Sharon Ganellen is a veteran psychotherapist with a wealth of experience under her belt. She has worked in a variety of mental health and school settings over the last 20 years and has focused extensively in helping children and their families. Sharon’s next chapter begins now at Wellington Counseling Group, where she will help adults, couples, and families seeking positive changes in their lives and working to reach their full potential. Sharon also provides consultation and advocacy for parents and children who are navigating a variety of educational challenges in hopes of being appropriately served by their school districts’ resources.

Sharon works from a family systems orientation, incorporating elements from other recognized treatment approaches, as well. With every case, she aspires to work collaboratively with clients, to allow them to realistically assess their situation, identify their options, and to then effectively implement changes in their lives to reach their goals.

Sharon earned an MSW from Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is a lifelong learner who always tries to add new tools to her toolbox so that she can better help her clients.

Sharon is a Master Gardener who has volunteered at the Chicago Botanic Garden for over 20 years and holds a brown belt in Aikido. Sharon also has an extensive background in experiential education and has worked on several Teams Challenge courses. In her free time, Sharon loves to read, listen to music, cook, travel, and spend time in nature with her husband.

Ariel is a warm and compassionate therapist who’s here to support individuals of all ages on their journey to healing and self-discovery. Her dedication to her work is driven by her passion for empowering individuals, especially children and teenagers, who have faced systemic harm and societal stigma, including LGBTQ and TGNC individuals, women, and those from other marginalized communities. Through their extensive experience working with young people who have endured complex trauma, Ariel has come to believe in the power of a strengths-based relational therapy model, creating a safe and comfortable space where her clients can freely explore their thoughts and emotions. Additionally, Ariel is an Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) trained clinician who utilizes somatic and movement-based healing in her clinical practice. Ariel loves incorporating art, play, music, and other imaginative techniques to engage their clients and make the therapeutic process both enjoyable and effective. Her commitment to celebrating diversity is evident in her affirming stance on all genders, sexualities, careers, reproductive choices, and alternative relationship structures.

Ariel’s educational foundation includes master’s degrees in both Social Work and Gender and Women Studies from Loyola University Chicago. Their professional background includes three meaningful years working in the foster care system, where they provided healing and affirming support to queer and trans youth, as well as to underage victims of human trafficking. Ariel understands the intricate nuances of life’s challenging situations and uses her experience to help her young clients find their unique paths to healing.

In her free time Ariel volunteers with PAWS Chicago. She’s also a proud member of a queer-fem basketball team, an enthusiastic karaoke performer, and a Pisces.

Dr. Michael Feinstein works with adolescents and adults, offering psychological treatment for a wide variety of presenting concerns. His area of specialty is trauma/PTSD and enjoys providing EMDR therapy to individuals in his care. Other areas of specialty for Dr. Feinstein include anxiety, depression, addiction, identity development & exploration, self-esteem & self-worth development, interpersonal & familial conflict, and life transitions. Dr. Feinstein also provides psychological evaluations.

Dr. Feinstein’s approach to therapeutic practice is primarily rooted in humanistic and Person-Centered philosophies, utilizing a modern Rogerian style that emphasizes empathy, empowerment, and personal exploration. He frequently incorporates approaches from modalities such as Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), existentialism, and psychodynamic concepts, as well. Dr. Feinstein’s philosophy for therapeutic practice is that everything brought to therapy is rich in meanings that can be explored and understood, no matter how distressing or puzzling it may appear to others. He aims to create a supportive, safe, and welcoming environment where such an exploration can take place and healing can begin to unfold. Throughout therapy, Dr. Feinstein strives to maintain a deep commitment to accurately understand you and your lived experiences, respect your autonomy, and empower individuals to live a more peaceful and personally meaningful life.

Dr. Feinstein is a graduate of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, where he earned a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. He has experience treating individuals from across the lifespan throughout a wide variety of settings. These include private practice, community mental health centers, nonprofit agencies, college counseling centers, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, and crisis centers.

In his free time, Dr. Feinstein likes to stay active and frequently rides his bike along the lakefront and attends yoga and Pilates classes. He also enjoys playing video games, boardgames, seeing live music, exploring the local restaurant scene, and watching sports.

Dan Brandys is currently a second-year graduate student at Northwestern University’s (NU) Master of Arts in Counseling program. Dan earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where he majored in Clinical/Community Psychology and minored in Criminology, Law, & Society.

Dan has served as a practicum graduate student therapist at the Bette D. Harris Family & Child Clinic at NU’s Family Institute and as a volunteer virtual crisis counselor for the Crisis Text Line. Further, Dan worked as a cross-categorical teacher aide at Champaign Central High School and as an undergraduate summer intern at the Pediatric Developmental Center at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago, collaborating with adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and/or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

He served as a lead research assistant in UIUC’s Project on Life Experiences (PLE) Research Lab under the direction of Dr. Thomas Kwapil, conducting a year-long project that explored multidimensionality within the bipolar spectrum. Dan also served as Vice President of UIUC’s Ukrainian Student Association—where he engaged in volunteer, fundraising, and advocacy work to support humanitarian efforts for those impacted by the war in Ukraine in 2022.

Dan believes that each individual possesses an array of intersectional identities, defining qualities, and lived experiences: all of which inform one’s presentation of self and presenting mental health concerns. Therefore, his humanistic and relational approach to therapy—bolstered by psychodynamic modalities and evidence-based practices (e.g., Acceptance and Commitment Therapy [ACT])—is tailored to meet each individual’s unique needs. He strives to establish a collaborative, comfortable, and judgment-free environment with clients on their personalized therapeutic journey of holistic and empathic self-exploration.

Dan values the power of self-care. When he is not at school or at work, he watches movies; exercises; creates graphic designs; practices violin; spends time with family and friends; and is always on the lookout for the next new spot to get a coffee.

Lowell Bisio is fourth-year clinical psychology doctoral student at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. He has previous clinical experience providing psychotherapy and psychological assessment in both inpatient and college counseling settings, where he has worked with children, adolescents, and adults.

Lowell approaches treatment from an integrative perspective that emphasizes humanistic and psychodynamic methods. He believes in the holistic individuality of every person and sees the empathic therapeutic relationship as fundamental to insight and change. Lowell is interested in sitting with, learning from, and helping individuals in despair. His other clinical interests include working with individuals experiencing issues relating to life transitions, mood, personality, identity, or spirituality.

Prior to beginning his graduate studies, Lowell earned his B.A. from Colorado College, majoring in philosophy and with minors in English, music, and psychoanalysis. He has also previously volunteered in a hospice setting providing support for patients and their families.

When he is not working or studying, Lowell enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, learning about history, watching films, playing music, and petting his cats.

Brandon Arbuckle is a licensed marriage and family therapist with more than two decades of experience in private practice. His primary focus is working with couples on conflict resolution and emotional dysregulation between partners. With a background in the intersection of neuroscience and change in couples, Brandon understands how the body responds to trauma and emotional distress as well as the effect this can have on the lives of those in intimate relationships. He works to help couples develop greater and more secure emotional connections, as well as identify opportunities for growth in their relationships.

Brandon is a certified facilitator of Prepare/Enrich™, as well as a supervisor approved by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. He regularly supervises and consults with those seeking to become an LMFT in Illinois.

Brandon earned his Ph.D. in Pastoral Theology, Personality and Culture from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, a Methodist Seminary on the campus of Northwestern University. The field of Pastoral Theology is interdisciplinary, with influence from clinical psychology, psychology of religion and anthropology.

In his free time, Brandon enjoys watching movies, art, playing baseball with his two children, and exploring the varied cuisine offered by the world’s most delightful city: Chicago.