7 Chicago PTSD & Complex PTSD Therapists [No Waitlist]
Living with PTSD or complex PTSD can feel like carrying an invisible weight that no one else can see. It shapes how you show up in relationships, how you feel in your body, and how you move through life. When our experiences run so deep that they touch every part of our being, itโs vital to find a therapist who truly understands trauma to support you on your healing journey.
At Watch Hill Therapy, our team of Chicago trauma specialists is here for you. Our entire practice is built around excellence and innovation in trauma therapy, so youโll feel welcome and understood here. Whether youโve recently gone through something thatโs rocked your sense of self or want to process long-buried experiences from childhood, we can help.
Jump to a therapist
Joseline Gonzalez: Good fit for bilingual clients and neurodivergent individuals
Angie Zara: Good fit for adults navigating co-occurring substance use, trauma, and grief
Jenna Salsedo: Good fit for individuals and couples healing from relational trauma
Sabrina Mirza: Good fit for BIPOC adults and those impacted by systemic oppression
Kaitlyn Rippel: Good fit for children and teens, including those with ASD
Jennifer Rolnick: Good fit for complex trauma and attachment wounds
Tovah Means: Good fit for complex trauma and dissociation
If youโre unsure which therapist is right for you, contact us so we can match you.
Meet our Chicago PTSD specialists
Joseline Gonzalez, MA, LCPC
Good fit for bilingual clients and neurodivergent individuals
I'm one of the few trauma therapists in the area who specializes in the intersection of complex PTSD and intellectual disabilitiesโa population that is chronically underserved and too often misdiagnosed or overlooked entirely.
I also offer therapy in both English and Spanish, which matters deeply to me, because healing shouldn't require you to translate your pain into a language that isn't yours.
Similarly, while many PTSD therapists work from a single framework, I pull from relational theory, ACT, and neurodivergent-affirming approaches to build treatment that is as layered and individual as the person sitting across from me.
Credentials: Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor #180017511
Focus areas: Complex trauma, intellectual disabilities, ADHD, ODD, depression, anxiety, children and adolescents
Angie Zara, MA
Good fit for adults navigating co-occurring substance use, trauma, and grief
What distinguishes my work from many trauma therapists is that I specialize in the overlap of grief, substance use, and trauma because in real life, those things rarely show up in isolation.
Plus, my background in forensic psychology gives me a sharper, more nuanced lens for understanding how trauma intersects with behavior, identity, and the ways people cope when survival has required difficult choices.
I also work from a harm reduction perspective, which means I'm not here to judge the path that got you here; I'm here to help you find a way forward that feels honest and sustainable for where youโre at now.
Credentials: MA in Forensic Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Focus areas: Trauma, substance use, relationship issues, anxiety, depression, grief
Jenna Salsedo, MA, LCSW
Good fit for individuals and couples healing from relational trauma
Unlike most trauma therapists who work exclusively with individuals, I specialize in both individual and couples therapy. This means I can hold the full picture of how PTSD and complex PTSD ripple outward into partnerships, communication, and intimacy, not just inward.
Whether we meet one-on-one or with your partner, I'm trained to work with the relational dimension of trauma: the part that makes it hard to stay present with a partner, to trust, to feel safe enough to be known.
In both individual and couples therapy, my approach is warm and collaborative, but also practical. I give clients tools they can carry into real life, not just insights that live in the therapy room.
Credentials: Licensed Clinical Social Worker #149030785
Focus areas: Trauma, couples therapy, relationship issues, conflict, disconnection
Sabrina Mirza, MA, LCSW
Good fit for BIPOC adults and those impacted by systemic oppression
I work with adults whose trauma isn't just personalโit's structural, historical, and ongoing, shaped by the experience of navigating racism, ethnocultural stress, and systemic oppression in ways that most mainstream trauma models simply weren't built to address.
My anti-oppressive framework is the foundation of everything I do, not a supplementary lens, which is what sets my practice apart from trauma therapists whose approach was designed with a narrower definition of who deserves care and what counts as a wound.
With training in polyvagal theory, CPT, DBT, and trauma-informed mindfulness, I help clients heal at a pace that is driven by their own values and sense of safety, not by a clinical checklist.
Credentials: Licensed Clinical Social Worker #149026874
Focus areas: Complex trauma, BIPOC identity, systemic oppression, grief and loss, depression, anxiety
Kaitlyn Rippel, MA, LCSW
Good fit for children and teens, including those with ASD
I'm one of the only therapists at this practiceโand among a small number in Chicagoโwho specializes specifically in trauma treatment for children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder, a population where trauma is common and yet routinely missed or misattributed to the diagnosis itself.
My years as a school social worker gave me a grounded, real-world understanding of how trauma actually shows up for young people: in the classroom, at home, in the body, and in the way a child learns to relate to the world around them.
I use play therapy, mind-body integration, and distress tolerance skills because I believe healing for young clients has to happen in a language they can access, not just one that's convenient for the adults in the room.
Credentials: Licensed Clinical Social Worker #149026332
Focus areas: Childhood and adolescent trauma, ASD, grief and loss, anxiety, attachment, depression
Jennifer Rolnick, Psy.D.
Good fit for complex trauma and attachment wounds
As a licensed clinical psychologist with a doctorate in psychology, one of the few Certified TRE Providers in Chicago, and one of the practiceโs co-owners, I bring both the depth of advanced clinical training and a deeply relational approach to treating complex trauma and attachment wounds.
In addition to years of experience working with people across the lifespan and drawing on multiple frameworks like dissociative parts work, the feminist relational model, and somatic talk therapy, I hold relationships at the core of my work. Our attachment wounds impact our view of self, others, and the world, which is why I believe that what was broken in relationship can only truly heal in one. My insight-oriented approach helps clients identify and understand the patternsโin how they think, feel, attach, and protect themselvesโthat were once necessary for survival but now keep them stuck, and to do that reckoning in a space that is genuinely safe.
Credentials: Licensed Clinical Psychologist #071008423, Certified TREโข Provider
Focus areas: Trauma, mood and anxiety disorders, life transitions, body-based trauma therapy, children and adults
Tovah Means, MS, LMFT
Good fit for complex trauma and dissociation
I founded Watch Hill Therapy in 2012 because I saw a gap in Chicago's mental health landscape: too many trauma survivorsโespecially those with complex, developmental, and dissociative trauma historiesโwere receiving care that treated their symptoms without ever touching the root, because their therapists simply hadn't been trained to go that deep.
My clinical framework is highly integrative, drawing from structural dissociation theory, parts work, interpersonal neurobiology, feminist relational models, somatic integration, existentialism, and systems theory to truly customize therapy to your specific needs and goals. I also bring over a decade of deep expertise and passion in treating trauma presentations that other therapists often find most challenging.
Credentials: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #166000881
Focus areas: Complex and developmental trauma, dissociation, structural dissociation, somatic integration, systems therapy, adult survivors of childhood abuse
What sets our practice apart from other Chicago PTSD treatment providers
In a city with hundreds of therapists, finding the right trauma specialistโone who truly understands the difference between general stress and the kind of deep, structural wound that PTSD and complex PTSD leave behindโcan feel almost impossible. Watch Hill Therapy was built specifically to change that.
13 years of trauma specialization. We've been Chicago's dedicated trauma practice since 2012, long before "trauma-informed" became a trend.
Beyond trauma-informed care. Our team doesn't just understand trauma; they are trained in advanced modalities, including TREโข, structural dissociation, parts work, somatic integration, and relational trauma treatment.
A diverse team of clinicians. Our therapists reflect a wide range of identities, cultural backgrounds, and clinical specialties, so you can find someone who truly gets your world.
Hybrid availability. We offer in-person sessions in the heart of downtown Chicago, along with telehealth care, including evening and weekend hours.
Systems-oriented. We treat individuals, couples, children, and families, because trauma doesn't stop at the individual; it moves through systems
Bilingual services. Spanish-language therapy is available with our bilingual clinician, Joseline.
BCBS PPO accepted. We can bill your BCBS PPO plan directly or provide a superbill for out-of-network reimbursement if you have a different provider.
FAQs about therapy for PTSD and complex PTSD
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PTSD typically develops after a single, identifiable traumatic event, such as an accident, assault, or natural disaster. Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) arises from prolonged, repeated trauma, particularly in childhood or within relationships, and it often includes more pronounced difficulties with identity, emotional regulation, and connection to others.
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PTSD can look very different from person to person, but there are several signs that tend to be common:
Intrusive memories, flashbacks, or nightmares related to the traumatic event
Avoidance of people, places, or situations that trigger memories of the trauma
Hypervigilance: feeling constantly on edge, easily startled, or unable to relax
Emotional numbness or feeling detached from yourself and others
Difficulty sleeping or concentrating
Intense guilt, shame, or distorted beliefs about yourself or the world
If these experiences are interfering with your daily life, therapy can help.
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Complex PTSD shares many symptoms with PTSD, but often runs deeper into a person's sense of self and relationships:
Persistent difficulties with emotional regulation: feeling overwhelmed, numb, or swinging between both
Negative self-perception: deep shame, worthlessness, or a feeling of being permanently damaged
Difficulty trusting others or forming stable, safe relationships
Dissociation: feeling detached from your body, emotions, or sense of reality
A chronic sense of hopelessness or emptiness
Physical symptoms like chronic pain, fatigue, or somatic distress
C-PTSD is often the result of years of relational or developmental trauma, and it deserves care that honors that complexity.
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There's not just one best type of therapist for PTSD. What matters most is that your therapist has genuine, advanced training in trauma treatment and that you feel safe with them. A therapist who understands how trauma lives in the body, shapes relationships, and reorganizes the nervous system (like those on our team) will be far more effective than someone applying general counseling techniques to a deeply specific wound.
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Our team draws from a rich and integrated range of trauma modalities, including TREโข (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises), EMDR, structural dissociation and parts work, DBT, somatic integration, relational and feminist trauma models, systems therapy, play therapy, polyvagal theory, ACT, CPT, and trauma-informed mindfulness. Treatment is always tailored to the individual.
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Yes, insurance typically covers PTSD therapy. We accept Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO insurance, but if you carry a different plan, we encourage you to contact your insurance provider to ask about out-of-network mental health benefits. We're happy to provide documentation to help with potential reimbursement.