Psychotherapy

Psychotherapists in our clinic are highly educated professionals who have completed a doctoral degree, have years of practicums and internships, and  years of supervision that has allowed them to provide high quality psychotherapy services.

Comprehensive Psychotherapy Services

Psychotherapy is not a casual talk or chat. Casual discussions are those we have with family, friends, neighbors and bystanders in stores, elevators or on the bus. Those conversations do not have consequences and may contain empty words that are offered out of kindness. Casual talks are free and do not have the ethical and professional rules of psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy is a paid process during which the client/patient evaluates their professional or private life, their personality, relationships and behaviors.

How Our Psychotherapist Work

Our doctors adhere to the strict ethical codes of the psychology profession.

For instance, our doctors do not attend social gathering and do not have personal relationship with their patients; should they find themselves together in the public setting they do not initiate any contact to preserve their professional relationship with their patients. Such protects the privacy of their existing therapeutic process.

Our psychotherapists facilitate change in their patient’s by prioritizing their problems and teaching them coping skills that they can use in the future.

Our psychotherapists do not disclose information presented in the therapeutic process to anyone. There are however, moments that require break of a patient – doctor confidentiality and those present potential threat of: suicide, homicide, elderly or child abuse.

Our psychotherapists respect all viewpoints and never pose their own values on to the people they work within therapeutic encounter. They serve people who belong to different nationalities, races, culture, religions, and represent various sexual interests. Our psychotherapists are skilled at engaging anyone in psychotherapy to guide them, and to discover their own paths to happiness through professional skilled interventions.

Services We Offer

  • Dr. Anna-Maria Wegierek – provides neuropsychological testing and medication management. Both services are provided in person.
  • Dr. Patrycja Nykiel – provides psychotherapy for adults through telehealth services.
  • Dr. Katarzyna Lesniak – provides psychotherapy, psychological and neuropsychological testing for children and adults. Testing is completed in person.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Psychodynamic therapy encourages patients to develop a greater awareness of their emotions and feelings that are often buried in the individual’s unconsciousness. In other words, during their visits, patients learn about how their current behaviors may represent unconscious processes that they may not have recognized. For instance, a patient with sadness and bouts of crying may discover how their past may have influenced their symptoms of depression.

Individual Psychotherapy

Individual therapy refers to one-on-one mental health treatment that is personalized to an individual’s needs.

Relationship Counseling and Support

Relationship counseling may involve one-on-one mental health treatment or couple’s therapy. Individuals may start relationship counseling on their own to examine their relationship with significant others. They may also evaluate their interpersonal relationships involving family, friends, and co-workers. If a couple decides to enter relationship counseling together, they attend marital therapy sessions that help them to gain a greater understanding of each other and how to resolve their conflicts.

Anxiety Psychotherapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the most effective form of psychotherapy for anxiety disorders. It is generally a short-term treatment that focuses on teaching the patient specific skills to improve their symptoms and allows them to gradually return to the activities they have avoided because of the anxiety.
Anxiety therapy may also include psychiatric services. There are a variety of medications that can be prescribed for anxiety. The first type of medication that is generally recommended is antidepressants. If the antidepressants are not effective, other medication modalities can be prescribed. At times, the patient is required to use both CBT and medication management. Both treatment modalities are available at Wegierek Psychology Center.

Depression Psychotherapy

Depression treatments can vary. They can include the use of behavioral psychotherapy, cognitive psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral psychotherapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, mindfulness – based cognitive psychotherapy, psychodynamic therapy, supportive psychotherapy, as well as medications. Often, a blended treatment approach is used.

The Wegierek Psychology Center has almost 30 years of practice in the area of treating depression. Our clinicians are well educated to discern depression from other mental health illnesses and can also provide a neuropsychological evaluation that can differentiate depression from dementia. Being treated for depression is not an easy step in anyone’s life, but the clinicians in our clinic make sure our patients feel taken care of and that they receive the best quality treatment possible. Patients occasionally change clinicians to find the best possible match for them. Our clinicians collaborate with other clinicians and are open to suggestions from the patient’s primary care physicians to provide holistic treatment options.

Evidence-Based Psychotherapy Practices

At Wegierek Psychology Center, evidence-based practice is an essential part in our clinician’s work. Our clinicians apply research-based treatments that are tailored to meet our patient’s needs, preferences, and cultural expectations. For instance, when Dr. Wegierek is prescribing medications, she refers to prescribers’ handbooks, guides, and research to make sure that the medications she prescribes belong to a golden standard of treatment for each given mental health disorder.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

  • The behavioral approach focuses on changing behaviors such as quitting smoking or planning to return to school.
  • Through the cognitive approach, the focus is on the discovery of automatic, unrealistic, and harmful thoughts. The application of new skills and perspectives learned in psychotherapy allow patients avoid problems and achieve a happier and healthier life.
  • The psychotherapy process is not easy. It requires boldness to be able to see your own mistakes and then apply changes. It requires you to learn and engage in honest self-evaluation which give you the ability to build self-worth and self-esteem. In other words, it is a process during which the person becomes vulnerable and then gains strength to better his or her life. Our psychotherapists are well trained to offer such assistance. But most of all, they provide a “safe space” for all who participate in therapy.

All psychotherapy provided by Wegierek Psychology Center is conducted by licensed professional staff or staff in training supervised by licensed professionals.                      

Book a Psychotherapy Session, Learn About Therapy Options.

Our psychotherapy services are available in Chicago as well as Orland Park. Psychotherapy can be in person as well as online via telehealth. We do not provide phone psychotherapy

Faq

There are many benefits to psychotherapy for depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, PTSD and other conditions. During visits with our doctors, patients develop coping skills for stress, build stronger relationships, improve communication skills, confront anxiety, increase self-awareness, learn to resolve conflicts, manage anger, alleviate their depression, process trauma, strengthen self-esteem, challenge negative thoughts, improve productivity, and alter negative behaviors such as smoking cigarettes and conquering addictions to alcohol or drug use.