Chris Edwards

My approach

I work to create an environment that actively welcomes all aspects a person brings to the therapy space. That includes our conscious and unconscious identities, and the relationships we have with others. It also includes our strengths and adaptive behaviors as well as our wounds and traumas. I support clients in learning about themselves, working through personal struggles, navigating relationships, and making space to celebrate successes.

An important idea in my therapy approach is that our experiences (both good and bad) live in our bodies. This means that we’ll be mindful of and notice how recalling and retelling our experiences can bring thoughts and feelings we had in those moments back up to the surface—whether we want them to or not. By increasing both awareness and understanding of the mind-body connection, we will be able to identify different strategies for relating to unpleasant and painful emotions/feelings and to foster a greater sense of overall wellbeing.

Another important area I explore with clients is how social pressures, power dynamics, and oppressive forces impact our daily living in this society. They can shape our experiences and our ways of thinking. That includes me! I also consider how my experience of whiteness, my gender, my sexuality, and my neurodivergence affects the therapy space we share together. I think that working to stay aware of how the spaces we live in affect us is an important part of making a safe and welcoming space for everyone present.

Areas of focus

I work with clients who experience anxiety, depression, relationship issues, grief, and trauma.

As someone who is Autistic and ADHD, I’ve got a lot of personal and professional experience working with neurodivergence. I also work regularly with LGBTQIA+, non-monogamous, and kink-practicing clients.

A little about me

I’m trained in two body-based, trauma-informed models that explore how the body and brain develop across the lifespan, how bodies respond to stress and traumas in different life stages, and strategies for navigating and healing from trauma in the present: Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics.

I have a Master’s degree in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago, focusing on trauma-informed practices and systems-based approaches to therapy. I also previously attained a Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Composition from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

I’ve previously trained at Loyola University Chicago, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and the University of Texas at Austin. I’m also a member of the National Association for Social Workers (NASW) and Kink & Poly Aware Chicago Therapists (KPACT).

In my free time I like to take pictures of flowers, birds, and other nature scenery. I love seeing people’s pets, so feel free to bring your cat, dog, bird, lizard, etc. to our telehealth sessions!