Rosio DiMaso

.Once the therapeutic relationship has been established, we will work together to address your presenting issue/s and discuss goals you would like to work on. You will set the pace and again share what you want to share. The approach I will take will be the one that best fits your needs. For example, if you are having recurrent thoughts about your past, I will lean on a strengths-based approach to help alleviate the symptoms you may be experiencing.

Throughout our time working together, I will create a safe space, I will listen, validate your feelings, and be empathetic. I am an optimistic individual and will provide you with support, challenge you, and may ask you to do some assignments outside of therapy. Sometimes therapy may feel uncomfortable and that’s okay. Together we will work through it and you’ll find it to be very rewarding.

COUNSELING FOR ADULTS

As children, we often find ourselves wanting to become grownups way faster than our parents would like us to, but once we reach “adulthood”, we might realize that being a grown up isn’t as easy as we thought it would be. Being an adult is hard, and life just keeps moving.

We may often wish time could stand still or at least slow down, so we can feel like we are able to catch up. We may struggle to keep it together, especially when “the grass looks greener” in other people’s lives. This can be frustrating and disheartening especially when we may judge ourselves as we compare our life to how it seems everyone else is doing.

If you are an adult who has had some things from your past feel like they are bothering you more and more, it may be time to take a look at what happened to you and how it is affecting your life today. Sometimes things from the past may come back when you least expect them and you can often react with feelings about something that seem out of proportion to what is happening in the present moment. If this is happening to you, it can cause you to feel anxious, uneasy, and sometimes depressed.

If you have past trauma, anxious thoughts, symptoms of depression, self-image issues, and relationship challenges, therapy can help you regain control and feel empowered over your life. Together we can help you feel less alone and able to find the solutions that are right for you. Therapy can provide the resources you need to help you to grow to become the adult you have always wanted to be.

COUNSELING WITH TEENS

If you are a teen do you find that when you use social media, you compare yourself to others? Do you feel like you should be happy all the time? Are you struggling with your current relationships, whether it be a friendship, family relationship, or romantic relationship? Self-images issues? Emotional wellbeing? Symptoms of anxiety? Depression and/or just coping with everyday life?

Life can be stressful and challenging, especially for teens who are in the midst of figuring out who they are. With school, sports, extracurriculars, homework, family, and friends, it can all feel very overwhelming. Sometimes it might feel like no adults in your life understand what it’s like to be a teen in the midst of a pandemic where life turned upside down. And certainly, no adult “gets you” or understands what you are going through. You may feel some of your friends do understand or you may think you can’t even really open up to your friends, so they too don’t know who you really are.

If this is how you feel and what is happening to you, you deserve to have a safe space and someone in your life who will listen…really listen, and seek to understand what you are experiencing. I will create that safe space where you can drop the filters and explore and be your authentic self. You don’t need to worry about judgments, expectations, or being told how you should feel or think. You can be you and you get to feel however you feel and think whatever you think.

If you are ready to take some steps and open up about the things that are causing you emotional pain, disappointment, sadness, anxiety, depression, or total confusion, know that together we can help you make some helpful changes. We can work together on processing and learning new ways for you to manage your emotions and stressors. We can help you learn the tools you need to help you in whatever unpredictable or uncertain situations you face so you can feel better.

COUNSELING FOR CHILDREN

Emotions are hard and feelings can feel very big and scary for young children. Some children struggle with identifying and expressing their feelings. Some are fearful of becoming angry and/or push away from any feelings of sadness. Of course feeling anger sadness, frustration, confusion, and fear are all normal and natural feelings that everyone feels. It is what we do with these feelings that matters.

When you became a parent, did you ever wish there was a manual that could teach you how to help your child when they are going through something unwanted or unexpected? Do you ever now feel like you are doing your best, but there are still things that you are really unsure of what to do to support your child’s emotions, personality, and reactions to things? Unfortunately, there is no magical manual and there is no perfect way to parent and when children experience loss and trauma or scary things happen to them, it makes parenting even more challenging.

Children display their emotions in ways that may not make sense to others, so rather than questioning what is wrong with the child, or what is wrong with their behavior, the better questions to ask are:

• What has happened to them?
• What is happening to them?
• What is going on for them now?
• What feelings are too distressing for them to manage?

In the expressive therapy I provide for children, I utilize art therapy, play therapy, sand tray therapy, story therapy, and other various approaches, I help children learn about uncomfortable feelings and together we find ways to help them manage their feelings and emotions in ways that work for them.

Since every child is different and their needs are unique I wanted to share with you some of the issues and concerns I have helped children and their parents navigate:

• Parental Divorce
• Parental Separation
• Anxiety, Fears, and Worries
• Depression
• Behavioral Challenges
• Emotional Abuse
• Verbal Abuse & Physical Abuse
• Domestic Violence
• Addiction in the Family

My goal is to create a brave space where children can feel free to share their needs, wants, thoughts, and emotions. Together we will talk, play, sing, and have some fun while learning all about emotions, boundaries, healthy relationships, bullying, and/or how to ask for what you need and want in a helpful, assertive, and calm way.

I highly encourage parents to be involved in their child’s counseling at each and every step. Different kids and families need different things, so we will need to assess and determine together what is best for your child and your family. Sometimes I meet with parents and children for part of a session and then I meet with the child alone for the rest of the session. Whereas, other times we may all meet together for the entire therapy session. Whichever parents are involved in the child’s life are people who would be invited to be part of the counseling sessions and counseling process. Children often feel extremely supported if all parents participate in therapy in some way, however, each family needs to have a voice in what will be best for their child’s counseling experience.

YOUNGER CHILDREN AGES 3-5 YEARS OLD

If you have a young child between the age of 3-5 years old and they had something scary happen, i.e.: some type of stressful experience including: trauma, abuse, parental divorce, the death of a parent, violence in the home, medical trauma, severe adjustment to a new sibling, etc., I provide specialized therapy for you and your child.

I am clinically trained in Child Parent Psychotherapy which is an evidenced-based specialized trauma therapy that helps young children process and heal from stressful events and trauma.

I will work with you and your child to create a supportive space for both of you to assist your child in working through the effect of what they’ve been through. We will focus on you and your child’s strengths while creating a space for them to process, make sense of, and heal from whatever they’ve experienced.

In Child Parent Psychotherapy, I create a safe space for you both where we discuss the trauma, while I provide support to both you and your child and help to strengthen your relationship so that if something scary or stressful happens again, you can support your child in a different manner.

MY PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY

Growing up, I always knew I wanted to work with children but I wasn’t sure in what capacity. I had considered becoming a teacher, but during my college days, I began to ponder why people are the way they are. I was curious about their narratives and what they had to say and share, and I realized that I wanted to help those in need. I completed my undergraduate degree in Psychology and decided the next step was to get my master’s degree in Social Work and become a licensed clinical social worker.

I have worked and volunteered for non-profit agencies and have had the privilege to work with survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking, as well as with those who have experienced trauma. Many of the people I have helped through counseling and therapy services have also struggled with depression, anxiety, stressful life transitions, conflicts in relationships, and parenting challenges. In my clinical work, I have provided both individual and group therapy, family therapy, parent coaching, and parent-education sessions.

I’ve gained expertise and specialized training in the following areas: trauma therapy, PTSD treatment, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Certification in Domestic Violence Counseling, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Play Therapy.

I strongly believe that people are stronger and are much more capable than they think. People are more than their past and don’t need to let their past experiences make them feel stuck, weak, or not in control of their lives. They can become whoever they are meant to be. My approach to counseling and therapy is very integrative because everyone is different. Therefore, my approach will also differ with each client. My advanced education journey is never ending — I love to learn, and I will continue to grow as a clinician in hopes of better supporting my clients.

Professional Bio

EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATIONS 

• B.A. in Psychology, Concordia University

• MSW in Social Work, Northeastern Illinois University

• Licensed Clinical Social Worker #149024313

• Illinois Certified Domestic Violence Professional (ICDVP)

• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

In Closing

I hope this gives you a snapshot of who I am and what I can offer to you. It would be an honor and my pleasure to hold space for you to be open and honest with whatever you are struggling with. It takes courage and bravery to reach out for help. We all need support and someone to stop and focus on us, listen to us, and encourage us. Maybe now is that time for you to become who you were meant to be and to create the life you long to have.