Robert Stanford

Robert is both the co-owner and a practicing psychotherapist at Waterbrook Therapy, Inc. He is licensed in Illinois as a Clinical Professional Counselor. In addition, he is a member of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). Robert holds graduate degrees in Pastoral Counseling and Religious Studies from Loyola University Chicago and Chicago Theological Seminary, respectively. His desire to understand the relationship between spirituality and good mental health has informed Robert's academic training and vocation. Relationships that he established throughout life, but specifically in young adulthood were impactful and inspirational. These relationships were lifelines that provided him with the safe space he needed to begin exploring and working through his woundedness. He credits these relationships with providing the encouragement he needed to pursue his education and professional training. His time at Loyola University, specifically, allowed him to combine his interests in clinical psychology and spirituality. After graduating from Loyola, Robert began working as a youth counselor for a nonprofit organization near the same neighborhood that he grew up in. Here he realized the profound barriers to mental health care, the stigma of mental illness, and the impact of intergenerational racialized trauma. Later, Robert served as the director of counseling services at a church on the south side of Chicago. This role allowed him to fully integrate his understanding of the relationship between faith and emotional health in helping others. It also provided him with the opportunity to educate others about matters of mental health and healthy spirituality. The success of this approach and a desire to work independently inspired him to open Waterbrook in Evergreen Park. It is a safe space that facilitates healing, renewal, and restoration.