Jamie Dunlap, MA, LCPC

---

Feeling disconnected? Frustrated? Lost? Many of my clients face challenges with communication, reactiveness, avoidance, and grief. I see many suffer because they struggle to find the words to understand what they are experiencing, or a path out of the pain. It is hard work to face these challenges, even paralyzing at times. As your therapist, I will provide support to address these hurdles with patience, and . I will also guide you to re-empower yourself, and bring value and satisfaction into doing the hard work of self-improvement. 

What to expect: 

Our relationship will begin in building rapport. I want to understand what makes you tick, and what makes the challenges you face so.....challenging! I want to understand the importance and value in your therapy work. In order to fully understand this, we may spend some time discussing the past. Depending on your comfort and needs at this time, I may utilize a psychodynamic approach. Psychodynamic is a more modern day approach to Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis. During these sessions, we will discuss your family, childhood/upbringing, and your first experiences of relationships. 

We will spend much time in the present, integrating the past as fits. In the present, we will apply what many call "tools" or "skills". This is CBT, or Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. Every person has unique needs so instead of giving you a list of what to do, we will collaborate session-by-session based on your changing needs. We will also set times to check-in and keep us moving down a path that feels manageable and applicable to your daily life. I apply traditional CBT, mindfulness exercises, and DBT as fit. If you are interested in DBT, please let me know and we can discuss the use of this approach for you. 

Professional background: 

I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in the state of Illinois. My primary interests and specialties are couples, family/relational challenges, trauma-focused therapy (primarily childhood trauma), body-mind connections, attachment therapy, and Dialectical-Behavioral (DBT) tools. Common goals among my clients, to name a few, are: managing moderate to severe anxiety and depression,  self-care, effective communication/interpersonal tools, building emotional intelligence, improving sex life, and using mindfulness and body-based skills for emotion regulation. I also work with many women and couples experiencing infertility challenges, processing grief, and moving forward. 

Educational background: 

I received my Bachelor’s in Psychology from University of Iowa. As a student at UIowa I focused on neurobiology, clinical psychology, and human development. I studied how trauma impacts our development, and alters the ways we perceive the world. I also volunteered Research Aid in a lab geared towards understanding Alzheimer's Disease. 

In 2018 I completed a Masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Roosevelt University. During my time in this program, I focused on psychodynamic therapy, relational trauma, human development, and sex counseling. 

Clinical Specialties and Training:

Anxiety and Depression
Attachment style (i.e. how and why you relate to others/your partner/family)

Borderline Personality
Couples/Marriage (Experienced with same sex couples, interracial couples; all ages and length of relationship)
Chronic Stress
Dating

Dating as LGBTQ

Dual identity/immigration
Family of origin/childhood trauma

Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs)

Hispanic populations 

Infertility (IVF) Evaluations and Counseling

Infidelity 

Pregnancy (pre and post-partum care)
Sex and physical intimacy (non-trauma focused)

Self-care
Body awareness and emotion regulation

Trauma processing (non-war related trauma)
Women’s identity and social/cultural pressures

I offer the following evidence-based approaches:
Psychodynamic
CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy)
Mindfulness-based stress reduction
DBT (Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy)

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”- Eleanor Roosevelt