Men & life stages · Individual therapy · Chicago
Therapy for young adults in Chicago
Early adult life can bring choices that seem to define everything at once: work, independence, identity, and where you belong. Comparing your timeline with others can make an uncertain period feel like a personal failure.
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What you may be noticing
- Feeling behind peers
- Adjusting to independent responsibilities
- Not knowing which expectations are truly yours
Your experience may look different. These examples are starting points for a conversation.
How we can work on this
We can slow down the pressure to have a finished plan and identify the choices in front of you. Our work may include anxiety, self-worth, and developing priorities that fit your circumstances.
I am Sam Rustum, LCPC. My work is collaborative: we will discuss your priorities, choose a starting point, and check whether our approach is useful to you.
When every choice seems to say something about your future
You may open a job application and end up comparing your whole life with someone else’s. Or a conversation with family may leave you unsure whether you want their advice, their approval, or more room to decide for yourself. We can slow down a specific moment and examine the expectations attached to it.
In our work, we might distinguish a practical question from a conclusion about your worth. Choosing a next step becomes harder when it also seems to prove whether you are successful, independent, or disappointing someone. We can explore where those standards come from and which ones fit your circumstances now.
You might try asking for time before agreeing to a plan, taking a manageable step toward an application, or reaching out to a friend without waiting until life feels more settled. We can then discuss what happened and what you learned about your reactions. Therapy can also make room for loneliness, identity, relationships, and the parts of early adulthood that do not follow a predictable timeline.
Questions you may be asking
What if I feel behind everyone else?
We can examine what you are comparing, whose expectations you are using, and the circumstances that shape your options. That can help us define a next step that has meaning in your own life.
Can I talk about family while becoming more independent?
Yes. We can discuss closeness, disagreement, money, obligations, and the boundaries you want. Independence can involve choices about how to stay connected as well as how to make decisions.
Do I need a clear goal for the first session?
You can begin with what has been bothering you or what prompted you to look for therapy. We can develop clearer goals through conversation and revise them as we understand more.
A place to begin
Let’s make room for what you need.
A free 15-minute consultation gives us a chance to talk about what is difficult, answer your questions, and consider whether working together fits what you need.