Who We Are

Lisa Mandl, LCPC

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Welcome

You’re not broken, you’re human.

If you’ve found your way here, something in you is still reaching for connection, for support, for change. That itself is incredibly brave.

You may be navigating trauma, dissociation, complex PTSD, depression, anxiety, or just a quiet sense that you’re not living as fully or as freely as you want to be. I don’t see you as a diagnosis. I see a worthy, resilient person, someone with a system of parts that have adapted, protected, and carried so much.

My role is to walk beside you. Gently. Steadily. Helping you move toward healing, wholeness, and hope – whatever that means for you. 

How I Work

I’m a hope merchant – I’ll hold hope for you until you’re ready to hold it for yourself.

Therapy with me is rooted in relationship. I work collaboratively, honoring your pace and your inner knowing. I integrate both top-down and bottom-up approaches, drawing on the wisdom of mind, body, and spirit to support your full system. 

I draw from:

• Internal Family Systems (IFS) — IFS Certified Therapist, trained in Levels 1-3
• Somatic Experiencing™ (SE™) — Completed Beginning and Intermediate levels; Advanced I begins January 2026
• EMDR and Brainspotting (Phase 1)
• Person-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Solution-Focused Therapy
• DARe (Dynamic Attachment Re-patterning experience) — three of four modules completed
• Creative, expressive, and spiritual tools including art, music, play, crystals, cards, and aromatherapy (offered when helpful or meaningful to you)

My work is trauma-informed, consent-based, and guided by curiosity, compassion, and care. Together we explore protective parts, make space for exiles, and move toward greater Self-connection – at your pace, in your own way. 

Who I Support

I work with adults across a wide range of identities and lived experiences. I’m especially honored to support:

• Jewish individuals navigating spirituality, community, intermarriage, conversion, antisemitism, or Holocaust-related legacy burdens ( עם ישראל חי )
• Neurodivergent, LGBTGEQIAP+, CNM and kink-affirming individuals
• People exploring faith, spiritual trauma, ancestral wounding, or embodied healing
• Therapists, healers, and helpers experiencing burnout or vicarious trauma

My Clinical Values

I believe that access to mental health care is a human right. I’m committed to continuity of care, regardless of income, insurance, or identity – and I approach each client with cultural humility and affirming care across race, gender, sexuality, neurotype, and ability.

Group Offerings

I am preparing to launch an IFS-informed group for adults wanting to deepen their connection to their parts, explore embodiment, and (if they choose) explore legacy or cultural burdens. This group will begin with psychoeducation and move gently into experiential work.

If this speaks to you, I’d love to hear from you.

Supervision and Consultation

In addition to clinical work, I provide supervision and consultation at all stages;  blending IFS, somatic, and trauma-informed lenses with a focus on ethical, sustainable practice. 

About Me

Outside of session, I’m someone who loves stories, stillness, and science fiction. I read constantly, play music when I can, and find peace near water – especially when I’m with my dog, Bodhi.

Lived Experience

I come to this work not just as a therapist, but as a human being who has walked through my own healing. I live with late-diagnosed Celiac Disease and am a caregiver to a loved one with complex needs. These experiences have shaped how I understand the body, mind, spirit connection – and what it means to carry both strength and struggle at the same time.

I know what it’s like to hold multiple truths, to be both the helper and the hurting. That lived reality shapes my clinical work and my belief that you don’t have to carry it all alone. 

 

Contact Lisa

 

Professional Information & Certifications:

• BA (Bachelor of Arts) Speech & Performing Arts (minor in music performance), Northeastern Illinois University
• Post-graduate hours in Interpersonal & Family Communication, Northeastern Illinois University
• MS (Master of Science) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, National Louis University
• NCC (National Certified Counselor), NBCC (National Board for Certified Counselors)
• Illinois LCPC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor), IDFPR (Illinois Department of Professional & Financial Regulation), License #180.014805
• Individual NPI (National Provider Identifier), #1558926170
• Group NPI/NPI II (National Provider Identifier), #1689391500
• CCTP:II (Certified Clinical Trauma Professional – Complex Trauma), Evergreen Certifications, #532384 
• CTMH (Certified Clinical Telemental Health Provider), Evergreen Certifications, #873017
• Certified Internal Family Systems™ Therapist, IFS Institute, #CSL-1618
• Certified Laughter Yoga Leader
• IM + CANS (Illinois Medicaid–Comprehensive Assessment of Needs and Strengths) Certified
• Rainbows for Children Facilitator
• Reiki Master
• See Lisa’s additional training here

 

I am a proud member of:

• American Counseling Association (ACA)
• Illinois Counseling Association (ICA)
• Illinois Mental Health Counselors Association (IMHCA), former Board Member
• Illinois Association for Multicultural Counseling (IAMC)
• Illinois Association for Specialists in Group Work (IASGW), Past Vice President, past presenter
• Illinois Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities (ISAIGE)
• Illinois Spiritual, Ethical, Religious Values in Counseling (ISERVIC)
• International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISST-D)
• Northwest Suburban Chapter, the first chapter of the Illinois Counseling Association, Immediate Past President
• National Louis University Counseling Association (NLUCA), Past Vice President
• Somatic Experiencing® International

 

meet the team