylvia joined ML...
12/16/2025

Huge huge huge congratulations to Tiffani Clay, LCPC & Sylvia Chen, LCSW!!

Tiffani joined MLC in 2022 & Sylvia joined MLC in 2023 and we’ve had the honor of witnessing them work towards full licensure which is so exciting!! As part of MLC’s supervision curriculum, they attended weekly clinical supervision, bi-weekly triadic clinical supervision, and monthly group supervision. They’ve spent time, care, & intention in learning & unlearning to get to this point and we’re thrilled to celebrate them! Congratulations, to you both!!







This year, turned 5️⃣.Back in 2020, many people told me not to center a therapy practice on decolonization, racial trau...
12/13/2025

This year, turned 5️⃣.

Back in 2020, many people told me not to center a therapy practice on decolonization, racial trauma, or a focus on care for clients of color and q***r clients of color. I was encouraged to focus on a “broader demographic,” which really meant centering dominant identities, otherwise it would be seen as exclusionary, unethical, or unfair.

I kept hearing the same unsolicited messages:
therapy shouldn’t be political,
therapy shouldn’t be radical,
and building a business around social justice values wasn’t “smart.”

If something is built for the people already at the center, no one questions it. But when it’s built for people on the margins, folks freak the F out lol.

Thankfully, I didn’t listen. I trusted my gut. & I surrounded myself with an amaaaazing team of folks who were committed to this work. & now here we are, 5 years later unapologetically thriving 🔥.

11/26/2025

How often do we name the ways psychology has historically pathologized the real lives of marginalized people?

EVERYDAY!!

Here’s our MLC library:

📚Writing for a Liberation Psychology by Ignacio Martin-Barió

📚Anti-Racist Psychotherapy: Confronting Systemic Racism and Healing Racial Trauma by

📚My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by

📚Decolonizing Therapy: Oppression, Historical Trauma, and Politicizing Your Practice by Jennifer Mullan, PsyD

📚Restorative Yoga for Ethnic and Race-Based Stress and Trauma by

📚The Racial Healing Handbook by

📚Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice by

📚The S*x Talk: A Muslim’s Guide to Healthy S*x & Relationships by

11/26/2025

Mindful Life Counseling started as a vision, a space where therapists could show up as their full selves.
Where humanity, identity, culture, community weren’t add ons to someone’s care but were the foundation.

But a vision is just an idea until people breathe life into it. And this team… this community… is the reason that vision became real. We created this space together thoughtfully and authentically.

To the Mindful Life team, we see you 🫶🏽

Hugest congratulations to two of MLC’s clinicians for becoming fully licensed!! Luz Maria Miranda, LCPC & Mellany de Med...
08/12/2025

Hugest congratulations to two of MLC’s clinicians for becoming fully licensed!! Luz Maria Miranda, LCPC & Mellany de Medeiros Nones, LCPC 🎉

Luz joined MLC in 2022 after graduate school and it’s been so amazing to watch them achieve this milestone! As part of MLC’s supervision curriculum, Luz attended weekly clinical supervision with Alex, bi-weekly triadic clinical supervision with Masuma, and monthly group supervision w/ folks on the team. Luz leads by example & MLC is only better with her here. We’re eternally grateful they’re part of the team ❤️.

Mellany joined us this year & we’re so honored she chose MLC to continue her journey 🥹. In the short time Mellany has been here, we can’t imagine MLC w/o her!

MLC summer outing 🦋. Doing the work we do, especially how we value embodiment work, isn’t easy while witnessing the horr...
08/09/2025

MLC summer outing 🦋. Doing the work we do, especially how we value embodiment work, isn’t easy while witnessing the horror all around us. We show up everyday for ourselves, each other, & our clients in a way that has felt harder than ever.

There are a lot of things we don’t have control over right now that directly impact us, our identities, and our communities. What we can control is who we’re in community with. And I am honored to be in community with the MLC team ❤️

HUGE HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO ERKA CHAVEZ, LCSW!!!Erika joined MLC in 2022 right out of graduate school, and we’ve had th...
05/20/2025

HUGE HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO ERKA CHAVEZ, LCSW!!!

Erika joined MLC in 2022 right out of graduate school, and we’ve had the privilege of watching her grow into the amazing (and heavily sought-after!) therapist she is today. As part of MLC’s supervision curriculum, she attended weekly clinical supervision with Alex, bi-weekly triadic clinical supervision with Masuma, and monthly group supervision w/ folks on the team—not to mention offering support to her peers who were learning and growing alongside her. Working with her is truly a gift.

Congratulations, Erika, LCSW!! —we are honored to celebrate you!

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444 N Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL
60611

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