Meet Helen

After many years as a high school teacher, Helen Read joined Flourishing Families in a part time administrative role. She supports the internal workings of Flourishing Families to help keep things running smoothly. 

Raised in Texas, she came to Wheaton to attend college, where she stayed upon graduation. After raising a family, she received a MA in teaching and enjoyed the daily experience of working with teen aged students. Currently, she  spends her time working in her studio as an artist, and she teaches artistic skills online. Having time to be with both local and distant family is a joy.  She also enjoys gardening and spending time in the beauty of nature. 

Meet Rachel

I believe that everyone needs empathy and we need each other. Every person needs to know that their story matters and that they matter. Our relationships with ourselves, others, and the world around us can build up or break down these messages throughout all of life, starting as children and eventually as adults. I see the counseling setting as an opportunity to bring our inner lives up to the surface so that we can do some work and healing together. My heart is for children, teens, adults, and their families to know that their stories and feelings matter and that they are not alone. My hope is that individuals and families can grow and feel empowered to love themselves and others in ways that leave a profound and lasting impact for years to come.

Rachel is a counseling student at Northwestern University, pursuing her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in child and adolescent therapy. She will pursue licensure to practice in Illinois and work toward becoming a Registered Play Therapist.

Who I serve

I help children, teens, and their parents, along with individual adults. Each stage of life holds unique challenges and opportunities, and I consider it a great honor to walk alongside people in whatever season of life they find themselves in.

Areas I address

Transition, anxiety, depression, loss, trauma, conflict, career issues, and relationships.

Methods used

I enjoy utilizing a person-centered and psychodynamic therapeutic approach, which is all about unconditional positive regard, empathy, and understanding the root of what causes our problems. I also use methods from play therapy and art therapy. I am passionate about helping people (littles and adults!) grow in their ability to process their emotions in ways that help and not harm.

In my spare time

When I have free time, you can find me exploring a new part of Chicago, doing a calligraphy project, or going on a random adventure with a friend! I also love being active and really enjoy cycling classes and lifting. I love all different kinds of food and will always gladly accept restaurant recommendations. A highlight of my life was attending the very sparkly Taylor Swift concert in Chicago during her Eras tour. If I could reach out from this computer screen or phone to give you a friendship bracelet I would!

Qualifications

Counseling Student at Northwestern’s Family Institute Jan 2022–Present

Professional Affiliations

Member of American Mental Health Counseling Association, 2023–Present

Email: rgowland@flourishingfams.com

Meet Annie

I believe that we heal in community, not in isolation, and that counseling is a space where individuals and families can feel supported and empowered in their journey toward growth and healing. I seek to walk alongside individuals and families and support growth and lasting change by individualizing the counseling process to each person’s specific needs. I strive to create a space where people feel safe to explore and learn about themselves, and to empower individuals and families with that increased self-awareness of their strengths and resiliencies. Wherever you currently are in your journey, I believe that your story matters and that there is always hope for healing. It is my hope that counseling is a place where you feel that your story is heard and valued and where you feel supported as you work toward holistic healing and flourishing.

Who I Serve: 

I enjoy working with a variety of people from different seasons of life and backgrounds including children, teens, and their parents, and individual adults. 

Areas I address:

Life Transitions, anxiety, depression, grief and loss, ADHD, trauma, stress, relational dynamics

Methods Used:

I use a client-centered approach to walk alongside and empower individuals and families wherever they are at in their journey and to create a safe space that promotes exploration, self-awareness, and growth. In addition to using a client-centered focus and taking into account individual needs, I use other age-appropriate and evidence-based interventions such as Child-Centered Play Therapy, art therapies, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Strengths-Based Approach, Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT). 

In My Spare Time

When I have free time, I love spending time outside in nature going on walks, exploring restaurants and coffee shops in Chicago, baking all types of treats and desserts, reading a good book or listening to music, and hanging out with my family and friends. 

Education 

M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Wheaton College Graduate School

Professional Affiliations: 

Member of Illinois Counseling Association (ICA) - since 2023

Email: alyons@flourishingfams.com

Meet Anna

I believe it is important to belong to yourself and others; and in relationship, we have the ability to come alive in deep work and nurtured strengths. I seek to create a relational experience what is difficult and what can be healing to meet the fundamental complexities of what brings you and yours in. It is my hope for abundance to become rooted in your life by the depths of what you experience in therapy, so you may find freedom to grow towards. 

Anna Thomas, LMFT, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist at Flourishing Families. She graduated from Wheaton College Graduate School of Marriage and Family Therapy. She has received training in Child-Centered Play Therapy, Filial Therapy, Sand Tray Play Therapy, Relationship Enhancement Therapy, and is certified as a Prepare-Enrich facilitator. Anna is currently working towards her certification as a Registered Play Therapist. Anna also presented her research on parentification within family systems at the Illinois affiliation for Marriage and Family Therapists in 2019. She has worked with cross-cultural families in various countries and transitions over the past ten years.

Who I serve

I enjoy working with families, families in transitions, children between 3-11 years old, and caregivers who find themselves raising them. It's been a privilege to learn what is normal and unique when life in your family is at a standstill. I love to work with children who find it difficult to express themselves when they feel down or really nervous, identified as gifted, or live with intensity. Another way I'm glad to serve our community is to addressing conflict couples and families have at the beginning of their journey or in a long-term struggle affecting their relationship.

Areas I address

I address concerns of parent-child relationships, blended families, divorce, clients of first or second generation immigrant families, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic backgrounds, experiences of major and recurrent transitions, loss, adjustment of new relationships, and the unknown. I enjoy joining the functional and philosophical parts of discovering ourselves with my clients of any age, and engage in play to address concerns of anxiety, depression, divorce, fear, relational conflict, shame, or trauma.

Methods used

I see each person through a systemic (relational) lens, adhering to attachment and humanistic approaches, while using play therapy. Whether Child-Centered Play Therapy, Filial Therapy, Sandtray, Symbolic Experiential Family Therapy, or a Psychodynamic approach within the therapeutic relationship, it's important to make sure that whatever we use will be a good fit in the process and concerns you have.

In my spare time

I'm always on the lookout for a great airline ticket and destination to explore. I enjoy experiencing new and good food in unfamiliar neighborhoods.  I'm usually found with my loved ones and I love to sneak in acts of kindness when no one is expecting it. I love the feeling of emotions of other languages!

License and Certifications

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, IL, October 2023

Certified as a Prepare-Enrich facilitator

Professional Affiliations

Member of the Association for Play Therapy, 2018, 2020–present

Email: Athomas@flourishingfams.com

Meet Danielle

I believe deeply in human resilience and an individual’s ability and freedom to determine their path and take action toward what fulfills their heart, soul, body, and mind. With that belief, I know that there are obstacles of infinite shapes and sizes that stand in our way of fully tapping into our resilience and that there are circumstances that chip away at our belief in ourselves and our capacity to accept and overcome struggle. It is my hope that through the formation of a nurturing, client-centered, therapeutic relationship individual adults, children, adolescents, and their families find space to gain self-awareness of needs, skills to effectively communicate those needs and advocate for them, skills to meet their own needs in healthy and adaptive ways, and efficacy in taking action toward lifelong change. 

Danielle Raubuck, MS, LCPC, RPT is a licensed clinical professional counselor and nationally certified, registered play therapist. Danielle has served children, adolescents, and families in a variety of settings and is thrilled to have recently returned to the Chicago area to find a home for her professional practice at Flourishing Families. Danielle has a passion for working as an advocate within her clients’ greater systems in addition to her work with clients individually. She has served as a consultant for the creation of IEPs/504 plans as well as an advocate for client social-emotional support within clients’ school and extracurricular settings. Danielle has a keen interest for consuming and contributing to best-practice, evidence-based research and has presented her research regarding pediatric sleep hygiene as well as outcome research of various projects at a number of conferences across the country.

Who I serve

I consider it my highest privilege to work with clients who come from a wide variety of backgrounds and who have a diverse set of goals for treatment services. I find fulfillment in joining children and adolescents—and their families—on their journey toward their therapeutic goals. I additionally value the opportunity to join adult clients on their journey through exploration and self-discovery and toward goals related to meeting their identified needs. I also very much enjoy leading group therapy and find it to be a powerful and transformational process for all ages throughout the lifespan.

Areas I address

I address a variety of issues including anxiety, depression, adjustment to life circumstances, self-discovery and awareness, self-esteem and self-efficacy needs, externalizing behavior problems, ADHD, PTSD, grief and loss, and child-parent relationship concerns.

Methods used

Through a client-centered lens, my role is to join individuals and families as a partner on their journey toward identified goals. Entering first and primarily as a learner within my client’s world and system and through the use of experiential therapies I take extensive care to work at a client’s pace, providing directive support and psychoeducation when needed or requested. Neuroscience is showing us that the success of therapy can be attributed directly to the nurturing relationship created between therapist and client. It is through this empathic co-regulation of neural systems that thought and behavior patterns can be safely explored, adaptive thoughts and behaviors can be practiced, and new, healthy practices quite literally may be wired into our brain pathways! Methods most often used are client-centered therapy, Child-Centered Play Therapy, Filial Therapy, Child-Parent Relationship Therapy Groups, Theraplay-informed strategies, body-awareness and mindfulness instruction, play-based CBT, Sandtray Therapy, Bibliotherapy, art therapies, and skills teaching.

In my spare time

I have a deep love and appreciation for traveling and experiencing the world and different cultures with my husband. Together we have been to ten countries on five continents (and still adding to the bucket list for now!). At home, I am an avid gardener and also find grounding in creating, whether it be watercolor painting or building furniture pieces or taking on decorating projects in my home. In quiet times you will find me cuddled with our two miniature goldendoodles, Enzo and Morris, with a good book or the television on.

License and Certifications

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, IL, Sept. 2021

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, WI, Jan. 2020

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, AR, July 2019

Registered Play Therapist, National Certification, Dec. 2019

Professional Affiliations

Member of American Counseling Association, 2015–Present

Member of Association for Play Therapy, 2015–Present

Email: draubuck@flourishingfams.com

Meet Sharon

I believe each person’s story is sacred and that lasting change happens within the context of relationship. I seek to create a person-centered environment where people feel comfortable to heal or grow at their pace in the way that fits their specific needs. It is my hope to empower families to embrace healing in order to live life to the fullest. Specifically, with children, adolescents, and families, I focus on age-appropriate activities designed to holistically help people overcome difficulties, develop resiliency, and cultivate strengths for lasting change.

Sharon Bryant, LMFT, RPT, CCPT-S, (pronouns: she/her/hers) is the founder of Flourishing Families. She is certified in Child-Centered Play Therapy, Filial Therapy, Relationship Enhancement Programming, and Prepare-Enrich, and is an EMDRIA Approved EMDR Trained Clinician. Sharon is a Child-Centered Play Therapy Skills Consultant (CCPT-S). She has presented twice at the National Institute for Relationship Enhancement (NIRE) national conference in Washington D.C., and has taught as an adjunct professor at ECWA Theological Seminary, Kagoro, Nigeria and Wheaton Graduate School, Wheaton, IL. She has provided trainings in Play Therapy in a variety of settings. Sharon has co-authored a life-skills curriculum called Back on Track and has contributed to a marriage-enrichment program (“Couple Talk”), as well as a parenting book titled A Life Shared: Meaningful Conversations with Our Kids.

Who I serve:

I enjoy providing counseling services to a variety of people including children and their families, adolescents and their families, individual adults and their families, friendships, teams, and couples (pre-marital, and co-parenting). I enjoy working with Blended families, families that have formed through adoption, same-sex parenting families, and families navigating cross-cultural settings (via Telehealth or in person). I also enjoy working with children who have experienced a recent trauma to help prevent PTSD and children who are experiencing Auditory Sensory Processing disorder. I like working with graduate students who are studying counseling (and their families) as they seek to integrate the knowledge they are gaining. I love leading enrichment groups for couples, parents and children.

Areas I address:

I address a variety of issues including grief, transitions, stress, culture shock, resiliency, trauma, family conflict, parenting, divorce, step-family adjustment, pre-marital, team building, depression, anxiety, separation anxiety, phobias, PTSD, ADHD, ADD, and ODD.

Methods used:

Focusing on Attachment, Systems, Humanistic and Play Therapies, I utilize an assortment of experiential therapies in my work. Methods I use most often are Child-Centered Play Therapy, Filial Therapy, Relationship Enhancement Couples Therapy, Relationship Enhancement Family Therapy, and EMDR. I also enjoy use of Sandtray, Skills Teaching, Play-Based CBT, Bibliotherapy, Art therapies, TBRI, Family Play Therapy & Theraplay-informed Family Therapy.

In my spare time:

I love spending time with my hubby playing games at a coffee shop or kayaking, and spending time at home with my four children playing “Chase” and “Find you.” I also seize moments to be in nature and to cross-stitch while watching a Red Sox baseball game.

Licenses and Certifications:

~Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, IL, March 2015

~Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, KY, Oct. 2014

~Registered Play Therapist, National Certification, Sept. 2016

~Certified Child-Centered Play Therapist (CCPT), NIRE, May 2014

~Certified Filial Therapist, NIRE, Nov. 2014

~Certified Relationship Enhancement Program Leadership, NIRE, May 2014

~Certified Prepare/Enrich Facilitator, Sept. 2011

~Child-Centered Play Therapist Skills Consultant, Sept. 2019

~Certified Cerny Smith CSA Stress Assessment Provider, Sept. 2019

~Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, Feb. 2020

~Certified Telehealth Provider, March 2020

~EMDR Certified Therapist, Aug. 2021

~Certified ILS, Safe and Sound Protocol

~Certified CCPT Educator, NIRE, Jan. 2023

~Certified Filial Educator, NIRE, Jan. 2023

Professional Affiliations:

~Member of Association for Play Therapy, 2016–present

~National Institute of Relationship Enhancement (NIRE) Board Member, 2013–present

-Member of AAMFT

Email: sbryant@flourishingfams.com