Kelly A. Meeneghan LCPC

Kelly is an experienced Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor working with adults, adolescents, and children. She has worked in the field since 1999 in a variety of community and private institutions including Linden Oaks Hospital, Community Counseling Center, Downers Grove Social and Health Services and her own private practice. Kelly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help clients develop emotional regulation and interpersonal skills. She earned her M.S. in Clinical Psychology from Benedictine University and her B.S. in Psychology from Loyola University. I work with a lot of children and teenagers coping with life transitions and traumas such as the divorce or death of a parent. I use play therapy and individual and family sessions to help young kids and teens struggling with depression, anxiety, anger, school problems, self-injury and self-esteem issues. The side effects of trauma, depression and anxiety have an incredible toll on not only the child or teen, but on their relationship with peers and family members. I think it’s critical to address all these areas to help them live happy and productive lives. I also enjoy working with women who are going through life transitions in their private or professional life. I try to empower and help clients explore their values, wants and needs through self-advocacy and assertiveness. I believe that each of us has our own journey and it is my job, as a therapist, to help people identify their needs, find their purpose and explore life goals. I believe that we all have the ability to better ourselves throughout our lifetime and challenge ourselves to truly become authentic human beings. I believe in the power of mindfulness in what we say and do and how we interact with the world around us and the people within it. Grief counseling is another area that I work extensively on with people. This includes not only the death of a loved one, but also the grieving of other traumas such as divorce, relationship loss and the significant grief that accompanies being a caregiver. I have a special interest in working with caregivers as they navigate taking care of ill spouses, children or family members. I believe this is an under-treated and often forgotten population. I strive to provide caregivers with an understanding of their emotions and thoughts and provide a safe place where they can be heard, understood and nurtured. I work with adults living an alternative lifestyle and provide an outlet for them to talk about their struggles and challenges they face in the vanilla world. I believe that understanding and coming to terms with our past is an important piece in the choices that we make today. And that people have an amazing ability to be resilient and create the life they want by understanding the past but not allowing it to control their present. I strive to create an environment where patients feel safe and understood. A place where they can be educated on their issues such as depression or anxiety and the symptoms that accompany them. I believe in the importance of having a well balanced life and the power of using healthy coping skills. I strive to help people identify, explore and expand their positive ones while replacing their negative ones. It’s important to me to equip clients with coping skills they can use outside the office so they can create better and more fulfilling lives for themselves.