Domestic violence involves patterns of control, intimidation, or harm within relationships. In additional to physical violence, it can take many forms, including verbal, emotional, psychological, economic, spiritual, financial, and technological, all performed in a way to maintain control over another person.

Healing may involve developing plans to ensure immediate safety, as well as restoring confidence in your ability to trust and express your own voice and needs. Rebuilding self-esteem, processing feelings of guilty or shame, learning healthy relationship dynamics, understanding the impact of trauma on the brain/body, and establishing boundaries may also be relevant. Alternatives to talk therapy, such as EMDR and ART may be helpful adjuncts.

All therapists are 40-hour trained certified by the Illinois Certified Domestic Violence Professionals (ICDVP) Board.

Member organization of The Network.

A criminalized survivor is someone who has experienced abuse or violence and is then punished or penalized by the legal system—often for actions taken in self-defense or under duress. In both criminal and civil courts, these survivors may face charges, incarceration, or loss of custody, rather than receiving protection or support for the harm they’ve endured.

Healing may involve rebuilding a sense of safety, agency, and self-worth after being harmed by both interpersonal violence and the legal system. Therapy may focus on processing trauma, addressing shame or guilt tied to criminalization, and reclaiming one’s narrative in a supportive, nonjudgmental space. Empowerment, trust-building, and advocacy-informed care are central to the healing process.

Immigrant victims of abuse by a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse or parent can self-petition for legal status without the abuser's knowledge or help. Often, attorneys seeking this legal relief will ask for a clinical evaluation and support letter written by a therapist to discuss the impact of the abuse on the victim's mental health.

Many people endure prolonged stress and trauma while surviving in the carceral system. While freedom is treasured, it’s not uncommon for individuals to experience stress, trauma, anxiety, and other challenges when returning home and adjusting to life stressors and demands.

Healing may involve resolving the effects of any trauma, rebuilding self-esteem and self-confidence, and developing healthy coping strategies. Alternatives to talk therapy, such as EMDR and ART may be helpful adjuncts.

There are many people who have been wrongfully convicted and unjustly imprisoned. Freed refers to those released from prison but it's possible their name has not officially been cleared. Exonerated means their convictions were overturned and innocence legally recognized. Still fighting includes those who remain incarcerated, under legal supervision, or are otherwise actively working to prove their innocence. This population often faces ongoing legal, emotional, and social challenges, even after release.

Healing may involve healing from deep and complex trauma, including resolving active symptoms of PTSD, processing feelings of grief and loss, reclaiming a sense of self, and exploring one's own purpose, goals, and identity beyond the legal system. 

Difficult early-life experiences, such as physical and emotional neglect, violence or abuse, tension with caregivers and/or difficulty within the caregiver relationship, trauma, and other hardship can impact emotional and psychological well-being.

Healing may involve an exploration into these experiences and their cumulative impact. Alternatives to talk therapy, such as EMDR and ART may be helpful adjuncts.

Abuse can occur at any age, and can affect perceptions of self, self-worth, intimacy, and quality of relationships, among other things.

Healing may involve gaining insight into the effect of these experiences on your view of yourself and others, and learning strategies to feel safe and trusting in others and the world.

Experiencing or witnessing community violence, and the normalization of the proximity of danger and threats to your environment, can lead to lasting feelings of fear, stress, and anxiety.

Healing may involve discovering strategies to restore feelings of internal safety and moderating any feelings of anxiety.

Many individuals experience depression as a persistent feeling of sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness that impacts the quality of daily life. It’s not uncommon for symptoms of depression to appear in response to significant life changes. Sometimes, symptoms go undetected because the individual is still “productive,” but upon reflection, it feels like they are simply going through the emotions and not experiencing the same joy from life.

Healing may involve learning about the relationship between your thoughts (internal dialogue), feelings, and decision-making, and challenging unhelpful thoughts that do not serve you. Developing healthy coping strategies, building self-compassion, fostering hope and empowerment, among other things, may also be relevant.

We live in a fast-paced and demanding world overloaded with information, notifications, social and economic pressures, and expectations to keep up. Many experience anxiety as a persistent state of worry, fear, or unease, feeling often “on edge.”

Healing may involve increasing awareness to your inner dialogue and challenging the thoughts that do not serve you. Building coping strategies, decreasing avoidance, and shifting your focus back to the present may also be relevant.

Communication issues, misunderstandings, or unresolved conflicts can create emotional strain within relationships.

Healing may involve: Sometimes, couples choose to address these stressors together in couples therapy. In individual therapy, people work to gain insight into their own stress and/or trauma responses and triggers, communication styles, and expectations and assumptions to improve the way they interact with their partner.

Arena is committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and affirming space for individuals of all sexual orientations gender identities, and expressions, and relationships.

Mood dysregulation refers to difficulty managing and regulating emotional responses, which can lead to intense or rapid shifts in mood that are disruptive to daily life and impact an individual’s well-being.

Healing may involve learning emotional triggers, and their underlying thoughts or beliefs, increasing self-awareness to emotional needs, developing coping strategies, and increasing resilience.

Many individuals cope with intense emotional pain by engaging in self-injurious behaviors, such as cutting or burning. Doing so can numb overwhelming feelings and allow the individual to feel they have regained a sense of control, or express their distress when they feel unable to communicate their emotions effectively. While these behaviors can offer temporary relief, they do not address the underlying causes of the emotional pain.

Healing may involve exploring and resolving the underlying causes for emotional pain and learning healthy, safe, and effective ways to manage distress.

Perfectionism involves setting unrealistically high standards and fearing, and becoming dysregulated by, failure. This can lead to chronic stress, self-criticism, lower self-esteem or self-confidence, and burnout.

Healing may involve dismantling the rigid, unrealistic expectations of self and develop a healthier, more balanced approach to success.

For those who care for others, and/or are in industries that require constant support of individuals in distress, it’s not uncommon to experience emotional exhaustion, numbness, fatigue, and reduced empathy. If you were once passionate and energized about your work, and now you find yourself asking, “what’s the point?” you may be suffering from compassion fatigue or burnout.

Healing may involve restoring emotional balance, setting healthy boundaries and expectations, developing self-care practices, processing feelings of burnout, and identifying strategies to prevent further emotional exhaustion.