Ariana Miserak, LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

Areas of Expertise & Interest

Each therapist is trained as a generalist, meaning, that they can work with most difficulties. As their career progresses, they tend to gravitate toward particular issues and mine are listed below:

• Depression and Anxiety
• Grief
• Life Transitions and Stress
• Adolescents (14+)
• Young Adults

If you have other difficulties and would like to see if we would be a good fit, please fill out the Contact Form so we can connect.

Supervised By: Dr. Tak-Seng Lodrö

Therapeutic Approach

I believe therapy is a gift to ourselves. We wear so many hats as people—you’re somebody’s child, sibling, partner, employee, etc. and we need a space that’s just our own. My guess is that you don’t often get this and it’s something I enjoy providing. Therapy can be a dedicated and intentional space for you to address parts of yourself that need paying attention to. I see this as a process and one that’s most fruitful when we’re very committed to it. Understandably, it’s difficult to trust in a process and in a professional stranger that we don’t know. We’re expected to open up to in such a deep and personal way but why should we trust it all? I welcome any person’s caution coming in because I know therapy is asking for your vulnerability, and that’s a lot. What I can commit to, in return, is to be vulnerable with you in what I call my “soft-direct” approach. This means that I’ll be upfront with you, and I’ll be compassionate at the same time. While I’ve worked a great deal with Gestalt Therapy Approaches, I also utlize an integration of DBT, CBT, ACT and Family Systems approaches.

One thing that I love about working as a therapist is the relationship and trust that’s built as we work together. My goal is to create a safe space—a space that extends permission for you to dream, to disagree, to be skeptical and to take risks. We’ll work collaboratively, using our individual areas of knowledge and insight to figure things out. My hope is that, over time, you’ll make moves toward what you want in yourself and in your life. We’ll focus on addressing your unfinished business, so to speak, such as difficult upbringings, trauma, losses and so on. The goal is for you to be more at ease within yourself and in living your life. Sometimes you will leave the office feeling refreshed and sometimes, in all honesty, worse. That’s OKAY because it’s part of the process and how you’ll get results.

Professional Background and Education

I have always been profoundly interested in the “helping field” and am rather persistent when I’m interested in something. Ever since I could work, I’ve opted for mental health related work. I started out shadowing a hospital social worker and interned for DCFS. When I graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a double major in Psychology and Sociology, I was fortunate to work in a community mental health agency as a psychosocial rehabilitation counselor. This work continued as I completed the Master’s in Counseling Psychology program at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. I’m committed to this field, as I’m committed to community. I’ve found an intense passion for this work, personally and professionally, because it has enabled me to truly improve my life.

A Little About Me…

I was born and raised in the southeast side of Chicago, and I’ve come to realize that my experiences there have been so critical in influencing who I am, my worldview, how I work and what’s important to me. Seeing the disparities and lack of resources in the southside really pushed me to be a dreamer. Many folks in the community are either immigrants or first generation. Being a first-generation person, I have been encouraged to pursue what others did not have the opportunity to do. I went to college, obtained my master’s degree and became a therapist. I recognize what a privilege that is and have grown so passionate and prideful of where I come from. The dreamer within me is thrilled by exploring culture and the influence it has on our stories—one of the many reasons I love to travel and immerse myself in learning more than just my own cultural background.