Update on Receiving Referrals
Due to high demand for psychotherapy services and increased wait times, the Social Work & Community Health (SWaCH) Psychotherapy Clinic will pause receiving psychotherapy referrals as of January 3, 2023. Referrals received after this date will not be able to proceed with an intake assessment with the clinic. The decision comes as we strive to ensure that our patients receive the support and care they need when they need it most. With current wait times estimated at two and a half months, we believe we have reached a threshold of what is in the best interest of providing quality care to our patients. If you are in need of support with mental health needs, please contact our helpline at (800) 757-0202. We will update this webpage when we are able to resume receiving referrals.
The Social Work & Community Health Psychotherapy Clinic provides evidence-based psychotherapy services to patients and community members with complex social and medical needs. Staffed by licensed clinical social workers, we are trauma-informed, strengths-based, collaborative and patient-centered.
Services are available in both English and Spanish for adult, older adult and pediatric (5+ years old) populations. We have long-standing experience working with individuals of diverse ethnic, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds, and strive to provide accessible mental health treatment to all. We accept all the same medical insurances as the larger Rush institution and are proud to provide a large portion of our services to Medicaid recipients.
All of our psychotherapists provide trauma-informed treatment and use an array of evidence-based treatment approaches, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) , interpersonal therapy (IPT), psychodynamic psychotherapy, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), as well as relational and mindfulness-based practices. Providing outpatient psychotherapy in a medical setting enables us to collaborate with other providers while advocating and empowering our patients around their full plan of care. This collaboration includes formal partnerships with the Rush Neurology and Infectious Disease departments.
Psychotherapy Team Values
All of our psychotherapists are licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) and practice from a place of social work ethics and values (service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity and competence). We seek to understand and empower individuals, families and communities toward a more just world. Furthermore, we have strong partnerships with care managers across the institution and can help address psychosocial determinants of health and further advocate for connection or resources.
We seek to integrate Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMSHA) approach to trauma-informed care by realizing the widespread and pervasive impact of trauma and potential paths to recovery, recognizing signs and symptoms of trauma, integrating knowledge of trauma into our policies and practices, and seeking to resist re-traumatization.
The strengths of our patients, families and communities are at the center of the healing process. We work collaboratively with our patients to identify and mobilize strengths and examine the function of behaviors that have supported coping.
We provide mental health services within the context of a large academic medical center. Often our patients seek treatment from multiple clinics and departments. To the extent that it is beneficial and empowering to our patients, we advocate for our patients and collaborate with other providers to make sure that the process of seeking care is as clear and empowering as possible.
We build therapeutic relationships grounded in trust, mutuality and respect. We collaboratively identify therapeutic goals that are meaningful for our patients and develop a plan to best achieve those goals.
Our therapists provide trauma-informed care and offer therapy from different theoretical approaches, including evidence-based practices such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), interpersonal therapy (IPT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
We use a person-in-environment approach, meaning that we cannot understand individuals apart from the other systems and structures they are connected to. We understand that mental health is deeply connected to familial, community and societal systems, structures and resources. We also recognize that many problems are a result of stigma, discrimination or systemic oppression, which when not identified can become internalized, shaming or dissociated. We work to maintain a systems perspective while increasing a sense of connection and resiliency. We also strive to provide culturally affirming and sensitive services to all patients seeking care.
Make a Psychotherapy Appointment
- Referrals and requests are accepted regardless of insurance coverage, though patients’ insurance is billed for psychotherapy sessions.
- Patients interested in psychotherapy can initiate the process by calling (312) 947-2990 or by filling out this form. All calls that are not answered live will be returned within 2-3 business days.
- The initial phone discussion will focus on a patient’s interest in therapy and will provide information on next steps, including current wait times. When possible, an intake appointment with a therapist will be scheduled at time of the call.
Meet our Psychotherapy Team
Psychotherapists
Michelle Bautista, MA, LCSW
Michelle received her undergraduate degree in psychology and Spanish from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Chicago. She worked for five years in the nonprofit sector providing counseling services to children and parents involved with the child welfare system and juvenile court. She also has extensive experience working with adults and children in acute hospital inpatient and outpatient settings regarding issues of medical complexity and trauma. Michelle is trained in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and also relies on cognitive behavioral and psychodynamic orientations, in addition to dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and mindfulness when necessary and applicable. Michelle is a bilingual and bicultural provider in Spanish.
Chantanique Burdine, MSW, LCSW
Chantanique received her Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, and holds a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Chantanique also holds a certificate in Evidence-Based Mental Health Practice with Children. She completed clinical training with the Outpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatry program at Rush University Medical Center. Chantanique has experience working with adults experiencing depression, anxiety, trauma and various life transitions. She also has experience working with children and adolescents, as well as working with their caregivers to help them deepen their understanding and learn additional tools to support their loved one. She has a background in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Trauma-Focused CBT and takes a strengths-based approach when working with individuals.
K. Tajhi Claybren, AM, LCSW, LMSW
K.Tajhi is a licensed clinical social worker housed in the Department of Social Worker and Community Health that works in partnership with the Infectious Disease Clinic. She integrates evidence-based strategies with frameworks including harm reduction, anti-oppression, and trauma-informed practices to provide psychotherapy services. Along with supporting people living with and/or vulnerable to HIV, he has extensive experience working with individuals with diverse identities, experiences and cultural/ethnic backgrounds. When working with clients, K.Tajhi co-creates an empathic and trusting environment for clients to explore their thinking, mood and behaviors, and gain greater insight while establishing agency and resilience to achieve identified goals, emotional stability, and improve mental health and overall wellness. They prioritize being empathic, curious, nonjudgmental, strengths-based, and systems-focused. K. Tajhi has a Bachelor of Arts in Women and Gender Studies (with a minor in Sexuality Studies) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds a Master’s in Social Service Administration (emphasis in Clinical Social Work) from the University of Chicago. K.Tajhi uses the pronouns he/him, she/her, they/them; please use them all and switch them up.
Brian “Tucker” Eads, MA, LCSW
Tucker provides outpatient psychotherapy to adolescents and adults facing a variety of challenges, including depression, anxiety, medical illness, caregiver stress and life transitions. His work with individuals draws on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and mindfulness practice. Tucker received a master’s in clinical social work from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. He has previously completed a post-graduate fellowship in contextual behavior therapy at the Emotion Management Program that he continues to incorporate into patient treatment.
Lisett Tito, MSW, LCSW
Lisett received her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa and a master's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has experience working with adults and teenagers experiencing depression, anxiety, family conflict, grief, trauma and various life transitions. Lisett strives to provide a safe and welcoming space to work with individuals to process, heal and grow. She uses cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness and a strength-based perspective in her practice. Lisett is a bilingual and bicultural provider in Spanish.
Zinal Patel, MSW, LCSW
Zinal is a psychotherapist with the Department of Social Work and Community Health, partnered with the Epilepsy Department. She is the lead psychotherapist on the non-epileptic seizure treatment (NEST) team, where she provides mindfulness-based psychotherapy to patients who suffer from non-epileptic seizure episodes and generally with patients who suffer from mood and anxiety disorders. Zinal has training in evidence-based therapy modalities and is most grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) when working with her patients. She received her master’s in social work from California State University-Bakersfield, where she specialized in gerontology and medical social work. She also completed a post-graduate fellowship at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration in contextual behavioral therapy.
Ethan Powe, MSW, LCSW
Ethan attended Loyola University Chicago’s Graduate School of Social Work, specializing in mental health and clinical social work with older adults. His areas of experience and specialty include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy (IPT), brief treatment, grief and treating patients who are managing multiple chronic conditions.
Bethany Relyea, MA, LCSW
Bethany received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master’s degree from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. Bethany believes in the profound value of listening and aims to develop a non-judgmental environment that offers the safety and trust to explore challenges. Bethany often works with adult individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship difficulties. She grounds her work in relational and psychodynamic approaches, as well as cognitive behavioral and mindfulness-based therapies.
Maggie Skoller, MSW, LCSW
Maggie is a licensed clinical social worker with a master’s degree from Loyola University Chicago offering psychotherapy services to adolescents and adults. Maggie strives to provide an open, non-judgmental space to collaborate with individuals in tackling life’s many challenges. Rooted in a strengths-based perspective, Maggie is experienced with depression, anxiety, grief, chronic illness, aging, end-of-life issues, as well as complex family dynamics, caregiver stress and adjustment to life transitions.
Cydney Stein, MSW, LCSW
Cydney received her undergraduate degree from Loyola University Chicago where she was a Provost Fellow studying infant development and cognition. Following this, she received her master’s degree from Loyola University Chicago with a specialization in mental health and older adults. She has experience working in health care with interprofessional teams and with individuals of diverse ethnic, religious, economic and other backgrounds both in the inpatient and outpatient settings. She also has experience in working with older adults and their caregivers surrounding the issues associated with the aging process. She currently offers outpatient psychotherapy services to adult patients with mood disorders, addressing depression and anxiety, trauma, chronic pain, life transitions, loss and grief. She uses a psychodynamic approach, along with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness, in her practice.
Haley Swanson, MSW, LCSW, CADC
Haley received her bachelor’s of science in psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her master’s in social welfare from the University of California at Los Angeles. For over 10 years, Haley has worked in outpatient community mental health and health care settings providing individual therapy and integrated behavioral health services to adults. Haley is certified as an alcohol and drug counselor (CADC) and has extensive experience working with individuals with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders. Additionally, Haley is trained in the relational treatment of trauma as well as perinatal mood disorders. Using a psychodynamic framework, Haley incorporates cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness and motivational interviewing into her practice.
Anne West, MA, LCSW
Anne offers outpatient psychotherapy services to adolescents and adults with a range of presentations including mood disorders, childhood and present trauma, loss and life-transitions. Anne holds a master’s degree from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, and she completed a post-graduate fellowship at Womencare Counseling Center, specializing in the relational treatment of trauma. She integrates psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral and mindfulness practices in her work with patients, while grounded in a relational framework.
Danielle “Dani” Wolf, MA, LCSW
Dani received her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and holds a master’s degree from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. She offers outpatient psychotherapy services using a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach with pediatrics, adults and older adults. Dani integrates CBT and mindfulness practices into her work with individuals with a range of presentations including mood disorders, anxiety, loss, life-transitions, caregivers, trauma-informed care and chronic pain. Dani is available on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Jahee Hong Yi, AM, LSW
Jahee provides outpatient psychotherapy to adolescents and adults navigating issues related to anxiety, depression, trauma, loss, parenthood, caregiving, neurodiversity and life transitions. Jahee holds a master’s from The University of Chicago School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. She has worked for eight years in community integration, providing counseling and skills-building to adolescents and adults with disabilities. She also provided social care to children and adults while living in India, expanding her curiosity and cultural attunement. Her master’s clinical trainings were completed in outpatient health care settings, providing psychotherapy to individuals across lifespan. Grounded in relational and anti-oppressive frameworks, Jahee integrates neuroscience and contextual behavioral approaches -- acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP) and mindfulness-based practices. Jahee is a bicultural provider in Korean.
Legacy Mental Health Fellowship
Founded in 2022, the Legacy Mental Health Fellowship supports emerging minority social work clinicians who have a passion for reducing health disparities and improving mental health access for Black and Latinx residents on the West Side of Chicago. Our fellows provide trauma-informed, culturally-attuned, and community-minded psychotherapy services at RUSH and partner with community-based agencies in Garfield Park to improve access to needed services and assure that residents feel affirmed when requesting mental health care at Rush or partnered community-based organizations.
The Legacy Mental Health Fellowship is a collaboration between the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative, RUSH University Medical Center’s Department of Social Work and Community Health (SWaCH) and Chicago State University’s MSW Program. It is generously funded by Rachel Kohler and Mark Hoplamazian & Illinois Tool Works.
Our Fellows
Jada Johnson, MSW, LSW
Jada received her Bachelor of Arts in Gender and Health studies from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor with a minor in Community Action and Social Change, and her Master of Social Work degree from Loyola University-Chicago, specializing in mental health and clinical social work with groups such as couples, families, and psychoeducational groups. She has experience working with children, adolescents, adults and families experiencing anxiety, depression, various life transitions, relationship conflicts and trauma. Jada strives to address the mental health and well-being of disadvantaged youth and families in Chicago and to help people understand a deeper reality of their experiences and evaluate solutions to their problems.
Innocent Chijioke Orokoh, MSW, LSW
Innocent is a Licensed Social Worker as a Legacy Mental Health Fellow in the Department of Social Work and Community Health at RUSH. Innocent received his undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Lagos in Lagos, Nigeria. He specialized in child development, disabilities, and challenges throughout childhood developmental stages. He earned his master’s degree in Social Work from Chicago State University. Prior to that, he worked for four years in the nonprofit sector providing counseling services and care to individuals with physical, cognitive and behavioral concerns. He has experience providing counseling services for people dealing with alcohol and drug addiction, in addition to experience working with children in school settings and youth dealing with extended trauma. He has a background in Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT), Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT), mindfulness strategies, and strength-based therapy.
Support Staff
The navigation core team helps our psychotherapy workflows run smoothly and connects patients to appropriate services. They are the first point of contact for patients and referring partners and support patients in understanding expectations and insurance inquires. The navigation core team is dedicated to the well-being of our patients and strives to improve access to these needed services through their work.
Perpetual Assem, Psychotherapy Program Coordinator
Perpetual received her undergraduate degree from University of Iowa specializing in health and human physiology. She has a background in health care settings as well as in the nonprofit sector.
Anabelen Diaz, MPH, MSW, LSW, Psychotherapy Care Manager
Anabelen provides case management services for patients to connect to the care they need. She obtained a Master of Public Health and Master of Social Work from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Her focus was on health policy and administration and mental health in the older adult track. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health from UIC. Anabelen is a bilingual and bicultural provider in Spanish.
Tia Griffin , Psychotherapy Care Navigator
Tia Griffin is from Chicago, Illinois. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Health Communications from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte . She has always had a deep passion for behavior health, along with a desire to better understand human behavior to best serve others; especially those at their most vulnerable. Tia has worked in a variety of settings across the healthcare field, she understands the difference one interaction can make in a person’s day and looks forward to being the first point of contact during the intake process. Tia is excited to continue her professional journey with the SWATCH team to see others be their most powerful, resourceful, whole and complete selves.
Evelyn Perez, Psychotherapy Care Navigator
Evelyn Perez received her undergraduate degree from Saint Xavier University-Chicago specializing in Psychology. Previously employed at a substance abuse center, she also has a background in infectious diseases and addictions.
Rebecca Lahey, MSW, LCSW, Director
Rebecca Lahey is the director of integrated mental health in the Department of Social Work and Community Health. She oversees the psychotherapy services provided by her team of clinicians to Rush staff, students and community members through the general outpatient clinic, therapists integrated into specialty care clinics, and Rush Wellness. Additionally, she is an instructor in the Department of Social Work in the College of Health Sciences. Rebecca’s background is as a bilingual psychotherapist with expertise in trauma, depression and anxiety, acculturation, adjustment to major life transitions, and interpersonal or relationship difficulties. She received her master’s in social work from Loyola University, after finishing her undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.