Rebecca received her master’s degree from Lesley University in clinical mental health counseling and drama therapy. As a drama therapist, she fosters a warm, creative space where arts-based techniques (e.g., storytelling, poetry, drama techniques, movement) are available to support clients with their personal and interpersonal goals. Rebecca has experience working with clients of all ages to address themes such as self-esteem, attachment, emotion regulation, relational challenges, identity development across the lifespan, grief and loss, and belonging.
She especially enjoys working with family systems and collaborating to identify each family’s unique strengths.
Specialties: children and adolescents 6-16, trauma-informed approach, Integrated Attachment Family Therapy (IAFT), role theory/method
Yaffa is a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner who works part-time with Midwest Refuah Health Center. She performs initial psychiatric evaluations and medication management for adults, adolescents and children. She is also a provider at Skyway Behavioral Health’s Partial Hospitalization Program Eating Disorder track.
Yaffa earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Touro, a BSN and an MSN in psychiatric nursing from Columbia University, respectively. She has worked in a variety of mental health settings with both children and adults. She previously helped launch an initiative called the Psychiatric Urgent Care Program. This program helped fast track mental health treatment for the NorthShore community.
Jodi is a Marriage and Family Therapist whose professional approach is strength-based, positive, respectful, and nurturing while being inquisitive, direct, and goal-oriented. By building a strong therapeutic relationship with each client, Jodi collaboratively and creatively helps her clients grow socially, personally, environmentally, and within every systemic relationship she engages in. Jodi uses the most current, best-practice theories and techniques to match the client’s needs. Jodi brings a wealth of experiences to each therapeutic session after more than four decades in education working with special education and typically developing students (and their families) from preschool through high school as well as spanning the gamut of professional positions including classroom teacher, mentor, educational consultant, professional development coordinator, supervisor, director, and principal in public and private schools in the United States, Europe, and through the Department of Defense Dependent School (DODDS) systems.
Specialties: Individuals ages 4-120, couples, and families.
Yitzchok Aryeh Freid is a clinical therapist with a wide range of experience working with teens, adults, and couples struggling with challenges including anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship difficulties. With a strong foundation in ACT and EFT, Yitzchok works with a collaborative, relational approach to therapy and believes in helping people take ownership of their lives as they navigate their challenges. Yitzchok has experience working in other clinical settings including LCSC in Lakewood, The Jewish Board in Brooklyn, and Gersten Center in Chicago. He is an alumnus of Yeshiva Gedolah Shaarei Shmuel and Beth Medrash Govah and graduated from Long Island University with a master’s in social work.
Specialties: teens-adults, failure to launch, finding meaning and purpose in life, connecting with one’s values, relationship challenges, couples, and trauma.
Savannah infuses creativity and play into therapy, helping clients build tools for self-expression, emotion regulation, and reflection. She focuses on the social-emotional needs underlying behavioral symptoms and engages family systems in treatment to create strong, long-term solutions. Savannah has experience working with children, adolescents, and adults experiencing anxiety, depression, life transitions, neurodevelopmental disorders, and trauma and stress-related disorders. She received her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern and Master’s in Drama and Movement Therapy from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London.
Specialties: Children and Pre-teens 6-12, Circle of Security Attachment-Based Parenting, Co-regulation, Sensory regulation, and Trauma; Neurodiversity Affirming, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Self-Esteem Building.
Kristen McCray is a Registered Art Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor who enjoys finding the balance between creative self-expression and practical tools to support growth and development. Knowledge of art therapy allows Kristen to creatively address the needs of clients and challenge their understanding of self-expression within a safe space. Kristen views engagement in therapy as an outlet for change and a space for comfort. Kristen received her Masters in Counseling: Art Therapy at Adler School of Professional Psychology and has spent her post graduate focus on developing a broader understanding of mental health and its impact on development, self-advocacy and healthy identities.
Specialties: Children and Teens 10-18, Behavioral Issues, Defiant and Non-compliant Behaviors, Teens and Pre-teens with Emotional Disconnection, and Trauma.
A Professional Counselor since 2014, Dr. Meer recognizes that every client has unique qualities and experiences in their lives that promote or inhibit change, growth, or development— and that anyone can gain the courage to live a life of authentic meaning and deep connection despite conflict, loss, or uncertainty. Expect a space that’s judgment-free, alongside genuine, warm, and empathic encounters. Dr. Meer has a Masters in Gerontological Counseling, and particularly enjoys working with older adults.
Specialties: Children 9-18 and young adults, sibling and family conflict, children within divorcing families, social skill development, assertiveness training, life skill development, and deepening meaningful connection with life values; older adults, increasing meaning in life, grief processing, end of life issues and caregiver fatigue
Midwest Refuah’s Clinical Director Dr. Marni Rosen is a supervisor, consultant, and trainer on trauma-informed psychotherapy and art therapy. A Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Board-Certified Art Therapist, she completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Posttraumatic Stress Center in New Haven, CT, and was a research assistant at Yale University. Dr. Rosen is passionate about providing a warm, culturally sensitive mental-health clinic for Chicago community members. Clients at Midwest Refuah can expect excellent clinical expertise, regardless of their income or insurance coverage. She hopes that Midwest Refuah becomes known as a home for the community’s mental wellness.
Specialty: Trauma consultation, Trauma Centered Psychotherapy training and consultation, Trauma-informed education, Art therapy consultation, Clinical supervision, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Self-care workshops.
