Rachel Schaefer

Rachel SchaeferLCPC

Therapist at Soleil Psychotherapy · Chicago

1700 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613

Counselors

About Rachel Schaefer

Rachel Schaefer is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) at Soleil Psychotherapy who describes herself as an LGBTQ+ and fat therapist. She particularly enjoys working with young adults exploring gender and sexual identity, processing religious trauma, or navigating career paths, with a clinical emphasis on LGBTQIA+ and gender-nonconforming individuals, couples, and non-traditional relationship styles. Rachel also provides neurodivergent-affirming care and, as an advocate for fat liberation, supports clients in body acceptance and self-love. She is sex-positive, kink-friendly, and affirming of polyamorous relationships, using ACT and DBT, and holds a Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Roosevelt University.

Also at Soleil Psychotherapy

Ashley Homa

Ashley HomaLCPC

Soleil Psychotherapy

1700 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613

Ashley Homa is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), certified yoga instructor, and supervisor at Soleil Psychotherapy. She works with individuals, couples, and groups on trauma, substance use, grief, depression, anxiety, relationship challenges, and major life transitions including infertility, postpartum struggles, and parenthood. As a sex therapist, Ashley addresses desire discrepancy, intimacy challenges, and sexual dysfunction, integrating mind-body and somatic techniques with ACT, CBT, and DBT. She creates a welcoming space for clients of all backgrounds and identities, including those from the LGBTQIA+ community, and is sex-positive, kink-friendly, and affirming of polyamorous relationships. Ashley holds a Master's in Counseling Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

View profile Website

Julia Daniel

Julia DanielLPC

Soleil Psychotherapy

1700 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613

Julia Daniel is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) at Soleil Psychotherapy who explores desire and sexual expression through an art-therapeutic lens. She works with individuals on trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, sexual dysfunction, kinks, and fetishes, with particular skill supporting childhood and sexual trauma survivors, and is dedicated to creating a welcoming, affirming space for clients from LGBTQIA+ and sex worker communities. Julia draws on trauma-informed interventions, Emotionally Focused Therapy, somatic practices, attachment theory, and treatment for Out-of-Control Sexual Behavior, plus psychodynamic approaches. She is supervised by Rachel Berg.

View profile Website

Ryan Curran

Ryan CurranLCPC

Soleil Psychotherapy

1700 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613

Ryan Curran is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and art therapist at Soleil Psychotherapy who uses creative and artistic exploration to help individuals and couples build connection and insight. Ryan supports clients navigating open relationships, polyamory, kink exploration, sex work, gender and sexuality, and disability-inclusive relationships, working from a strength-based, person-centered approach informed by the disability justice and pleasure activism movements. Ryan has several years of experience with clients experiencing complex disabilities, including neurodivergence, physical disability, or invisible illness, and holds a Master's in Art Therapy and Counseling from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

View profile Website

Jess Thompson

Jess Thompson

Soleil Psychotherapy

1700 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613

Jess Thompson is a psychotherapist at Soleil Psychotherapy who works with individuals, relationships, and groups on anxiety, trauma, relationship struggles, emotional overwhelm, body image, self-worth, creative blocks, and life transitions. Jess also supports individuals and couples navigating sexual concerns, intimacy challenges, sexual pain, and questions around sexual identity and expression, embracing all expressions of gender and sexuality as a sex-positive, kink-friendly, poly-affirming counselor. Her integrative approach draws on Relational-Cultural Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Creative Arts Therapies, mindfulness, and DBT. Jess holds a Master's in both Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Art Therapy from Adler University and is supervised by Ashley Homa.

View profile Website

Casey VanHecke

Casey VanHeckeLPC

Soleil Psychotherapy

1700 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613

Casey VanHecke is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) at Soleil Psychotherapy whose clinical work prioritizes LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent identities through a person-centered, strengths-based, relational approach. Casey works with concerns including identity development, transitioning, sexuality, sexual wellness, relationships, attachment, BDSM/kink, anxiety, trauma/PTSD, and grief, and is qualified to provide letters of support for gender-affirming care. Casey trained at Center on Halsted, gaining significant experience with the LGBTQIA+ community, and is sex-positive, sex-worker allied, kink-friendly, and enjoys working with LGBTQ+ and polyamorous clients. Casey holds a Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from The Chicago School and is supervised by Stephen Heintz.

View profile Website

Karina Melendez

Karina MelendezLPC

Soleil Psychotherapy

1700 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613

Karina Melendez is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Client Care Coordinator at Soleil Psychotherapy who uses a relational, strengths-based, trauma-informed approach. Her background in community mental health includes work with adult and child survivors of sexual violence and complex trauma, alongside depression, anxiety, performance anxiety, out-of-control sexual behaviors, self-esteem, attachment, and dissociation. She draws on Dialectical Behavior Therapy, narrative therapy, and relational-cultural therapy, and is sex-positive, kink/BDSM-friendly, and consensual non-monogamy-affirming. Karina earned her Master's in Counseling Psychology, concentrating in Latinx Mental Health, from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Her bio describes her as a second-generation Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Peruvian LGBTQ+ woman.

View profile Website

Christina Carbone

Christina CarboneLPC

Soleil Psychotherapy

1700 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613

Christina Carbone is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) at Soleil Psychotherapy with a holistic, strength-based, integrative clinical orientation rooted in mind-body connection. She works with individuals, couples, and families on trauma, anxiety and depression, self-esteem, relationships, and sex therapy, using ACT, DBT, Internal Family Systems, and attachment-focused approaches. Christina is sex-positive, kink-friendly, and affirming of polyamorous relationships and LGBTQIA+ clients. She earned her Master's in Counseling Psychology, specializing in Marriage and Family Therapy, from Wayne State University, graduating with honors, and is supervised by Rachel Berg.

View profile Website

Anna Welch

Anna Welch

Soleil Psychotherapy

1700 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613

Anna Welch is a psychotherapist at Soleil Psychotherapy who works with adults navigating trauma, anxiety, relationship concerns, body image, self-worth, family-of-origin dynamics, and codependent patterns, using a relational, strengths-based, trauma-informed approach grounded in person-centered and feminist perspectives. Before becoming a therapist, Anna worked in sexual health advocacy and reproductive healthcare, experience that continues to shape her practice. She is LGBTQIA+-affirming, sex-positive, kink-friendly, and affirming of consensual non-monogamous relationships. Anna holds a Master of Education in Mental Health Counseling from Hunter College and is supervised by Stephen Heintz.

View profile Website

Colie Smigliani

Colie SmiglianiLCPC

Soleil Psychotherapy

1700 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613

Colie Smigliani is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) at Soleil Psychotherapy who takes a holistic, existential approach incorporating sex therapy, somatic practice, narrative therapy, feminist theory, DBT, and ACT. Colie has a background working with young adults, families, couples, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, supporting clients through trauma, sexuality, family-of-origin issues, PTSD, depression, anxiety, attachment concerns, LGBTQ and gender exploration, and anger management. She is LGBTQIA+-affirming, sex-positive, and kink- and poly-friendly. Colie earned her Master's in Counseling Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

View profile Website

Aisling Byrne

Aisling ByrneLCPC

Soleil Psychotherapy

1700 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613

Aisling Byrne is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200) at Soleil Psychotherapy, working with adults and couples on anxiety, relationship and communication difficulties, intimacy and sexuality concerns, body image, and life transitions. She provides an LGBTQIA+ affirming, sex-positive, and ENM-affirming space for clients to explore identity and relationships, grounded primarily in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy alongside CBT, DBT, the Gottman Method, and person-centered therapy. Aisling brings an intersectional, internationally informed lens and incorporates mindfulness and mind-body practices. She earned her Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Adler University, with coursework in Human Sexuality.

View profile Website

Stephen Heintz

Stephen HeintzLCPC

Soleil Psychotherapy

1700 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613

Stephen Heintz is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and Director of Employee Enrichment at Soleil Psychotherapy, with a clinical emphasis on individuals, couples, and relationships. He works with clients facing depression, anxiety, anger, trauma, self-esteem, grief and loss, and life transitions. Having trained through the program at Center on Halsted, Stephen has specialized experience working with the LGBTQIA+ community, and his specialties include LGBTQ-affirming care, attachment, and family-of-origin issues. He is also sex-positive, kink-friendly, and affirming of polyamorous relationships. Stephen holds a Master's in Counseling Psychology, with a concentration in marriage and family therapy, from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

View profile Website

Catherine Santo

Catherine SantoLCSW

Soleil Psychotherapy

1700 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613

Catherine Santo is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and certified integrative mental health practitioner at Soleil Psychotherapy. They provide LGBTQIA+ and poly-affirming, trauma-responsive care, specializing in support for clients with chronic pain, complex disabilities, childhood abuse, infertility, anxiety, depression, trauma, stress, and relational issues. Catherine uses person-centered therapy, solution-focused therapy, emotionally-focused therapy, mindfulness, and somatic experiencing to help individuals and couples repair the disconnection between mind and body. Catherine earned a Master's in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and has worked across community and medical settings.

View profile Website

More therapists in Chicago

Rowyn Kruiswyk

Rowyn Kruiswyk

Chicago Therapy Collective

5237 N Clark St, Floor #2, Chicago, IL 60640

Rowyn Kruiswyk is a Licensed Social Worker at Chicago Therapy Collective with an MA in Social Work from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Kruiswyk describes themself as "a trans-masc, queer, and neurodivergent person" and says they are passionate about supporting fellow queer and neurodivergent clients, as well as being a kink- and polyamory-positive therapist. Their work with adolescents and adults addresses anxiety, trauma, and LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent identity exploration, drawing on motivational interviewing, cognitive-behavioral therapy, attachment theory, and trauma-informed care, grounded in queer theory and intersectionality. Kruiswyk has prior experience serving un- and under-insured, low-income clients.

View profile Website

Becca Chadwick

Becca ChadwickMEd, LPC

Tandem Psychology

3354 N Paulina St, Suite 205, Chicago, IL 60657

Becca Chadwick, MEd, LPC, is a Licensed Professional Counselor at Tandem Psychology. Chadwick lists "LGBT and Queer" among her stated specialties, alongside anxiety, relationship issues, college and life transitions, self-esteem, and body image. She works with adults across the lifespan with a special interest in supporting individuals in early adulthood, describing her approach as grounded in trust, honesty, and human-to-human connection, and telling clients, "I'm human too." Chadwick frames therapy as a place to slow down, reflect, and feel supported rather than a space requiring anyone to have all the answers.

View profile Website

Albe Gutierrez

Albe Gutierrez

Chicago Therapy Collective

5237 N Clark St, Floor #2, Chicago, IL 60640

Albe Gutierrez is an art therapist at Chicago Therapy Collective holding a Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BFA in Studio Art from the University of New Mexico. Gutierrez, who uses she/her/ella pronouns, states she is "dedicated to supporting LGBTQIA+ individuals in gender and sexual identity exploration and formation work" and describes a commitment to transgender and gender-nonconforming clients. Her practice also serves Chicago's Spanish-speaking community and survivors of colonial, gender-based, and systemic violence, using expressive-arts modalities, trauma-informed care, harm reduction, and kink- and poly-aware therapy in English and Spanish.

View profile Website

How we built this listing

We researched and wrote this profile from Rachel Schaefer's own website and other public sources. It has not been claimed or edited by them, and Out x Out was not paid to include it — read our sourcing policy. Last checked July 2026.

If this is you: claim it to correct anything or add photos, or email info@outxout.com and we will remove it — no questions asked.