Family Service of Glencoe has proudly served individuals, couples, and families across the North Shore for over 100 years. While our services have evolved over time, it wasn’t until almost the 1960s that we shifted our focus toward individual, marital, group, and family counseling. Despite these changes, the need for mental health support has always remained constant, and family therapy, in particular, has proven to improve communication, functioning, and overall well-being of the entire family system; however, there continues to be a stigma surrounding therapy and what it means to seek counseling. One of our goals at Family Service of Glencoe is to help break down this stigma, one person at a time, through awareness and open conversation.

A significant barrier to seeking therapy is the shame many people feel, often rooted in the misconception that needing mental health support is a sign of weakness. One way to address this is by normalizing therapy as a tool for growth. Many people mistakenly believe that therapy is only for those in crisis, when in reality, therapy is beneficial for anyone seeking personal development, stress management, improved relationships, or general well-being. If we talk more openly about the benefits of therapy, it will become more widely recognized as a normal, healthy practice for maintaining mental health. A supervisor once shared with me that “therapy is simply a space where you can learn more about yourself and your relationships.” Adopting this mindset can go a long way in reducing stigma and encouraging more people to seek support.

Furthermore, it’s important to emphasize that therapy is not just for those facing “major problems.” It can be a valuable space for addressing everyday challenges, improving communication, and enhancing the overall dynamics of families and couples. It’s also essential to recognize that therapy is a gradual process: real change takes time. The work should be collaborative, with the therapist and client building a strong, trusting relationship that fosters exploration of thought patterns, emotions, and behaviors. Significant shifts may not be immediately visible, and that’s okay! This process itself is all part of the journey.

The next step is defining what the therapeutic space looks like. A common misconception is that people might think that they will be judged or told what to do, when in reality the therapist’s role is to listen, offer perspective, assist client exploration of their emotions, and most importantly, provide a non-judgmental space where this can be possible. When it comes to family or couples therapy, a concern that might arise is that the therapist will “side” with the other person. This should not happen, and the therapist is there to act as a neutral party. Rather, we are there to empower the clients and allow them to feel comfortable voicing their needs as well as fostering empathy between the clients.

Ultimately, we must shift the narrative around therapy from being a sign of weakness or something only necessary in times of crisis to recognizing it for what it truly is: a space for self-discovery, personal growth, and the improvement of relationships. Reducing stigma and reframing therapy as a positive, empowering experience will make it more accessible and less intimidating. Overall, therapy is a vital component of self-care and personal development, available to anyone ready to embark on the journey of understanding themselves and their relationships more deeply.

While working in nonprofit administration at a therapy practice, I decided to get my master’s in counseling, so I could be a therapist myself, specifically with an interest in helping parents. You see, my youngest child was 18 months old. My friends and I had spent the past several years trying to conceive, adjusting to becoming parents, and trying to figure out how to balance work, parenting, and marriage, with varying degrees of success. I knew early parenting stress firsthand.

In grad school, they never mentioned the mental health struggles that are astonishingly common in the pre- and post-partum windows. After school, I completed additional training and eventually became Perinatal Mental Health Certified. During the course of training, I learned just how prevalent these challenges are and how to assess and intervene.

Perinatal means any point during the trying to conceive or adopt, pregnancy, and the postpartum/post adoption period. As many as 1:5 mothers and 1:10 fathers experience a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder. Another 9% of women experience PTSD after childbirth. This means that at every PTO meeting, sporting event, children’s concert, or recital with at least 10 parents, one of them likely experienced a perinatal mental health challenge. In addition to being extraordinarily frequent, these disorders are highly treatable. No one should suffer alone or have to tough it out while trying to grow their family or care for a newborn.

Of course, when I came to FSG, I was eager to add perinatal care to our services, and now our clinicians offer skilled and compassionate therapy for this population. You also may know that FSG has offered parent consultations for many years, long before my arrival. These consultations are usually one session and provide tangible resources like educational materials, support groups, and treatment options. These are often focused on struggles related to children’s mental health, but let’s be real – children’s mental health is tied tightly to the wellbeing of parents. So, let me hop on my soapbox and offer myself as a consultation resource if you or someone you love is experiencing mental health symptoms while parenting or trying to become one. You are not to blame. You are not alone. And you CAN feel better.

FSG is proud to serve ALL in our community and offer focused and specialized care for a multitude of challenges, including perinatal mental health struggles. If you or someone you know is in need of support, please call us at (847) 835-5111.

FSG is honored to celebrate Counseling Awareness Month and the integral work Amber Bond, a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC) and Cindy Brunson, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) do to support our community through their skilled and compassionate practices.

According to the President of the American Counseling Association, “A counselor is a trained professional who walks with the client without judgement to wherever they see their destination to be. And, along the way, we’re equipped to provide different alternatives to help the client move past the obstacles they face.” This quote beautifully describes the contributions that Amber and Cindy make to FSG and their clients/supervisees.

Amber proudly serves as FSG’s Executive Director while providing clinical supervision to clinicians and maintaining a mental health counseling caseload. Her training as a counselor included individual and group psychotherapy, clinical supervision, community counseling, and ethics, contributing to the expertise that enhances our community and fulfills her professional mission to improve people’s lives. Post-Master’s, Amber gained advanced training and experience working with children and adolescents, family therapy, Child-Parent Psychotherapy, and divorce mediation. She became a National Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (NCCMHC), reflecting her advanced training, ethical standards, and years of experience. She also earned a Perinatal Mental Health Certification, denoting her advanced training and expertise in supporting the mental health of parents at all stages of their fertility or adoption process through postpartum period. Amber is engaged in cultural humility practice and is passionate about supporting clients from diverse backgrounds. She uses a strength-based approach, working alongside clients and clinicians to remove barriers to personal growth and development.

Cindy Brunson, LPC, is one of FSG’s longest tenured Staff Therapists and brings a wealth of diverse experiences and strength to her clients and our organization. Cindy stresses that each of us has a responsibility for our own happiness and that our needs and goals need to be heard and pursued. She provides an opportunity for people who are feeling stuck, unsatisfied, or have experienced tragedy to be heard, respected, and provided direct guidance by someone who is emotionally invested in their journey and well-being. Cindy dedicates herself to the serious work of examining her clients’ needs, setting goals and objectives, and empowering her clients to open themselves to the process. Cindy has participated in extensive domestic violence training and numerous domestic violence workshops. She has facilitated men’s and women’s domestic violence groups for 13 years and started CASA Lake County (Court Appointed Special Advocates) with two other CASA Cook County volunteers in 1994.

Today and every day, we celebrate the extensive training and contributions of our professional counselors and encourage anyone in need of exploring how to improve their mental health and well-being to call FSG.

March is Social Work Month, and FSG is proud to have 6 social workers on its clinical staff as well as a social work student intern, all of whom bring their unique experience and expertise to support the needs of everyone from children to senior adults. Our community is stronger because of them and the work they do. 

Social workers are found in every facet of community life, including schools, hospitals, mental health clinics, senior centers, elected office, private practices, prisons, military, corporations, and in numerous public and private agencies. Some social workers may help clients who face a disability or a life-threatening disease or a social problem, such as inadequate housing, unemployment, or substance abuse. Additionally, they offer assistance to families in serious domestic conflicts, which may involve child or spousal abuse. 

Here in our community, social workers at FSG have been instrumental in providing mental health counseling for those struggling with parenting issues, trauma, child anxiety, aging with strength and dignity, and coaching and support through marital conflict and divorce, among many other challenges. We’ve also been on the forefront of pressing issues facing our community, including providing services and affordable housing support to our aging population, treating people affected by gun violence and other traumas, and 24/7 crisis response with Glencoe Public Safety. 

Our 6 social workers at FSG, along with our social work student intern, have each carved their own niche in our community, imparting their wisdom and expertise to help advance care, programming, and resources to a wide spectrum of people. 

Tara Bagnola, LCSW, joined us in 2022 as a staff therapist, bringing to FSG her background in gender and women’s studies and has also led the charge to train members of our community who work with children in Youth Mental Health First Aid, a certification program that trains adults in identifying challenges and helping children in crisis and non-crisis situations. 

Joan Merlo, LCSW, one of our longest tenured staff therapists, brings her warmth and optimism to everything she does. She hosts the monthly Vibrant Living Senior Discussion Group and finds great satisfaction in her counseling practice when partnering with female clients to facilitate their growth in self-awareness, self-understanding, and self-empathy. 

Brian McHugh, LSW, has worked on the Family Service of Glencoe crisis team since joining the staff in 2009. He is on-call for Glencoe Public Safety, responding as needed to families in crisis. His calm and trustworthy disposition comforts everyone with whom he interacts, and his leadership and innovation with crisis calls partnered with local police has been publicized in the media for its forward-thinking, holistic approach. 

Emily Mysel, LCSW, is FSG’s Senior Program Manager. In this role, Emily educates clients and their families on the complexities of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia and provides support and referrals throughout their aging journey. Emily has vast experience in bereavement and end of life support, community outreach, facilitating support groups and, notably, spearheaded the efforts to make Glencoe a dementia-friendly community. She also partners with Glencoe Public Safety to provide 24/7 crisis response, a program that is unique and invaluable to Glencoe residents. 

Alex Ochoa, LCSW, serves as FSG’s Outreach & Intake and is a staff clinician. Glencoe and neighboring communities’ residents have deeply benefitted from her pediatric-focused play-based therapy as well and bilingual Spanish services since she began with FSG in July 2022. She has helped expand our counseling offerings as we can now reach even more people in need, serving previously underserved populations. She is the calm and compassionate voice who will greet you upon intake and help guide you through our service offerings. 

Tami Sollo, LCSW, brings over 20 years of clinical experience to FSG, joining us in 2023. Tami specializes in couples’ therapy, discernment counseling, and issues of divorce, along with counseling adults of all ages with a variety of presenting challenges. Her vast and deep experience as a therapist and relational approach to her work will help clients learn how their previous relationships have created and affected current relationships.   

Cary Sabados, MA student, Clinical Intern, is currently working toward his Master of Arts in Social Work, Social Policy, and Social Administration at the University of Chicago. Cary is passionate about supporting young people and adults from all backgrounds to develop strategies and approaches for managing the challenges and complexities of their personal and social lives. FSG is proud to be a training site for clinical interns each year. Our clinical supervision guides students through the responsibilities, challenges, and triumphs of the job firsthand, while our community benefits from their growing clinical skills.  

Please join us in thanking these remarkable Social Workers for their contributions to FSG, our communities, and the field of Social Work! 

So many in our community have a story or a connection to July 4, 2022.  I can’t believe it has almost been a year since the shooting at the Highland Park July 4th parade.  For me, it started off like any other 4th of July morning; a day off from work and celebrating with my family. As a North Shore resident and clinician, the events of that day impacted me both personally and professionally.  

 I was headed to Deerfield Days to meet my husband and sons.  On my way, I received a group text from friends attending the Highland Park parade that something terrifying had occurred.  I remember that I froze and asked myself, “How can this be true?”  I quickly ran to locate my family and head for home.  

 Once we got settled, my first calls were to the police social workers in Highland Park and Deerfield, and after that I called Glencoe Public Safety.  FSG participates in a multi-community crisis response network, and as an FSG crisis clinician, I’m often called to crisis situations to help de-escalate, support, and console.  This time was different. This crisis touched me, my family, my friends, and my community. I wanted to help, so I encouraged them to let me know what they needed.   

 While I waited to be called in, I was restless sitting at my house and was eager to be called in to assist community members and first responders.  When I got the call, I arrived unsure how I could be useful or how I would be able to manage an event of this scale. Sometimes, we don’t know how strong we are until it’s the only option we have.  I spent the afternoon and evening at the police department providing emotional support, referrals, resources, and food to the first responders, individuals, and families.  

 In reflection, I still struggle to make sense of this event. It altered many of our lives, and each one of us has processed it differently.  As individuals, we respond, support, and engage differently after an identified traumatic experience occurs.  The feelings associated with grief, loss, fear, pain, angst, and sadness can ebb and flow.  Furthermore, the healing process can be complicated and not always linear.  

 Even as the immediate pain and loss subside, July 4, 2022 will always be imprinted in my mind and my heart.  That day connected us and forever changed us. Whatever your story includes about this day, please know you are not alone.  We all are linked together and continue to reflect and navigate through our thoughts associated with that day.  Take time to reflect, to cry, to name your feelings, and to do something kind for yourself and others.   

 Do what feels best on how to acknowledge this holiday. For me, that means participating in the Memorial Walk as an on-scene clinician. I’ll be there lending my expertise, and my ear, to anyone who needs support as they participate in their own healing process. It will be different from my usual 4th of July family tradition. Your traditions may look different this year, too, and that is okay.  Be understanding and accepting of your own needs and other people’s choices, because we all have a threshold of how much we can individually manage.  Show compassion and empathy toward yourself and others.  The healing journey can be complicated and complex.  I recognize this year’s events may cause a variety of emotions for me, so I will try to take deep breaths when I can, share with someone how I feel, and soak in how far we have come in the past year on the path to healing and becoming more resilient.