Counseling Services

Chapin & Russell Associates provides a full range of outpatient mental health services with experienced providers who are qualified to assess and offer interventions that deal with most concerns and conditions that our clients face. Here are brief descriptions of many of the issues addressed in our practice. If you see yourself in any of the summaries that follow, give us a call and we will connect you with a counselor who has the expertise to guide you through a successful counseling experience.

Abuse and Trauma Recovery
Abuse comes in all forms including emotional, verbal, physical and sexual and can affect people of any age. Untreated, this trauma can translate into difficulty functioning in almost every area of life. Many suffer in silence out of fear their story will not be understood. Help is available to compassionately help you tell your story and to heal from the hurt and shame. We also have trained staff who offer effective techniques to assist in your trauma recovery… Read More

ADHD and Learning Problems
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a learning and behavioral disorder characterized by inattentiveness and/or hyperactivity-impulsiveness that has been present for six or more months. These symptoms can result in problems with learning, behavioral control, social relationships and self-esteem. State of the art, drug free, EEG neurobiofeedback is available as an effective intervention for the treatment of ADHD… Read More

Aging and Retirement Adjustment
“Every seven seconds a baby boomer turns 50. By 2020, a full third of the American nation will be 55 or older.” – Casey Stengel. Aging and adjusting to retirement means different things to different people. Making a constructive transition through this stage of life can be both challenging and rewarding… Read More

Anger and Conflict Management
Anger is the emotion of “unmet expectations” and when expressed appropriately creates a source of energy to set boundaries, request behavior change and to effectively manage conflict. But when anger turns to aggression and conflicts don’t seem to get resolved you may need assistance in learning how to break free from a cycle of conflict avoidance or escalating anger… Read More

Anxiety (Generalized, Social, Phobias, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
Anxiety is a normal human emotion that everyone experiences at times. Many people feel anxious, nervous or fearful when faced with a problem at school, work or when making a tough decision. Up to 70% of the population experiences simple phobias including public speaking. However, symptoms of anxiety that overwhelm a person or cause so much distress that they are unable to function require assistance… Read More

Assertiveness Training
Learning to stand up for your rights without violating the rights of others and expressing your needs appropriately are characteristics of emotional intelligence. Overcoming shyness and social anxiety to pursue open, honest and direct communication with others can be difficulty without proper guidance and support… Read More

Autism Spectrum Disorders
These disorders are defined by struggles with social interaction, repetitive behaviors and difficulty developing skills in verbal and nonverbal communication. Resources are available through our practice to learn the signs of ASD and how these compare to the age appropriate developmental stages for children… Read More

Biofeedback and Neurofeedback
A variety of advances in science and medicine have made it possible for therapists to use direct measures of an individual’s own biological feedback to facilitate and reinforce training sessions to improve focus, attention, alleviate anxiety, deal with stress, manage pain and optimize performance. For more information on these services click on the “Neurofeedback” link at the top of the page… Read more

Career Change
There a many reasons individuals face a career transition including completion of college, unexpected job loss, early retirement and exploration of a new, more rewarding career. Some decide that they have ended up in just a “job” and are looking for something more rewarding. Still others really don’t know what they want to do when they grow up. Career assessment, interest surveys and guidance is available to help with this transition in life… Read More

Caregiver/Compassion Fatigue
Fatigued care givers often experience stress, depression, anger and/or anxiety during the day-to-day routine of caring for others in their personal life or in their jobs. Burn-out can also play a role leading to a state of physical, emotional or mental exhaustion that may even be accompanied by a change in attitude from positive to negative and unconcerned. Finding a way to balance caring for others and caring for self is a real challenge for many of us… Read More

Child Custody Evaluations
Divorcing parents with children do not always agree on the best form of custody or visitation for their children. When they cannot agree, they may petition the court to order an outside, objective psychologist to provide a child custody evaluation. This evaluation is designed to determine the best interest of the children based upon Illinois law. Once completed, a report is written that summarizes all of the collected information, provides conclusions as outlined Part IV Child Custody of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution Act and offers recommendations for custody, visitation and treatment of any identified psychological or family related problems… Read More

Children and Adolescent Services (Play Therapy)
From birth through the legal age of 18, children face numerous developmental milestones and challenges. These formative years include some of their most memorable moments as well as some of their most difficult. Our child specialists offer a variety of interventions that help children with mild to serious emotional disturbances. Play therapy for younger children, positive peer pressure training, study skills and counseling for divorce adjustment and blended family issues are available… Read More

Chronic Mental Illness
Some emotional difficulties can be easily resolved with brief interventions while some mental illnesses are more serious medical conditions that can disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, moods, ability to relate to others or their daily functioning. Most individuals diagnosed with a serious mental illness can experience relief from their symptoms through comprehensive interventions and collaboration between a counselor, primary care physician and a psychiatrist… Read More

Codependency/Children of Alcoholics
Partners, parents and children of those involved in alcohol or substance abuse often find themselves overly responsible for the actions and behavior of the person suffering from chemical dependency. It can be difficult to set boundaries, manage conflict and intervene effectively without a guide in the process. Support is available from professionals at CRA who have decades of experience setting up guided interventions and helping you break free from the vicious cycle of addiction and its impact on your family… Read More

Couple/Marital/Premarital
Healthy partnerships reflect mutual respect, fairness/equality, acceptance of personal differences, effective communication, trust, honesty and appropriate tools for managing conflict. Troubled relationships can lead to unhappiness, loneliness, isolation and depression. Premarital, couple and marital counseling offers the opportunity to evaluate compatibility, improve relationship skills and establish an effective pattern of communication so that your needs can be met in a mutually satisfying manner… Read More

Depression
Nearly 7% of adults in the U.S. (15 million Americans) suffer with depression each year. Suicide will claim some of these lives. Everyone at one time or another has felt sad, blue or depressed. Being depressed is a normal reaction to loss, struggles or an injured self-esteem. But sometimes this feeling becomes more intense and fails to let go lasting for long periods of time. Help is available to recognize the symptoms of depression for you or your loved one and to get the appropriate professional guidance to alleviate the suffering… Read More

Divorce and Family Mediation
Divorce can be a very difficult life transition for many people but it does not have to mean disaster. There is assistance to plan and prepare for many of the changes that divorce brings to a family. Many of our counselors have advanced training in divorce and family mediation and can help you in the design of a comprehensive co-parenting plan to help your children adjust and adapt in a healthy manner… Read More

D.O.T. Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) Services
The U.S. Dept. of Transportation requires that all workers who are employed in a safety sensitive position and have violated a D.O.T. drug and alcohol regulation be evaluated by a qualified Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) before being considered for return to work. This includes an initial evaluation, recommendations for education and treatment, follow-up evaluation, follow-up testing and aftercare. The worker cannot return to work in any state in a D.O.T. regulated position until this process is completed. Call to connect to one of our qualified D.O.T. Substance Abuse Professionals for assistance with this process… Read More

Eating Disorders
Eating disorders take many forms including “anorexia” (the restriction of food intake or refusal to maintain a minimal, normal body weight), “bulimia” (a potentially devastating binge/purge cycle of eating) and “binge eating” (food is used as a coping mechanism to deal with negative emotions, stress or trauma). Effective treatment for these concerns needs to be tailored to the individual and will vary according to the severity of the disorder including their medical and nutritional needs at the time they seek assistance… Read More

Family Relationships/Blended Family/Parenting
Healthy family relationships provide the foundation for children’s successful development. CRA can help you assess your pre-marital compatibility, learn how to resolve marital and family conflict, blend your family systems, strengthen your parenting skills and provide the support you need to successfully address your family’s most challenging problems… Read More

Faith-Based Counseling
Effective counseling is respectful of an individual’s personal religious and spiritual beliefs and integrates these values into the therapy process. CRA is respectful of diverse beliefs and many of our counselors provide faith-based counseling services that address the needs of the whole person including their spirituality… Read More

G.L.B.T. Concerns
Sexual orientation is just one component of a person’s identity that is also made up of other dimensions including culture, ethnicity, gender and core personality traits. Chapin & Russell Associates supports the American Counseling Association and National Association of Social Worker’s views by opposing portrayals of lesbian, gay and bisexual youth and adults as mentally ill because of their sexual orientation. Our practice supports the dissemination of accurate information about sexual orientation and mental health in order to counteract bias, abuse and mistreatment of individuals based on their sexual orientation and provides reparative therapy for individuals and their families negatively affected by these biased beliefs… Read More

Grief and Loss
Loss is a normal part of the daily experience ranging from unmet expectations to unrealized dreams. Grief is also a natural response to loss and each of us has a unique way in which we experience this grief. Many of these responses are healthy and allow us to work through the loss in a constructive manner. There are other times though that we may get stuck in a pattern of responses that hinder our recovery and healing. Sudden traumatic losses can also catch us off guard and exceed the resources that are available to cope effectively. Time, proper support and therapeutic interventions can facilitate the grief process and allow you an opportunity to mourn and recover from the loss… Read More

Insomnia/Sleep Hygiene
While you sleep, your brain is hard at work forming the pathways necessary for learning and creating memories and new insights. Without quality sleep you can’t focus, pay attention or function as well. Lack of sleep can be a primary cause of anxiety and mood problems and a growing body of research shows that chronic insomnia increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and infections. Contact CRA to evaluate your sleep hygiene and to hear about drug-free interventions to improve the quality of your sleep… Read More

Men’s Issues
For many men seeking counseling implies a stereotyped message that they are weak or something is wrong with them. They are also faced with the dual expectations in this modern culture of being strong or tough and still being sensitive to the needs of others. Men can all benefit from support and guidance at times, to deal with the competitive nature of work and to balance the demands of career, family and personal life. For support managing stress more effectively, honing parenting skills or to work on your marriage give CRA a call… Read More

Neurofeedback Training for Burnout
Recent advances in brain science, quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) and computer technology have demonstrated that much can be done to effectively alter and retrain the underlying neurophysiological dysregulation that accompanies burnout and its debilitating emotional, behavioral, and cognitive consequences. Research on the effects of biofeedback and neurofeedback training on burnout have found significant benefits for sleep, anxiety, stress, trauma, emotional balance, and cognitive functioning. Through the Rejuvenate Program, Chapin & Russell Associates aims to provide clients neurofeedback training for burnout, based on its effectiveness in treating burnout symptoms… Read More

Pain Management
Whether a person suffers from migraines, chronic back pain, fibromyalgia or other chronic pain management conditions like arthritis, effective pain management for chronic pain sufferers involves interventions that address the needs of the whole person. Sometimes doctors exhaust traditional medical interventions or the individual is no longer able to benefit from pain medications because of their side effects. Our counselors offer alternative interventions that can help in pain reduction and achieving abstinence from the use of strong pain medications… Read More

Psychological Testing
Psychological testing services are available for assessing learning disabilities, ADHD, personality, career interests and premarital compatibility just to name a few. Call for more information or to speak to one of our licensed clinical psychologists to arrange an evaluation… Read More

Self-Esteem/Self-Image/Body Image
The ability to accept our limitations while recognizing and owning our abilities is at the foundation of mental health. Self-esteem represents self-confidence, self-worth and self-image. Finding purpose, setting realistic goals and reducing perfectionism are just a few ways that self acceptance can be achieved. Help is available to build self-confidence, improve your self-image and find the strength and power to meet the challenges of life… Read More

Sexuality
Cultural messages shape individual understanding of sexuality making it difficult to come up with a universally acceptable definition of healthy sexuality. It is more than sex and encompasses all the dimensions of what it means to be human. Sexual abuse, shamed based experiences and mixed messages about sexuality in the media make this a very complicated topic. Left unresolved, these issues can make it difficult for individuals to find the sense of empowerment that allows them to express their sexuality healthy ways… Read More

Stress Management
Symptoms of stress occur when the demands of life exceed the available resources. These symptoms can be physical, emotional and psychological in nature. They can be triggered by both positive and negative experiences and are a part of the normal fluctuations in daily routines. Our responses to stress can aggravate the symptoms or alleviate them. Information is available on developing more effective stress management skills and finding the resources to put your life in balance… Read More

Substance Abuse 
Substance abuse can take many forms including controlled substances, gambling, internet/computer games, nicotine, pornography, sex, food and even relationships. The overuse or abuse of any of these things can create imbalance in a person’s life. The inability to limit or regulate these behaviors can damage family, relationships, career and health. Early intervention is essential to limiting the consequences. Certified Substance Abuse counselors are available to help… Read More

Women’s Issues
There are many challenges in life that are unique to being a woman and require a special understanding and expertise to address. Women face child birth, post-partum depression, infertility, hormone imbalances, eating disorders, self-image issues, menopause, breast cancer and the responsibility for being caretakers to multiple generations simultaneously. Our counselors have the experience and knowledge to help women cope with their personal concerns in a compassionate and understanding environment… Read More