Skip to main content

KAYO CURRA, MA, LCPC, NCC, CCMHC, CCTP

Therapist

Pronouns: They/Them/Theirs
Locations: Andersonville, Loop & via Telehealth
Language(s) I Speak: English

Get Started

AREAS OF FOCUS

  • Anxiety, OCD & Panic Attacks
  • Chronic Pain & Illness
  • Family & Relationship Conflict
  • Gender Exploration, Expression & Identity Affirmation
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Kink, Sex Positivity & Sex Work
  • Mood Disorders (Bipolar, Depression, Major Depression)
  • Religion & Spirituality
  • Self-Esteem
  • Social & Restorative Justice
  • Stress
  • Transgender & Transitioning
  • Trauma & PTSD

CLIENTS I WORK WITH

  • Individuals (Children, Adolescents, Adults)
  • Families (Chosen, Family of Origin, Single Parents)

TYPES OF THERAPY

Existential Psychotherapy, Feminist Therapy, Group Therapy, Logotherapy, Person-Centered Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Reality Therapy.

PHILOSOPHY

Working from a blend of Existential and Reality Therapy, I believe the factors that drive people are a need for safety, belonging, power, freedom, fun, and meaning. Themes I enjoy working with are religion and spirituality, asexual / aromantic-spectrum identity issues, gender identity and exploration, and non-monogamy / non-traditional relationship structures. I think that spirituality can be a key factor in people’s lives, for better or worse, but is often avoided as a point of discussion for fear of judgement or inability to understand – particularly in the cases of both non-Christian religious / spiritual traditions and religious trauma. Social assumptions about gender, sexuality and romantic orientation, and relationships can all be so heavily dictated by rigid constructs that are getting doubled down on in the current political climate that it can feel hard to feel confident being true to yourself and your needs if they deviate from those norms. I think that’s why therapy can be such an important and effective intervention for a lot of people. Good therapy empowers you. It gives you the opportunity to meet collaboratively with another person who can support you in finding your power and the choices that might be hidden from you.

THERAPY WITH ME

When I meet with clients, my goal is to hold space for them to feel safe enough to slow down, speak up, and get the chance to really feel heard. I want sessions to be a moment of peace, where they can learn skills to help them feel a greater sense of control in their lives and to be a little kinder to themselves. While processing past events, I tend to try to bring the focus back to the here-and-now of how those events are impacting them now and what we can do in the present to address that. I never want a client to feel like they have to be in therapy forever. My hope for clients is that we can work to build their resilience, social supports, and personal resources, so they can feel confident managing what life might throw at them without needing therapy as a support. But I’m always happy to stay in the journey with them as long as they want to be there.

EDUCATION & TRAINING

License:

      • Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (License No. 180014686)

Degrees:

      • MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Roosevelt University
      • BA in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago

Certifications:

      • National Certified Counselor (Certification No. 684463), National Board for Certified Counselors
      • Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (Certification No. 684463), National Board for Certified Counselors
      • Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (Certification No. 116537), Evergreen Certifications

ARTICLES & PUBLICATIONS