Get to the root of what’s keeping you stuck & feel the weight lift.
CHILDREN | TEENS | Adults
You’ve tried managing, rationalizing, minimizing, shoving down, and powering through… but something in you knows you can’t keep living this way.
Fortunately, you don’t have to.
You’re the one who holds it together.
The logical one, the capable one, and the person everyone assumes is fine. And most days, you are… at least on the outside. But inside, there’s a pressure you can’t seem to outrun. Maybe it comes from you. Maybe it comes from everything life has asked of you. Either way, slowing down—or, god forbid, stopping long enough to breathe—feels like it might cause everything to fall apart.
And you’ve probably already talked about this in therapy before.
You might understand the “why” behind a lot of what you feel, but understanding has never translated into actually feeling better. Maybe you’ve found little ways to take the edge off—staying busy, distracting yourself, pouring a drink or having an edible at the end of the day—just enough to get by, but not enough to feel any real, long-term relief.
At some point, you started noticing that what you’ve been doing isn’t working anymore. For some people, it builds slowly: feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and running on fumes until you realize you can’t anymore. For others, there’s one pivotal moment that can’t be ignored: an argument that went too far, consequences at work, or someone you love saying, “something has to change.”
Whatever brought you here, you’re in the right place to start feeling different.
Anxiety & Depression
Maybe your mind won’t stop spiraling with worry, or it just shuts down completely. You’re tired of feeling on edge, weighed down by sadness, and not like yourself. Together, we can make sense of what you’re going through and find ways you can feel better.
Hypnosis
If talk therapy hasn’t helped you feel the shift you’ve been looking for, hypnosis can reach the part of your mind that holds the emotional habits keeping you stuck. It’s deeply relaxing and often effective for helping people feel change in a way they haven’t been able to before.
Trauma
Difficult experiences can leave you always bracing for the worst, second-guessing yourself, or reacting in ways that don’t match what’s happening now. If the past feels too present, we can help you process at a pace that feels comfortable and finally move forward.
our commitment to you
We believe you deserve more than coping skills…
You deserve to understand why you feel the way you do & to actually feel better in your day-to-day life.
Before anything else, we start by helping you make sense of what’s been going on through simple, grounded neuroscience. Understanding what’s happening in your brain helps explain why your mind reacts the way it does, why certain patterns keep showing up, and why it’s been so hard to “just think differently.”
Together, we’ll talk through what your reactions have been trying to tell you and what past experiences have taught you to believe about yourself, others, and the world. Then, we step into the work of updating those old beliefs—so your mind can finally feel more at ease and stop sounding the alarm. By pairing the concrete science with a transformative therapy experience, you won’t only know the “why,” but will also walk away from sessions feeling calmer, lighter, and more like yourself.
And while you’ll be the one showing up and doing the work, you’ll never be doing it alone. We hold the lantern and walk alongside you to illuminate this new path, offering a safe space, curiosity, and the unwavering belief that you’re capable of healing.
We’re so glad you’re here.
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Emily McKenna, LCPC, CHt.
Emily is the practice founder, a licensed clinical professional counselor and certified hypnotherapist with over 19 years of supporting children, teens, & adults.
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Nina Trlak, LCPC, CHt.
Nina is a licensed clinical professional counselor and hypnotherapist specializing in working with adults.
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![Kristen headshot]()
Kristen Dickinson, LSW
Kristen is a compassionate therapist who specializes in working with teens and young adults.
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![Sydney Butterfield headshot]()
Sydney Butterfield, LPC
Sydney works well the children, teens and young adults.
Let’s make this part easy.
You can schedule a free consultation by clicking here. If you already know who you want to work with, let us know and we’ll help connect you. If not, we’ll help to match you with the right therapist based on your needs and goals, and if you’d like to chat with them to make sure they’re a good fit, we’ll set that up.
When you’re ready to move forward, we’ll schedule your first appointment. We offer in-person sessions at our office in Lockport, or virtual sessions online anywhere in Illinois.
You don’t have to stay stuck in survival mode.
Deep, lasting change is possible.