Therapist + Clinical Supervisor + Hiring Lead
She/Her/Hers
ssingh@wearehelpful.com
(708) 317-9056
Prior to Helpful, I worked for a community-based agency as an outpatient therapist providing trauma-informed therapeutic services to children, emerging adults, and families. In addition to that role, I was an active part of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and BIPOC affinity group efforts in creating sustainable change and spaces across the agency. I also have experience counseling teens in a school setting, providing case management services to teen moms in care, and supporting individuals with significant mental health conditions transitioning from residential settings to independent living. Originally from the metropolitan D.C. area, I moved to North Carolina for undergrad, earning a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Child Development and Family Relations. Missing the city-feel and knowing my academic career wasn’t finished, I relocated to Chicago (in the middle of the polar vortex!), and have since earned an MSW degree from DePaul University. I have learned so much from the different communities I have been blessed to be a part of, and am grateful for the personal and professional growth I’ve gained along the way. In my free time, I enjoy trying different foods around the city with my husband and friends, watching thriller, true crime, and cooking shows (particularly cooking/baking competitions or ‘The Kitchen’), and being a dog mom to my pup Max.
“Hold on, keep trusting. You do not have to be invincible before you can be strong.” - Morgan Harper Nichols
How my lived experiences shape my work
While commonalities in life are the things that bring us together, it is also the acknowledgement, recognition and celebration of everything else that allows us to feel valued and seen. In building the therapeutic relationship, I understand the importance of considering the various systems that connect us, while recognizing the ways these systems impact us differently. With respect, cultural responsiveness, and humility, I strive to create a space that fosters the empowerment of self-discovery and acceptance. I firmly believe that with further understanding of the way we see and are seen by the world, we can learn what our souls need, and leave behind what no longer serves us. I work from a trauma-informed and strengths-based lens, exploring how early attachments, systems, and lived experiences show up in our current self, responses, and relationships. Additionally, in recognizing ourselves outside of our current roles, the discovery of who and what we want to become can begin. Depending on need, I utilize a range of modalities including psychodynamic, attachment-based, CBT and DBT.
The clients I work best with
As a first-generation Filipina-American navigating the different cultural and societal realities in the US, I have learned the vital need of challenging the stigmas around mental health and accessing the right of self-preservation and whole wellness. I have particular interest in supporting individuals, especially folks of color, managing difficulties with depression, anxiety, intergenerational and systemic trauma, relationships, life transitions, and cultural/racial intersectionality.