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Sometimes it can feel as though something is fundamentally wrong with you—like you don’t belong or don’t matter. In response, you might ruminate, withdraw, overwork, drink, or distract yourself…yet the feeling still has you in its grip. I help clients change how they relate to their feelings: instead of living at the beck and call of every passing emotion, or trying to fight off unpleasant feelings, you'll learn to meet your inner experience with awareness and acceptance, and to align your actions not with fleeting emotion, but with your values and commitments.
MY APPROACH
I work from an ACT / DBT perspective, and have been influenced by my experience living in Buddhist monasteries, by meditation practice, and by various somatic modalities. I became a therapist to help people live more meaningful lives. Therapy should make a difference, not just rehash the same old stories—and if it isn’t making that difference, then we need to take a clear look at why and adjust.
WHO I WORK WITH
I see individual adults, couples, and families, and have experience working with children as well. I specialize in working with men in particular, and co-lead men's retreats throughout the year.
ABOUT ME
I was born and raised in Texas, but spent about 6 years abroad as an adult (mainly in Japan and England, with a bit of South Asia and West Africa in the mix) and lived in a few different locations within the US before ending up in Chicago in 2017. Becoming a therapist felt like something of a home-coming. As a teenager I had a strong interest in somatic modalities (e.g., Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique). I later grew fascinated with Buddhism and spent time in a monastery in Japan, as well as long periods of meditation in temples in northern India, Burma, and Sri Lanka. I then trained and worked as a licensed massage therapist before spending about 15 years in academia, doing research on medieval Japan and teaching courses on Buddhism, including in a few New York state prisons.
The process of leaving academia and becoming a therapist was a process of returning to my body, to my sensory experience, to a curiosity about the internal world. Unlike the sort of meditation I had done and continue to practice, I was now exploring feeling and cognition in the context of the therapeutic relationship. In addition to somatics, meditation, and Buddhism, my work has been shaped by my involvement with Victories, a Chicago-area men's organization that helps men connect with each other in deep and meaningful ways.
I worked in community mental health before moving into my current role with military personnel. My approach to therapy is founded on my training at the clinic of Paul Holmes, who has developed his own unique approach that builds on the behavioral modalities of DBT, ACT, and FAP. I continue to read widely and am particularly interested in somatic approaches to psychotherapy and the ways in which evolutionary theories help us understand our emotional experience and live richer, more engaged lives.
PRACTICAL DETAILS AND CREDENTIALS
Location: In-person sessions in Evanston, IL, and telehealth (Illinois).
License: IL LCSW License #149.028808 (Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation)
Education:
PhD, Columbia University
AM (MSW), University of Chicago
MA, University of Bristol, UK
BA, Antioch College
Additional training undertaken at:
Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis
Emotion Management Program
Bukkyō University, Japan
Insurance: Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Medicare (private pay also available)
Good Faith Estimate: Under the No Surprises Act, health care providers must give patients who aren't using insurance an estimate of expected charges before treatment begins. If you would like a Good Faith Estimate of costs, please contact me and I'll provide one before your first session. For more information, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.
Availability: I'm currently working with a limited caseload and am not accepting new clients at this time. If you'd like to be added to a waiting list, feel free to reach out below.
Contact:
Email: luke@luketherapy.com
Phone: 847-461-9743
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