Our path
Working with you
Founded in 2016, the mission of Mindful Wellness is to help people feel better and lead more fulfilling lives.
Our skilled team of therapists are trained in techniques proven to relieve discomfort and actualize long lasting change.
Located in the heart of Berwyn's Depot District, with daytime, evening, and weekend hours, we are able to provide better access to quality therapy services.
We make counseling affordable by accepting most major insurance plans.
Meet our staff
Jolene Altman MSW, LCSW
Over the years of working with people in intense times of pain, conflict, loss, and hopelessness, I have seen that people possess the ability to heal when given the opportunity to process their experiences in a safe environment. Working with adults, adolescents, and families in a variety of capacities, I provide a supportive yet challenging environment in therapy, helping people to move toward growth, understanding, and positive change. I believe that understanding existing strengths, supports, barriers, and behavior/thought patterns assists people with accessing change. In my work, I facilitate a collaborative process of identifying goals, working toward self-understanding, and ultimately actualizing changes that people desire.
I specialize in treating infertility, postpartum depression/anxiety/PTSD, life-stage issues, relationship issues, attachment, trauma, adolescent issues, women's issues, parenting, depression, anxiety, and family disruption. I provide individual therapy to adults and adolescents (ages 15 and older) and family therapy.
My practice takes a unique approach to each individual, tailoring each treatment plan to meet your needs.
I earned my Masters in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago in 2006 and my LCSW in 2007 and have been in private practice since 2008.
Suzanne Muirheid LCPC, CRADC
I continually find myself amazed by the courage and resourcefulness of the clients I get to work with. As a licensed clinical professional counselor, I find so much reward in seeing my clients feel empowered to change their lives for the better.
Prior to cofounding Mindful Wellness in 2016, I worked in community mental health and private practice for several years. My experiences with working with a diverse group of clientele has helped to develop my clinical style and expertise. I have experience successfully treating a variety of issues,with specialties in anxiety, depression, trauma, substance abuse, and perinatal mood disorders.
I provide a compassionate and non–judgmental environment to help create and support the changes you desire. My style is friendly and strength-based. The approaches I have found to be most effective in my work are talk therapy, Mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR).
I have earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and Creative Writing from The University of Illinois and a Master's degree in Community Counseling from Argosy University.
Monica Umlauf MSW, LCSW
I believe that most people, at some point in their lives, may face challenging issues, be it job or family stress, relationship issues, death, or illness. My philosophy as a practitioner is to help those dealing with such issues to find support and help in facilitating change where it is needed in order to relieve some of the strain and enhance life experiences. My style is compassionate and individualized. While therapy should always be a forward progress, the pace of therapy should be suited to the individual.
I work primarily within a cognitive/behavioral framework, examining ones belief systems and thought processes to identify possible hindrances and negative behaviors as well as strengths. I consider my methods a goal-oriented team process, in which I help the individual to develop coping skills and utilize one's strengths.
In my practice, I take a holistic approach to helping individuals to manage sometimes difficult life situations. I have an open worldview and non-judgmental outlook.
Jennie Busker LCPC
I believe that children are best understood through their strengths. In therapy, we focus on what's working and build our goals and objectives around the already amazing parts of your child as a vehicle to help them expand and grow into their best self. I have extensive experience working with early childhood, school age, and adolescent children that struggle with the emotional/behavioral symptoms of ADHD, bullying, anxiety, divorce, and depression. In tandem with building on your child's goals, I also provide parent consultation and family therapy to promote support and understanding of the whole family unit.
In my work with adults, creating a therapeutic relationship is essential in beginning to think about and understand their past and present relationships with others and considering new ways to relate to people. Through this understanding, they are able to make better decisions, boost feelings of self worth, and find increased joy in everyday life. I have experience working with couples and individuals struggling with self-sabotage, anxiety, divorce/separation, depression, and anger issues.
I have earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Northeastern Illinois University and a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Gricel Serrano LCPC
I believe that everybody has the power and ability to better their own lives. Sometimes people seek guidance to achieve their goals—and that is where a therapist can help. I have several years of practice working with clients who have experienced trauma, transitions, and other difficult circumstances. Through an eclectic framework, I utilize various therapeutic techniques to better help clients identify their triggers while processing trauma and utilizing coping skills to improve well-being.
Bilingual in English and Spanish, I have experience working with clients from diverse backgrounds and with diverse mental health needs. I am trained to work with issues related to domestic violence and trauma with both adolescents and adults along with a number of other non-trauma related issues. These include life changes, depression, and anxiety.
I received my Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Roosevelt University in 2011 and my Master of Arts Degree in Forensic Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2014.
Jiselle Roman LCPC
My desire as a bilingual counselor is to work with individuals on their social-emotional issues to help them find themselves and what they want to accomplish in life. I enjoy working with children and adolescents, which is why I began my career as a school counselor. School-based counseling allowed me to work with students in all age groups that were dealing with a variety of issues such as: depression, anxiety, bullying, low self-esteem, negative peer relationships, anger managgement, substance abuse, family conflict, poor decision making, and social skills. Throughout the years I have come to understand that a lot of these issues can be prevented, but it starts in the hoome and that is why family couseling is so important as well.
I feel that working with familes using a holistic approach treats the root of the issue and both individuals and their families are able to learn coping skills to help them function through life successfully. Not only do I counsel children and adolescents, but I also treat adults individually, or couples who are looking for relief with current life stressors such as: life transition, work conflict, marriage, relationships, trauma, and crisis.
I graduated from DePaul University in 2006 with a background in Political Science, but quickly came to know that my passion was to work with people on a more personal level. With this realization, I continued on to graduate school at Saint Xavier University and graduated with my Master of Education in School Counseling in 2009 and Community Mental Health in 2010. I am comfortable offering counseling in both English and Spanish and I tailor my counseling styles to the person I am treating.
Karla Lagos MSW, LCSW
As a multicultural bilingual therapist, I believe I have developed in-depth knowledge in effectively working with people from different backgrounds. I have experience in working with a wide range of professional teams and have treated a diverse group of individuals. My main goal is to help my clients find relief, establish a healthy life balance, develop strength, and help them develop coping skills they can practice on their own when necessary. I take pride in knowing I am making a positive difference in people’s lives.
I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 10 years of professional experience staged in the non-for-profit and private sectors. I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from
University of Illinois at Chicago in 2006, and in 2011 I graduated from Dominican University with a Master’s degree in Social Work. I currently hold a Type 73 Certification and have been practicing for several years, providing treatment in both Spanish and English.
Throughout my extensive career, I have worked with individuals, families, and couples. I have learned the impact of practicing various intervention techniques including effective listening skills which I have observed to be meaningful in developing a strong client-provider relationship. In past treatments, I have successfully incorporated the following a variety of treatment approaches, including: Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Solution-Focused Therapy, Family Systems, and Motivational Interviewing.
Clara Villaseñor MSW, LCSW
As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, most of my experience has been working with adolescent children that battle with the emotional and behavioral symptoms of trauma, substance abuse, bullying, divorce, sexual identity, anxiety, and depression. I am able to collaborate with school staff in developing an Individual Education Program (IEP), as well as providing parent consultations and family therapy to support and strengthen everyone in the home.
In my work with adults, I believe that a trusting therapeutic relationship is important as we are often challenged to deal with life changes, relationship issues and self-doubt on our own. I am committed to supporting you in managing these problems and help facilitate change in order to relieve some of your stress and enhance your life experience.
Together, we will work towards finding relief, establishing a healthy life balance, and developing and utilizing coping skills to improve wellbeing. Together, we will explore the underlying issues to empower you and your family for change.
In 2014, I received my Master’s Degree in Social Work within the Mental Health concentration at the University of Illinois at Chicago. My education and life experience are the basis of my open mind and worldview as in recent years I’ve worked with clients from diverse backgrounds and with varied mental health needs. I’m a native English and Spanish speaker with ample experience working and advocating with the LGBTQI community.
Susie Moya LCSW, ICDVP
I view therapy as a spa treatment of the mind and body as individuals walk through their journey of healing to improved wellness. I believe everyone has personal strengths to help them overcome life challenges, including traumatic events. As a multicultural bilingual therapist, I have over a decade of experience working with diverse families who have been impacted by trauma. Since earning my MA degree, I have provided trauma therapy to adults and children who have been affected by interpersonal violence, including domestic and sexual violence. I also have experience providing therapy to individuals with concerns related to: low-self- esteem, depression, anxiety, parenting, attachment, identity development, and stress management.
In my practice, I recognize the impact of stress and trauma on the mind and the body. My style is friendly and compassionate. I provide therapy using a strengths-based and holistic approach. I collaborate with the client to recognize their personal strengths and, to explore the roots of their thoughts and feelings associated with their presenting concerns. I use mindfulness techniques to help individuals practice self-awareness of stressful factors on their body, and to help them increase positive coping strategies. I also use a blend of other modalities that are individualized to the client’s needs. I am comfortable in providing therapy in English and Spanish.
I earned my Master of Arts from The University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration in 2011 and my LCSW in 2014.