Erika Lee Petty
LPC, Psy.D Practicum Student
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 change can take time and is not always a straight line. Erika is 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 fully 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 two decades as a high school counselor in a suburban school district, Erika decided to pursue a doctoral degree in psychology to shift her focus to working with children, teens, parents, and families in a clinical setting. She earned a Master of Arts in clinical psychology and will graduate with a PsyD. Erika has a broad, comprehensive perspective of factors affecting teens and their parents. For many years she worked with middle and high school 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 co-led a social skills group for K-3rd graders last year, as well as leading grief, substance use, and recovery groups in the high school. Over the past year, 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. She is writing her dissertation on evidence-based supportive factors for children dealing with parental loss and grief and has particular clinical interests in grief, teen issues, school problems, divorce, family therapy, couples counseling, and parent coaching.
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)
- Emotionally Focused Therapy
- Family Systems Therapy
- Humanistic Therapy
- Interpersonal Psychotherapy
- Marriage and Family Therapy
- Mindfulness
- Narrative Therapy
- Person-Centered Therapy
- Play Therapy
- Positive Psychology
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Strength Based Therapy
- Structural Family Therapy