Noelani Cortina


Wheaton, Illinois 60187 United States

About

Hello, I am open and taking new clients! As a person of Hispanic descent and being a 1st generation Mexican-American, I grew up with a stigmatized view of mental health issues and therapy. I heard my family talk a lot about working hard and pushing past traumatic experiences. Most of the time, “pushing past these experiences” meant simply dismissing them— ignoring them. But I began noticing the emotional toll that dismissing difficult experiences had taken in the lives of my family members. I realized that this idea of “working hard” and pushing past traumatic experiences simply doesn’t work to provide growth or healing.

That is when I became interested in pursuing a career in counseling. I realized that therapy provides a safe space for people who are used to “pushing past it '' to receive rest, validation and healing. Further, I believe that therapy is a place for positive personal growth and a way to heal the parts of ourselves that are often ignored.

My favorite work so far has been working with young adults. The stage of emerging adulthood can be overwhelming and anxiety producing especially when it seems like there are so many expectations from parents, family and the community to meet. I want my therapy room to be a place where you can feel safe to be vulnerable, where you can continue to heal.

Features

Qualifications: Trinity Christian College
Academic Suffixes: MA, LPC
Expertise: Anxiety, Career Counseling, Child or Adolescent, Coping Skills, Depression, Family Conflict, Grief, Life Transitions, Racial Identity, Relationship Issues, School Issues, Self Esteem, Self-Harming, Sexual Abuse, Sleep or Insomnia, Spirituality, Stress, Substance Use, Suicidal Ideation, Trauma and PTSD, Women

Contacts

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