Meet the team
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Deciding to take the next step and participate in therapy can be difficult—but it can also be one of the most rewarding choices you make, especially when you have someone who can hold space for you with care and compassion.
As a Black woman who was raised in a religious home, therapy was never presented as an option for Candace. Looking back, she now realizes that this was a significant missed opportunity. Life brings challenges at different stages, and no one should have to face them alone.
Candace would be honored to walk alongside you as you navigate life’s difficult moments. She believes in meeting clients where they are and working collaboratively through the healing process. She sees each person as unique and tailors therapy to best fit your needs—drawing from approaches such as Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Psychodynamic Theory.
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With over six years of experience in the mental health field, Simmi is a compassionate, trauma-focused clinician dedicated to creating a client-centered, nonjudgmental space for healing and growth. She holds a Master’s degree in Military Psychology from Adler University and is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Simmi’s approach is rooted in trauma-informed care, ensuring clients feel safe, respected, and empowered. She has extensive experience working with trauma and PTSD, OCD, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, self-harm, and suicidal ideation.
In addition to EMDR, Simmi integrates CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and ACT to support meaningful, lasting change. Her goal is to help clients build self-awareness, regulate emotions, and strengthen relationships—with others and themselves.
Fluent in English, Hindi, and Punjabi, Simmi is committed to providing culturally sensitive care. She believes healing happens at your pace, in your own way, and is honored to support you on that journey.
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Life can feel heavy when anxiety, big life changes, OCD, or the effects of trauma make it hard to feel steady. You might find yourself stuck in the same patterns, questioning what’s “wrong” with you, or feeling like you’re too much—or not enough—for the people around you. Regardless of where you’re at, you deserve support. Nhi (pronounced “nee”) is a therapist who works with adults, including young adults, who have been carrying emotional pain for a long time and are ready to explore it with someone safe, steady, and nonjudgmental.
Some people need both deep, validating emotional reflection and clear structure in order to heal, and that is what Nhi aims to provide. She begins by building safety and trust, creating space for shame, grief, anger, and tenderness so clients can feel truly seen rather than judged or rushed. Together, you might explore how past experiences and relationships shaped your nervous system, self-worth, and patterns in the present, while practicing new ways of relating to yourself with boundaries and compassion. From there, Nhi weaves in evidence-based approaches—such as exposure-and-response-prevention (ERP) for OCD, cognitive processing therapy (CPT) for trauma, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)—to help you understand your symptoms and develop practical tools for daily life.
Nhi holds a Master’s in Clinical Social Work from Columbia University and has supported survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, young adults navigating anxiety, OCD, depression, and major life transitions, and clients healing from intergenerational and relational trauma. As a second-generation Asian American and first-generation college graduate who grew up in a family shaped by trauma, she brings both lived and professional experience to her work. These experiences deepen her commitment to providing thoughtful, culturally sensitive, trauma-informed care to people from many different backgrounds.
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Essence is dedicated to creating a warm, safe, inclusive, and nonjudgmental space where clients feel free to be their authentic selves. Her goal is to help individuals gain autonomy while equipping them with tools to better feel, understand, and manage their emotions.
Recognizing the importance of cultural competence, Essence approaches each client with sensitivity and respect for diverse backgrounds, values, and beliefs. She strives to meet clients where they are and work collaboratively with them on their journey toward healing and growth.
Essence supports children, adolescents, and adults who may feel stuck, anxious, overwhelmed, or are navigating life transitions, chronic stress, low self-esteem, relationship or family challenges, trauma, or grief. She works through a trauma-informed lens and integrates approaches such as CBT, person-centered therapy, somatic techniques, and psychodynamic therapy. Essence also emphasizes the mind–body connection and aims to support the emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being of her clients.
Essence holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, criminology, and law studies. She has diverse experience working with youth and families involved in child protection services, the juvenile justice system, and various school environments. She earned her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University, with a specialization in children and adolescents.
Clove Counseling
4300 Commerce Ct, Suite #318
Lisle, IL 60532
331.701.7930
