Giedre Antanaitis-Rudawski, LPC

From an early age, I was fascinated by art and people's stories. As I grew up, I recognized that I could use empathy and support to spread healing into our world through these stories. Through this realization, counseling became my calling, and I earned my bachelor's in psychology with a minor in studio arts at Northeastern Illinois University. It was there that I recognized my ongoing passion for the Fine Arts and wanted to learn how to incorporate art into therapy. Art has long been considered healing and spiritually moving, which is why I wish to continue incorporating it into my career. Through my studies, I learned more about specific conditions including schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, and ADD/ADHD and I developed a longing to heal those have historically not been heard. I have found my focus to be on those individuals suffering from anxiety, grief, depression, and trauma. I earned my master's degree at National Louis University, and this is where my passion for treating PTSD and other trauma related conditions grew stronger. As a therapist, I specialize in CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy) and CPT(Cognitive Processing Therapy) primarily, since this is one of the main evidence-based treatments that has been proven to work well with trauma survivors. I also wish to continue exploring art therapy and play therapy techniques as I have found those to be particularly helpful with my younger clients. I believe in a person-centered approach as the client is the one who is the expert on their own life as we work towards their own healing journey.