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.

The "self-made" narrative of healing is actually pretty exhausting.You spend an hour a week in individual therapy doing ...
04/20/2026

The "self-made" narrative of healing is actually pretty exhausting.

You spend an hour a week in individual therapy doing the heavy lifting, but then you go home to the same dynamic that triggered your shame and guilt in the first place. It feels like you’re trying to grow a garden in a drought. When your relational stress or family patterns aren't being addressed alongside your personal growth, the progress can feel slow and incredibly lonely. This is especially true for folks in non-traditional relationship structures or the LGBTQIA+ community in Chicago, where finding a truly safe and understanding "village" is already a challenge.

At Head Heart, we lean into the power of our Healing Village. We believe that complex recovery thrives when it's rooted in connection. For National Counseling Awareness Month, we want to highlight that couples therapy and family therapy aren't just for fixing "problems." They are about creating an environment where everyone understands the C-PTSD or addiction journey and can actually support the transformation instead of accidentally blocking it. We use experiential therapies to help you and your people find a new way of being together.

You deserve to have a support system that actually knows how to hold you. By bringing your relationships into the room, we help you bridge that gap between individual insights and real-world, daily support.

If you’re in Illinois and ready to stop doing this the hard way, we are here to help you and your loved ones build something stronger. Tap the link in our bio to see how our group therapy practice can support your entire ecosystem.

You know you're stressed. But do you know what that stress is actually doing to you?It's not just the racing thoughts or...
04/17/2026

You know you're stressed. But do you know what that stress is actually doing to you?

It's not just the racing thoughts or the tight chest. Chronic stress rewires your brain, settles into your body, and shows up in your relationships in ways you might not even connect to stress at all. The irritability. The exhaustion that sleep doesn't fix. The feeling of being completely checked out from your own life.

Here's what we want you to hear today: your stress response isn't a failure. It's your nervous system trying to protect you. But when that protection never turns off, it starts costing you more than it's giving.

At Head Heart, we work with you to bridge the gap between what your head knows ("I'm safe") and what your body still feels ("I'm not"). Through somatic therapies, mindfulness-based approaches, and good old-fashioned depth work, we help you build a new relationship with your nervous system, one rooted in compassion, not white-knuckling through another day.

Tap the link in our bio to book a consultation today. 🤎

04/15/2026

Most people look at the behavior and see a character flaw, but we see someone who was just trying to stay afloat when the water got too deep.

Nobody wakes up and decides they want to struggle with a substance. Usually, they just wake up and realize they can’t handle the weight of their own history for one more second without some kind of relief. At Head Heart Therapy in Chicago, we operate from the core belief that addiction is born out of trauma. When you are navigating the heavy, suffocating layers of C-PTSD or long-term shame and guilt, your brain naturally searches for a way to breathe. It looks for any buffer that promises a minute of air, even if that same buffer eventually starts to hurt more than it helps.

Instead of looking at this as a moral failing or a lack of discipline, we recognize it as a human response to unbearable pain. Our work involves looking at the wound that made the survival strategy necessary in the first place. Using a liberation-focused orientation and modalities like NARM, we provide a space for folks in Illinois to finally untangle their survival from their identity. We offer a skillful balance of empathy and accountability because we know you can’t shame yourself into a version of yourself that you actually want to inhabit.

You deserve to find a way to stay present in your life without needing to numb out just to survive the day. If you’re ready to look at the "why" behind the "what," our group therapy practice is here to walk that path with you.

Tap the link in our bio to learn more about our addiction and trauma support at our practice in Chicago, IL.

You can spend years in therapy understanding "why" you are anxious, and still wake up in a cold sweat.For Sexual Assault...
04/13/2026

You can spend years in therapy understanding "why" you are anxious, and still wake up in a cold sweat.

For Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, we need to get very honest about one crucial fact: your body does not possess a "forget" button. While your logical head might have processed the event, trauma often takes up residence deep within the structure of your nervous system. That's why certain sounds, textures, or looks can immediately send you into a spiral of hypervigilance, even years after the trauma from sexual violence occurred.

At Head Heart, we specialize in bridge-building. We know that your head logically knows you are safe, but your heart is still bracing for impact. We use somatic therapies because you cannot talk your way out of a nervous system response. Our approach is gentle and deeply rooted in a healing village mentality. We work with you to slowly help your body discharge that stuck trauma response so you can finally begin to feel present in your own skin again without needing to numb out. This is the raw work of reclaiming agency and treating you as the unique individual you are.

If you or someone you know needs immediate support, the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago offers a 24/7 R**e Crisis Hotline and healing-centered services. You can reach them here: https://ywcachicago.org/advancing-healing-safety-and-belonging -crisis-hotline 🤎

If you are ready to let your body unlearn the survival strategies of the past, we are here to support your healing journey. Whether you are dealing with mood disorders, relational stress, or the intricate complexities of C-PTSD, our specialized care can help. Tap the link in our bio to book a consultation today.

TheBodyRemembers TraumaRecovery

04/11/2026

Kindness is often the quiet choice.

It shows up in moments where it would be easy to rush, judge, or look away.
Most people are carrying more than they know how to name.

This is a reminder that how we speak, move, and respond can either add weight or offer relief.
You don’t need the full story to choose care.

If someone comes to mind who leads with kindness, tag them.
And if that someone is you today, let that be enough.

You're not broken. You're just made up of parts that have been doing their absolute best to protect you, sometimes in wa...
04/09/2026

You're not broken. You're just made up of parts that have been doing their absolute best to protect you, sometimes in ways that helped back then but hurt right now.

That's the heart of IFS therapy. Internal Family Systems is built on the idea that every behavior, every defense mechanism, every pattern you wish you could stop… is actually a part of you trying to keep you safe from something painful.

IFS doesn't ask you to fight yourself. It asks you to get curious about yourself. And that shift, from judgment to curiosity, is where the real healing starts.

Link in bio to connect with our team.

Happy birthday, Joanna 🎉Wishing you a year full of warmth, meaningful moments, and laughter that feels easy and real. Ho...
04/06/2026

Happy birthday, Joanna 🎉

Wishing you a year full of warmth, meaningful moments, and laughter that feels easy and real. Hope today reminds you just how loved and celebrated you are. 💛

Happy birthday, Sheila 🎉Wishing you a year filled with ease, bright laughter, and moments that bring you back to yoursel...
04/05/2026

Happy birthday, Sheila 🎉
Wishing you a year filled with ease, bright laughter, and moments that bring you back to yourself. May today be a reminder of how deeply appreciated, supported, and celebrated you truly are. 💛

Venting to a friend for three hours can feel like a temporary exhale, but that heavy weight in your gut is usually still...
04/02/2026

Venting to a friend for three hours can feel like a temporary exhale, but that heavy weight in your gut is usually still there when you wake up the next morning.

We truly value the importance of a solid support system, but for National Counseling Awareness Month, we have to be honest about why "just talking" can eventually start to feel like running on a treadmill. You’re putting in the effort and you’re exhausted, yet you’re essentially standing in the same place. Real, transformative healing requires a bit more than just a weekly gripe session; it takes a deep dive into who you actually are under all those layers of expectation and survival.

Here at Head Heart Therapy, we aren't interested in surface-level fixes that only last until your next trigger hits. We are a practice that prioritizes therapies of depth. When you work with our team specialists who understand the complex intersection of addiction, C-PTSD, and liberation-focused therapy, the conversation changes. We move beyond the frustrations of the week and start looking at how to rewire the way you actually experience your life. By using somatic therapies and experiential approaches, we help you move past the logic in your head so your heart can finally find some alignment.

You deserve a space that doesn't just hold your stories, but helps you dismantle the shame and guilt that have been running the show for way too long. Let’s get past the surface-level chat and start the work that actually shifts the narrative.

I’m so proud to serve on the board of Sista Afya Community Care, a Chicago nonprofit that provides culturally responsive...
03/31/2026

I’m so proud to serve on the board of Sista Afya Community Care, a Chicago nonprofit that provides culturally responsive mental wellness support for women and creates spaces where women can feel seen, supported, and connected.

On May 30, we’re hosting the Women Rising Wellness Festival at the Gary Comer Youth Center.

This is a full day designed for women to take a breath, reconnect with themselves, and access mental wellness resources, movement, and community in one place.

What makes this especially meaningful is that Sista Afya is committed to making sure cost is never a barrier, so women from across Chicago can be part of it.

I hope you’ll join us or support the event. ✨

Trans Day of Visibility is important. Representation matters. Joy matters. Being named and celebrated matters.And.For ma...
03/31/2026

Trans Day of Visibility is important. Representation matters. Joy matters. Being named and celebrated matters.

And.

For many trans and gender expansive people, visibility has come with consequences. Harassment. Family rupture. Workplace discrimination. Policy attacks. Chronic misgendering that slowly wears down the nervous system.

That is not just social stress. That is trauma.

When your identity is politicized, your body adapts. Hypervigilance. Bracing in public spaces. Reading every room before you exhale. That does not mean you are fragile. It means your system has learned to protect you.

As a Chicago trauma-informed therapy practice, we believe visibility without safety is incomplete. Gender-affirming therapy should address minority stress, relational trauma, C-PTSD, and the real impact of living in a body that has been debated.

Trans mental health deserves more than tolerance. It deserves attuned, anti-oppressive, liberation-focused care.

If you’re trans or gender expansive in Illinois and looking for affirming therapy, reach out. You deserve safety in your body and in your healing.

Some of you did not just “find yourselves.”You had to fight to exist.To say your name out loud.To correct someone.To com...
03/30/2026

Some of you did not just “find yourselves.”

You had to fight to exist.

To say your name out loud.
To correct someone.
To come out.
To stay.
To leave.
To choose yourself when it cost you something.

For many LGBTQIA+ folks, especially trans and gender expansive people, pride is not about aesthetics. It is about survival. It is about waking up in a world that debates your humanity and still deciding you deserve joy.

That kind of resilience does not come from nowhere. It comes from navigating family rejection, religious harm, systemic discrimination, relational trauma. It comes from building chosen family. It comes from learning how to regulate a nervous system that has had to brace for impact.

If you are carrying C-PTSD, shame, or exhaustion from constantly defending who you are, that makes sense. Your body adapted to survive.

In our Chicago therapy practice, we offer gender-affirming, trauma-informed therapy for LGBTQIA+ clients who are ready to move from survival into something steadier. Individual therapy. Relational therapy. Community rooted care.

You deserve more than visibility. You deserve safety in your body and in your relationships.

If you are in Illinois and looking for affirming trauma therapy, we are here.

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

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Head Heart Therapy posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Head Heart Therapy:

Shortcuts

Share

Category