Shira Lichtenstein, LCSW
Psychotherapist
Treatment Philosophy
Asking for help can make a person feel vulnerable and I recognize the strength it takes to show up to therapy. I am a committed and compassionate individual who utilizes my tenacity, as well as my empathy, to help my clients enhance their awareness of their abilities.
I use a collaborative treatment approach and different behavioral therapies to help clients develop skills to live more effective and meaningful lives. I believe that the therapeutic relationship is at the core of supporting clients to reach their goals. I focus on each client and their level of need and recognize what works with one individual may not work for another. I use evidence based treatment to best support each client to help navigate their journey. I am passionate about mental health issues and strongly believe that given the right tools and resources, anyone can improve their mental health.
Areas of Expertise & Interest
I see individuals with a large number of presenting issues and I have a strong background providing parent coaching as well as working with young adults, adults and families. I am trained in EMDR and specialize in the perinatal population. I also use exposure response prevention (ERP), Mindfulness, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) models based treatment and I use a collaborative treatment approach integrating various techniques to meet the needs of clients. I also use different behavioral therapies to help clients develop skills to live more effective and meaningful lives.
In my free time I enjoy walking, movies, playing basketball and spending time with my friends and family.
Experience & Training
I graduated with a B.A. while completing a shaped major in psychology and education. I then earned a Masters in psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology with a concentration in children and adolescents. I also completed several advanced training courses in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).
In 2016, I participated in The Contextual Behavior Therapy Fellowship at The University of Chicago. Later that year, I attended the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration where I earned my second Masters Degree, this time in Social Work.
I completed my first year internship at Evanston Adolescent Day School while also volunteering and later working at Erika’s Lighthouse, a non-profit organization that educates school communities about teen depression. In 2018, I attended the Illinois Association of School Social Workers conference with Erika’s Lighthouse that focused on trauma informed care and in 2019, I co-presented at SHAPE America Conference for Erika's Lighthouse to help increase free programming for depression education in schools. I continue to volunteer at Erika's Lighthouse to this day.
Since graduating from The University of Chicago SSA, I became a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and completed training in EMDR with a perinatal focus.
Client Age Range
Age 18 & up