Individual therapy · Chicago
What would you like to work through?
You may have a clear concern, or several parts of life may feel tangled together. These pages offer starting points. We will make sense of your experience in your own words.
Room for the whole picture.
Practical steps matter. So does understanding the patterns, expectations, and experiences behind them.
Talk about what brings you here ↗Areas of support
Emotional well-being
Anxiety
Self-Esteem
Perfectionism
Grief & Loss
A loss can interrupt much more than your routines. You may miss a person, a role, a possibility, or a version of life you expected to have. Some days may feel ordinary; others can catch you off guard.
Loneliness & Disconnection
You can know many people and still feel that no one really knows you. Loneliness may become more noticeable after a move, a change in routine, or a period of putting your own needs aside.
Overthinking
Thinking a decision through can be useful. Replaying it long after you have the information you need can leave you exhausted. You may be searching for certainty that the situation cannot provide.
Procrastination & Avoidance
Putting something off does not always mean it is unimportant to you. A task can become harder to approach when it brings up uncertainty, shame, boredom, or a fear of getting it wrong.
Self-Doubt
You may have evidence that you can handle something and still find it hard to trust your judgment. Reassurance can help briefly, only for the same doubts to return with the next choice.
Feeling Stuck
You may know that something needs to change without knowing what the change should be. Staying where you are can feel uncomfortable, while every alternative seems to carry its own risk.
Stress & Overload
When demands keep arriving faster than you can recover, even a small request can feel like too much. You may be carrying an invisible list that never seems to get shorter.
Living With Uncertainty
Some questions do not have an answer available today. When uncertainty feels unacceptable, you may keep checking, preparing, or delaying in the hope of eliminating every possible risk.
Regret & Moving Forward
A past decision can become a place your mind returns to repeatedly. You may be trying to understand it, undo it emotionally, or punish yourself for not knowing then what you know now.
Areas of support
Work & responsibility
Burnout
The habits that once helped you keep up may now leave you feeling drained or detached. Rest can feel hard to access when work, responsibility, or self-expectations keep pulling you back.
Work-Life Boundaries
A workday can end on the calendar without ending in your mind. Messages, unfinished tasks, and guilt may keep reaching into time you hoped to spend differently.
Career Transitions
Changing work can bring relief, grief, excitement, and doubt at the same time. Even a change you chose can unsettle routines and the way you understand yourself.
Imposter Feelings
You may receive positive feedback yet feel that you are one mistake away from being exposed. Achievements can become something to explain away while difficulties receive all your attention.
Decision Fatigue
After making choices for other people all day, even an ordinary personal decision may feel difficult. You may keep reconsidering, postpone choices, or agree just to avoid another demand.
High Achievement & Pressure
Reaching a goal can bring satisfaction, but sometimes the relief disappears as soon as the next expectation arrives. You may find yourself chasing reassurance through work without feeling that you have done enough.
Workplace Conflict
A difficult interaction at work can stay with you long after the meeting ends. You may find yourself rehearsing replies, avoiding a colleague, or worrying about how to speak up.
Areas of support
Personal growth
Emotional Awareness
Sometimes you know that something is wrong before you can name what you feel. You may notice tension, irritability, or a wish to disappear into work rather than a clear emotion.
Values & Purpose
A life that looks sensible from the outside may no longer feel like your own. You may be meeting expectations without knowing which priorities you would choose if you paused to consider them.
Self-Compassion
You may speak to yourself in ways you would never speak to someone you care about. Self-criticism can feel like the only way to stay accountable, even when it leaves you discouraged.
Identity & Life Transitions
A role or routine that once gave you direction may no longer fit. Whether the change was chosen or unexpected, you may need time to understand what comes with you and what you want to leave behind.
Confidence & Self-Trust
Confidence may feel available in one part of life and absent in another. You might manage difficult responsibilities while struggling to express a preference or trust your own assessment.
Personal Boundaries
You may agree to something while already knowing you do not have the capacity for it. Afterwards, guilt can compete with resentment, leaving you unsure how to respond differently next time.
How we work together
I draw on different approaches according to your goals and what feels useful. We will talk about the reasons for an approach and revisit how it is working.
We can begin with a conversation.
A free 15-minute consultation gives us a chance to discuss what you are looking for and whether working together feels like a fit. Sessions are $300 for one hour.
Request a consultation ↗Sam Rustum, LCPC · Rustum Therapy, LLC · Chicago
$300 for a one-hour session · Free 15-minute consultation