Joshua Williams
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
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Early adults
Adults approaching or navigating midlife
Older adults & elders
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Life transitions
Anxiety
Depression
Grief and Loss
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I draw from psychodynamic, existential, and attachment-based approaches, integrating mindfulness and trauma-informed care. My work is focused on helping clients feel safe, seen, and steady as they navigate change and build trust in themselves.
Psychodynamic Therapy – Looks at how past experiences shape your present, uncovering patterns that may be holding you back.
Attachment-Based Therapy – Helps repair relational wounds, strengthen self-worth, and build healthier connections.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) – Helps explore different parts of yourself, heal inner conflicts, and build self-trust.
Existential Therapy – Focuses on meaning, identity, and navigating life’s uncertainties with more clarity and purpose.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – Supports psychological flexibility, helping you move forward in line with your values.
Mindfulness-Based & Trauma-Informed Therapy – Creates a grounding, steady space for reflection, healing, and emotional safety.
About me
I’ve worked in mental health for almost 15 years, provided individual and group therapy in hospitals, small clinics, long-term care facilities, and—over the last three years—in private practice at Prairieland Therapy. As the administrator of a nursing home, I learned the importance of seeing a person as the accumulation of many different selves over time—something that deeply informs my work as a therapist. I also have an eclectic background outside of mental health. I spent a few years in a Ph.D. program studying history, which gave me a toolbox for thinking through problems and an appreciation for context that I bring to session. I taught while in graduate school, and after, at the City Colleges of Chicago, an experience that strengthened my ability to listen, communicate complex ideas, and work with people from a place of understanding and respect.
I currently live in Chicago but am planning a move in the next couple years to be closer to family and try my hand at some prairie reconstruction. Or atleast a larger garden. I’ve lived in Illinois my whole life but have deep family roots in the Southeast, with formative time spent in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia.
Education
Illinois State University, B.S. 2003
Northwestern University, M.A. 2009
Loyola University, M.S.W. 2012