Chicago Compass Counseling, LLC

Chicago Compass Counseling, LLC Discover powerful change. Solution-focused online therapy in Chicago, IL. Our mission is to help our clients create the lives they want to live.

We are dedicated to helping people free themselves from the cycle of self-destructive behavior. We want our clients to feel purpose, meaning, and value in their daily experience. This means we reject any "one size fits all model" for behavior change. Our VIP-level service is tailored to each client at their current level of readiness to change. We believe that ALL people are capable of change. Whether our client is engaging problem behavior or is the loved one of someone who is struggling, we are here to provide evidence-based support, connection, and a path towards integrity for anyone who has suffered from the effects of problem behaviors. Sometimes our client is an individual, and at other times, our client is the family system. We practice harm reduction with clients who are ambivalent about changing. We believe that each one of our clients can achieve value-based living.

Most people do not need a therapist who follows a script.They need a therapist who listens deeply enough to understand w...
12/20/2025

Most people do not need a therapist who follows a script.
They need a therapist who listens deeply enough to understand what their system has been carrying. The pressure, the survival strategies, the identity wounds, the things they were never allowed to say out loud.

This is why an integrative approach matters.
EMDR helps when your body is still bracing for impact.
IFS helps when different parts of you are pulling in different directions.
Relational therapy helps when the world has taught you to shrink or overperform.

When these approaches work together, something shifts. You stop trying to fight your reactions and start understanding them. You stop internalizing blame and start recognizing patterns. You stop surviving on autopilot and begin reconnecting with your own clarity.

If you want trauma therapy that feels human, grounded, and culturally responsive, you deserve support that honors your full story.

Use the link in our bio to explore whether this blend of care is right for you.






RelationalTherapy
LiberationFocusedTherapy
SomaticHealingChicago

So many people walk through therapy doors already convinced they are the issue. They have spent years being told they ar...
12/17/2025

So many people walk through therapy doors already convinced they are the issue. They have spent years being told they are dramatic, sensitive, cold, angry, or “too much.” By the time they sit in a therapist’s office, they are bracing for confirmation that the problem really is them.

But here is what actually happens in early sessions: the moment someone tells the truth about their anxiety, their relationships, their boundaries, or the pressures they carry, it becomes clear their reactions are not random or defective. They are responses to a lifetime of gaslighting, cultural expectations, power dynamics, and survival.

Therapy is not about fixing you.
It is about understanding you.

This is the work that helps people feel less afraid of their own emotions and more connected to their inner clarity. This is where self trust starts to rebuild. And when therapy is trauma informed, culturally responsive, and liberation centered, the healing feels like relief instead of judgment.

If you are exhausted from assuming something is wrong with you, there is another way.
Use the link in our bio to take the next step toward support that actually fits your life and your story.








12/13/2025

The holiday season can activate old expectations that were never yours to begin with. Many women of color and folks with marginalized identities carry inherited pressure to keep the peace, stay agreeable, perform gratitude, or soften their needs for the comfort of others. That kind of inner criticism does not come from nowhere. It is learned, modeled, and often rewarded in environments shaped by oppression and survival.

This time of year can make that criticism louder.
You may notice yourself overexplaining.
Overcommitting.
Shrinking.
Questioning whether your boundaries make you “difficult.”
Wondering if you are asking for too much when you are actually asking for the bare minimum.

In trauma informed, liberation focused therapy, the work is not about pushing away those patterns. It is about understanding where they came from and reconnecting with the parts of you that were never meant to be silenced. When you see the origins of that inner critic, it becomes easier to choose yourself with less apology and more clarity.

If the holidays bring up old roles, old stories, or old versions of you that no longer fit, support is available at your pace and on your terms.

Use the link in our bio to begin reconnecting with your voice, your boundaries, and your self worth.








There comes a point in healing where talking helps you understand the pain but does not fully move it. You can name the ...
12/10/2025

There comes a point in healing where talking helps you understand the pain but does not fully move it. You can name the patterns, name the trauma, name the survival strategies. Yet your body still reacts like the danger is happening right now.

That does not mean you failed therapy.
It means your nervous system needs a different kind of support.

EMDR therapy helps when your mind has done all the work it can, but your body is still carrying the weight. It is not about reliving the past or pushing yourself to “get over it.” It is a trauma informed therapy that lets your system release what has been stuck without overwhelming you. And when done through a culturally responsive, liberation centered lens, EMDR can feel less like a clinical technique and more like a return to yourself.

If you are ready for trauma therapy that honors your story, your identities, and your pace, EMDR may be the path forward.

Use the link in our bio to book a consultation and explore whether EMDR is the right next step for you.








So many high achieving women of color sit across from Christine and whisper the same quiet fear.“Why do I feel like this...
12/06/2025

So many high achieving women of color sit across from Christine and whisper the same quiet fear.
“Why do I feel like this when my life looks fine?”

Because the world taught you to achieve.
It did not teach you how to feel safe.

Trauma for women of color often hides behind competence. You keep moving, keep excelling, keep being the one everyone leans on. Meanwhile your nervous system is doing its best to hold the pieces together. When that finally cracks, it can feel like something is wrong with you. The truth is much kinder. Nothing is wrong with you. You were navigating pressure, cultural expectations, and emotional labor that no one ever acknowledged.

Christine’s trauma informed, identity aware approach honors that complexity. She helps clients unlearn the shame, self doubt, and anxiety that come from being told to stay strong at all costs. Her work blends EMDR therapy, somatic practices, and relational depth so you can understand what your body has been carrying and finally feel more grounded.

If you are a woman of color searching for a therapist who actually gets it, Christine offers trauma therapy in Chicago and telehealth across Illinois.
You do not have to keep doing this alone.

Click the link in our bio to meet with Christine.








Christine is the kind of therapist people exhale with.Not because she has all the answers.Because she honors your story ...
12/03/2025

Christine is the kind of therapist people exhale with.
Not because she has all the answers.
Because she honors your story without flinching.

As a mixed race Latina therapist and EMDR specialist in Chicago, she serves people who have been carrying too much for too long. Women of color who look “put together” on the outside but feel stretched thin on the inside. First gen folks who were told to be grateful when they were actually overwhelmed. Anyone navigating trauma, identity shifts, anxiety, or the quiet ache of not feeling like themselves.

Christine’s work is trauma informed and liberation centered. She trusts your inner knowing more than any textbook. She blends EMDR therapy, somatic work, and relational depth in a way that feels human. Not clinical. Not cold. Just two people exploring truth and creating room for you to breathe again.

If you are searching for a therapist who understands both the weight and the brilliance of your lived experience, Christine might be a good fit.

If you are ready for trauma therapy that sees all of you, click the link in our bio to meet Christine.
EMDR therapy in Chicago and virtual therapy across Illinois.








When words fall short, there's still a way to be understood.Art therapy isn’t about being artistic.It’s an evidence-base...
11/27/2025

When words fall short, there's still a way to be understood.

Art therapy isn’t about being artistic.
It’s an evidence-based, trauma-informed approach that uses creative expression to support emotional regulation, insight, and healing—especially when talking feels too far away.

Here’s what that can look like:
🎨 Creating becomes communicating. Colors, textures, and images can express what your body holds when your mind can’t find the words.
🧠 Therapy and art work together. A Registered Art Therapist helps you notice patterns, connect them to feelings or memories, and process them at a safe pace.
💬 You’re in charge. You decide what to make, what to share, and when or whether to talk about it.

Art therapy can support:
– Anxiety and burnout
– Trauma and grief
– Identity stress and belonging
– Emotional regulation and self-trust

Healing doesn’t have to start with words. It can start with making something new.

💻 Work with Elizabeth Yoo-lae Cho, MA, LPC, ATR
Registered Art Therapist for teens and adults | Culturally responsive, LGBTQ+ & neurodivergent-affirming care

Book a consult with Elizabeth. Link in bio.

Maybe what you’ve been calling “laziness”is actually your nervous system trying to find its way back to safety.You don’t...
11/25/2025

Maybe what you’ve been calling “laziness”
is actually your nervous system trying to find its way back to safety.

You don’t need more motivation. You need a pause that counts.

In therapy, we practice slowing the pace that survival taught you.
You don’t have to earn rest by burning out first.

✨ You’re not behind. You’re overwhelmed and you’re allowed to come back at your own pace.

💻 Evangeline Wu, Clinical Intern at Chicago Compass Counseling
Relational, identity-aware therapy for high achievers, anxiety, and burnout.

Book a consult with Evangeline. Link in bio

When your brain won’t turn off, it’s not a sign that you’re broken. It’s a sign that your mind is trying to protect you....
11/22/2025

When your brain won’t turn off, it’s not a sign that you’re broken. It’s a sign that your mind is trying to protect you.

It watches for what could go wrong.
It replays conversations.
It makes endless lists and “what-ifs,” not because it wants to hurt you, but because somewhere along the way, vigilance felt like safety.

Over time, that protective instinct can become exhausting.
Therapy doesn’t silence your thoughts. It helps you change your relationship to them.
💭 We slow down the loop.
💭 We learn how to tolerate uncertainty.
💭 We practice responding with curiosity instead of fear.

Because control isn’t the same as calm… compassion is.

💻 Learn more about anxiety support with Niyati Kapadia, MA, at Chicago Compass Counseling.

Evidence-based care, flexible pacing, and a judgment-free space to exhale.

11/19/2025

Boundaries aren’t walls.
They’re clarity.
They’re the invisible agreements that make love, work, and rest sustainable.

When you say no to something that drains you, you’re saying yes to the connection you can sustain.
When you name what’s too much, you’re creating room for what’s real.
When you include yourself in the equation, your care becomes honest instead of performative.

Boundaries aren’t selfish. They’re what make generosity possible.
And they don’t have to be perfect. You can set them gently, revisit them often, and learn as you go.

In therapy, we help you:
🌱 Understand where people-pleasing or guilt came from
🌱 Practice saying what you need without shame
🌱 Build relationships that hold both honesty and care

Harm reduction reminds us that healing isn’t about doing it “right.”
It’s about making choices that honor your capacity and values in this moment.

Boundaries are care that include you.
Book a consult with our team . Therapy that meets you where you are.

Link in bio

Burnout doesn’t always look like hitting a wall.Sometimes it looks like running on autopilot.Like crossing off to-dos bu...
11/14/2025

Burnout doesn’t always look like hitting a wall.

Sometimes it looks like running on autopilot.
Like crossing off to-dos but feeling detached from all of them.
Like promising yourself a break that never actually comes.

You might look “fine”, successful even, but inside you’re running on fumes.
When rest feels scary or impossible, it’s not a failure of discipline. It’s a sign your system has been in survival mode for too long.

Therapy can help you understand what’s driving the exhaustion underneath the achievements and start building a life that doesn’t require collapse to rest.

✨ You don’t have to earn rest.
✨ You don’t have to break to deserve care.

Book a consult with Evangeline Wu or Niyati Kapadia at Chicago Compass Counseling.
Both specialize in helping high-achieving adults slow down with compassion, rebuild
self-trust, and find steadier rhythms for living

11/11/2025

Belonging can be complicated, especially when you’ve had to shape-shift to be understood.

Maybe you’ve moved between cultures, languages, or identities that don’t always fit together neatly.

Maybe you’re the one who blends in easily but still feels unseen.
Or maybe you’ve spent so long adapting that you’re not sure what “home” inside yourself even feels like.

Therapy can be a place to start finding that again.
We can slow down enough to notice:
✨ What parts of you feel welcome
✨ What parts have been quiet for too long
✨ What belonging could feel like when you no longer need to perform for it

Belonging doesn’t always mean comfort.
Sometimes it means letting yourself be real, even when it’s messy.

— Elizabeth Yoo-lae Cho, MA, LPC, ATR-P
Art Therapist for teens & adults | Culturally responsive, LGBTQ+ & neurodivergent-affirming care

💻 Book a consult with Elizabeth. Link in bio

Address

333 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL
60601

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 8pm
Tuesday 8am - 8pm
Wednesday 8am - 8pm
Thursday 8am - 8pm
Friday 8am - 8pm
Saturday 8am - 8pm

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Our Story

We are behavior change counselors helping adults and loved ones coping with self-destructive behaviors. Here are some reasons you may want to work with us:

We are passionate about helping you create immediate and lasting change.

We help you find solutions that lead to the life you desire. Through our research-based methods you will get tools to help you transform your behavior starting from the very first session. Together we collaborate with you to find solutions that lead to relief from the cycle of self-destructive behavior.