Erika Lee Petty
LPC, NCC
My Approach
Erika’s approach is empathic, honest, caring and gentle. She is patient-centered and encourages open communication by creating a safe, nurturing space for patients to feel seen and heard. Erika projects warmth and authenticity and provides active listening, accurate reflection, supportive guidance and meaningful feedback. She is solution-focused and goal-directed, but is also patient and flexible, as she understands change takes time and is not always a straight line. Erika is skilled and effective in working with patients of all ages, with a particular clinical interest in working with children, adolescents and parents. Whether she is supporting a child coping with the loss of a loved one, an adult going through a divorce, a teen struggling in school, or an older adult questioning their sense of meaning, Erika listens thoughtfully and invests her energy and experience into helping patients move toward healing, solutions, and personal growth.
Ages Treated | Toddler, Children, Preteens, Teens, Adults, Elders
About Erika Lee Petty
My Experience
Erika earned her Master of Arts in community counseling from Northeastern Illinois University, where she also completed degree requirements for marriage and family counseling and school counseling. After spending almost twenty years as a high school counselor in a suburban school district, Erika decided to pursue a master’s degree in clinical psychology to shift her focus to working clinically with children, teens, parents, and families. She earned a Master of Arts in clinical psychology, including focused curriculum on a child and adolescent population, from Midwestern University in 2024. Erika has a broad, comprehensive perspective of factors affecting children, adolescents, and their parents. In the school district, she worked with students supporting their social-emotional health, participating in special education meetings, advocating for 504 accommodations, and providing guidance with academic planning, career exploration, standardized testing, college admissions, and the transition to college. Erika has co-led social skills groups for K-3rd graders, as well as grief, substance use, and recovery groups in schools. She completed a diagnostic practicum in neuropsychological testing, primarily with children and teens, at a suburban private practice where she administered, scored, and interpreted test batteries and wrote diagnostic reports. Erika is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a National Certified Counselor (NCC) as well as a certified school counselor. Erika has particular clinical interests in child therapy, teen issues, school-related concerns, parent coaching, couples counseling, marriage and family therapy, divorce stressors, and children or adults coping with grief and loss.
Education
North Park University, B.A.
English Literature
Northeastern Illinois University, M.A.
Community Counseling
Midwestern University, M.A.
Clinical Psychology
Languages Spoken
English
Gender
She/Her
Treatment Modalities
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Brief Solution Focused
- Coaching
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
- Family Systems Therapy
- Humanistic Therapy
- Interpersonal Psychotherapy
- Marriage and Family Therapy
- Mindfulness
- Narrative Therapy
- Person-Centered Therapy
- Play Therapy
- Positive Psychology
- Strength Based Therapy
- Structural Family Therapy