About me

I know it’s cheesy, but I have always felt like I was “meant to” work in mental health. I got my Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in Illinois.

I‘ve had the honor of working in community mental health centers and high schools for over five years now. This background has given me both experience and comfortability working with people with many kinds of life stressors and mental health experiences such as depression, anxiety, stress, mood/bipolar symptoms, trauma, LGBTQIA+ related topics, difficulty in relationships, etc.

Now, I am the owner of Benton Counseling, PLLC: a private practice providing mental health therapy services locally to the Champaign-Urbana community and to greater Illinois.

My therapy approach depends on your needs and goals, but I primarily work from a Person-Centered and Feminist foundation using a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) framework. That means:

I believe that you are the expert of your life; you get to decide what is important (although I might throw in my thoughts every once in a while!). I see us as a team where I walk alongside you as we figure out how to help you cope, manage, grow or heal, depending on your goals.

I believe it is essential to look at many parts when we consider mental health and wellness. For example, how do your past and current experiences and relationships affect you? How do the “-isms” (e.g. racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, ableism) impact your well-being?

I believe in using a mix of empathy, validation, empowerment and skills-teaching in therapy. I primarily utilize DBT skills that focus on being more present, managing emotions, getting through situations that create painful emotions or lead to impulsive behaviors and improving communication.

I’m a queer, cisgender woman.

I’m a parent to a toddler.

I love video games, from Animal Crossing to WoW.

I’m a sucker for animated movies.

I get hangry. Yes, it’s a real thing!