Head Heart Therapy

Head Heart Therapy "The longest journey that a man must take in his lifetime is the 18 inches from his head to his heart." -Anonymous

Head/Heart Therapy is a group therapy practice specializing in the treatment of adults and adolescents struggling with shame, addiction, mood/anxiety disorders, and many other difficulties of life. We aim to increase our clients’ capacity for self-compassion, empowerment and efficacy by helping diminish unnecessary suffering. We use an eclectic variety of modalities to address the unique needs of each person who seeks our support, whether they stem from psychological, emotional or spiritual dis-ease. Head/Heart Therapy provides a foundation of serenity, understanding and balance. Our therapists offer a unique set of skills to provide integrative, holistic care in a healing environment. Sarah Buino, LCSW, RDDP, CADC, CDWF is a speaker, teacher, therapist and the founder of Head/Heart Therapy in Chicago. She is a licensed clinical social worker, registered dual diagnosis professional, certified addictions counselor, NARM Therapist and a Certified Daring Way facilitator. She holds a masters degree from Loyola University in Chicago and specializes in shame, trauma, and substance use disorders. She has trained in a variety of therapy modalities including: NARM (neuro-affective relational model), sensorimotor psychotherapy, comprehensive energy psychology, psychodrama/experiential therapy, and shame-resilience. She uses these modalities as a framework to support resilience within her clients and create a space for self-knowledge and growth. Sarah is a member of the adjunct faculty at Loyola University Chicago, Fordham University and presents on topics such as shame, trauma and addiction to therapists all over the country. She’s also the host of two podcasts: Conversations With a Wounded Healer which examines the role of one’s own healing while being a care-giving professional. And Transforming Trauma, a podcast by the NARM Training Institute about thriving after trauma. Sarah integrates her knowledge of complementary healing modalities such as music, yoga, reiki, and the chakra system into her clinical practice to help clients enhance connection with their authentic selves. From an early age, Sarah began to share the stage with her mother who was a professional singer. She sings in a local Chicago band and has utilized her musical skills in therapy interventions at various addiction treatment centers in the city.

Happy birthday, Laila 🎉Wishing you a year full of softness, laughter that spills over, and moments that feel grounding a...
03/10/2026

Happy birthday, Laila 🎉
Wishing you a year full of softness, laughter that spills over, and moments that feel grounding and true. May today remind you just how deeply valued, seen, and celebrated you are. 💛

Let’s say something out loud.A lot of what gets labeled anxiety in women is actually a trauma response.Hypervigilance. P...
03/08/2026

Let’s say something out loud.

A lot of what gets labeled anxiety in women is actually a trauma response.

Hypervigilance. People pleasing. Over-functioning in relationships. Emotional shape-shifting so no one gets upset.

That did not come out of nowhere.

Many women and femmes were socialized to manage everyone else’s feelings before their own. In families. In romantic relationships. In workplaces. In systems that reward compliance and punish boundaries.

That constant emotional labor wires the nervous system. It shows up as burnout, resentment, shame, addiction, depression, relationship conflict.

Then we pathologize it.

As a trauma-informed therapy practice in Chicago, we work with women healing from C-PTSD, relational trauma, addiction rooted in survival, and long histories of self-abandonment.

In individual therapy, we slow down the nervous system and untangle the survival strategies.

In relational therapy, we look at the dynamics that keep repeating and teach communication that does not require shrinking.

And yes, sometimes that includes reclaiming anger. Not explosive anger. Not harmful anger. But clean anger. The kind that protects your boundaries and tells the truth.

If this post makes you uncomfortable, good. Sit with that.

If it makes you feel seen, even better.

If you are ready for trauma therapy in Chicago that addresses emotional labor, relational trauma, and the real cost of survival patterns, we are here.

Link in bio to connect.

Happy birthday, Karissa 🎉Wishing you a year filled with joy that feels embodied, ease that settles into your bones, and ...
03/05/2026

Happy birthday, Karissa 🎉

Wishing you a year filled with joy that feels embodied, ease that settles into your bones, and moments that remind you how powerful and appreciated you are. Hope today celebrates you in all the ways you deserve. 💛

Let’s talk about the word difficult.In clinical history, women were institutionalized for expressing anger. For grieving...
03/04/2026

Let’s talk about the word difficult.

In clinical history, women were institutionalized for expressing anger. For grieving too loudly. For not complying. For wanting autonomy.

In family systems, women are often expected to carry the emotional labor and keep the peace. When they stop doing that, it gets uncomfortable. Fast.

In relationships, setting boundaries can shift dynamics that were built on self-sacrifice. That shift can feel threatening to people who benefited from the old version of you.

And when you are a woman navigating trauma, racial oppression, addiction recovery, or LGBTQIA+ identity, the pressure to shrink gets layered.

There is personal trauma.
There is relational trauma.
There is systemic pressure.

So when a woman says no.
When she leaves.
When she names harm.
When she takes up space.

That is not pathology.
That is agency.

As a trauma-informed therapy practice in Chicago, we work with many women unpacking shame around being labeled too much. Too sensitive. Too intense. Too emotional.

Most of the time, what we actually see is a nervous system that adapted to survive and is now learning how to exist without self-abandonment.

This month we honor the women who were called difficult.

They moved history forward.

If you are looking for trauma therapy in Chicago rooted in liberation, depth, and accountability, we are here.

Link in bio to connect.

Kindness has a way of settling into the body.Sometimes it’s the moment someone noticed you without being asked.Or when c...
03/03/2026

Kindness has a way of settling into the body.

Sometimes it’s the moment someone noticed you without being asked.
Or when care showed up without conditions, advice, or urgency.

Those moments matter because safety matters.
Being seen matters.
And nervous systems remember when someone helped carry the weight.

If a person comes to mind, name them.
Share the moment.
Tag them and let them know their presence made a difference.

During Social Work Month, we want to pause and name the people who keep showing up anyway.Chicago social workers are in ...
03/02/2026

During Social Work Month, we want to pause and name the people who keep showing up anyway.

Chicago social workers are in hospitals, schools, private practices, community agencies, courtrooms, shelters, and living rooms. They sit with trauma. They navigate broken systems. They advocate when it would be easier to look away.

This profession asks for heart and backbone at the same time.

In our work as trauma-informed therapists in Chicago, we see how social workers hold space for C-PTSD, addiction, racial trauma, relational conflict, grief, and the quiet shame so many people carry. We see the long hours. The paperwork. The emotional labor. The constant recalibrating between empathy and accountability.

Real social work is depth work.

It is harm reduction conversations that respect autonomy.
It is gender-affirming mental health care that protects dignity.
It is relational therapy that helps people repair instead of retreat.
It is liberation-focused therapy that understands trauma does not happen in a vacuum.

And it requires ongoing self-work. The kind that asks us to examine our own bias, our own patterns, our own nervous systems. The kind that keeps us honest.

To the social workers across Chicago doing trauma-informed care, addiction therapy, community mental health, and anti-oppressive clinical work: we see you. Your steadiness matters. Your integrity matters. The healing village you help build every day matters.

If you are looking for trauma-informed therapy in Chicago rooted in liberation and depth, we would be honored to walk alongside you.

Click the link in bio to connect.

You don’t need to summarize this month.You don’t need a lesson, a takeaway, or a silver lining.Some months are just some...
02/28/2026

You don’t need to summarize this month.

You don’t need a lesson, a takeaway, or a silver lining.
Some months are just something you move through.

If your energy changed, that makes sense.
If things felt quiet, heavy, or unfinished, that makes sense too.

This space isn’t asking you to do better.
It’s offering you permission to be where you are.

Save this if you need it later.
Or name one word that fits today.

02/25/2026

Sometimes the laugh is support.
Sometimes the notes are concern.
Both mean your therapist is paying attention.

Save this if you’ve ever realized mid-joke that you might actually need to talk about it.

Black mental health history includes innovation, not just survival.When access to formal care was denied, Black communit...
02/24/2026

Black mental health history includes innovation, not just survival.

When access to formal care was denied, Black communities created spaces of listening, belonging, and emotional support anyway.

This is community care.
This is mental health wisdom.

Share it with someone who has been part of your healing.

Speaking up can be exhausting.Staying silent costs more.If you are tired, that does not mean you are weak.It means you a...
02/20/2026

Speaking up can be exhausting.
Staying silent costs more.

If you are tired, that does not mean you are weak.
It means you are paying attention.

Resistance does not always look like shouting.
Sometimes it looks like naming what is happening, protecting your people, and refusing to play along.

You are allowed to take up space.
Even now. Especially now.

Pride does not always shout.Sometimes it breathes.It lives in memory, in laughter, in the way we carry one another forwa...
02/17/2026

Pride does not always shout.
Sometimes it breathes.

It lives in memory, in laughter, in the way we carry one another forward.
In what was protected.
In what survived.
In what continues.

Being Black is history, presence, and becoming.
And that is something to honor.

Hold onto this if you need it today. Share it gently with someone you love.

Address

Chicago, IL

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 9pm
Tuesday 7am - 9pm
Wednesday 7am - 9pm
Thursday 7am - 9pm
Friday 7am - 6pm
Saturday 8am - 5pm
Sunday 8am - 5pm

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