About Siemone S.
“Although my job title reads ‘Infant Mental Health Specialist’ and ‘Family Therapist’, you might also call me ‘A Generational Mender.’ I work to bridge the gap between children and their parents/caregivers; specifically with small children, but also with youth, adult children, and their parents. I work with families of all kinds to help them develop and update their Toolbox of skills and resources, which empowers them to create more meaningful and authentic relationships in their lives.
I help people who feel that the unresolved issues from their past continue to dictate their present and future life stories. They come to me because they are ready to stop the patterns of their past from intruding on their present relationships. I help my clients understand how we inherit legacies from our parents and grandparents, and we (intentionally or unintentionally) pass those legacies onto our children. I help the families I work with understand these legacies and their generational impact and help them choose whether that is a legacy they want to continue to pass on or if they are ready to do the work to dismantle this pattern and build new legacies for their future generations.
My training, as a doctoral student in the Couple and Family Therapy Program at Adler University is in working with various types of family dynamics: couples, adults, and youth. But, my passion is in my work with small children, specifically the little ones, ages birth to five. This age group is extra special to me because a young child’s way of self-expression is often misunderstood by the adults around them. My favorite part about being a family therapist is the moment when a parent is finally able to feel confident in their understanding of their young child, and the child feels the love and safety of being understood by their parent. As a Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) clinician, I know that children learn and thrive in the context of relationships. I am honored to help families with young children heal and grow as they work on building healthy attachment and learning ways to properly manage behavioral issues. I love watching the families that I work with change their generational patterns and learn healthy relationship skills that will be passed down to their future generations.
I relate to my clients that are going through the work of generational mending and learning the difficulties of where they came from on their journey towards where they want to be. My own journey as a mother showed me the bittersweet responsibility of ‘being the change’ in my own generational family. My clients feel confident and encouraged to do the work of honoring and treasuring the challenges in their upbringing so they can be intentional in nurturing new, healthier generational patterns. Oftentimes my clients start our work together feeling that they are victims of their past. We work together towards a place of confidence and empowerment where they are able to finally become authors of their own stories.
In addition to working with families with small children, I am passionate about working with individuals and families of color, particularly African Americans. It is unbelievably important for African Americans to have a mental health professional who can reflect their identities. I am honored to create a safe space for families of color to share and process their experiences without the added stress of feeling fearful, misunderstood, judged, invalidated, or further marginalized by their therapist. As an African American woman, I recognize how unique intersectionalities, backgrounds, and experiences must be considered in the healing journey. I believe the pervasive history of racism and systems of oppression make it even more important that People of Color receive proper mental health treatment by someone they trust.
When I’m not working with clients I enjoy traveling and spending time with my family, especially my 8 year old daughter who is the most kind, funny, and artistic kid! I’m a Southside girl, through and through, but I love to be downtown and try new restaurants throughout the city. When I need to escape my own realities, I like to indulge in cheesy rom-coms, adventure books, or some trashy reality tv (preferably one of the Real Housewives shows). I also love to ‘People Watch’, imagining the life stories of strangers as I observe them in random moments.”
“Oftentimes my clients start our work together feeling that they are victims of their past. We work together towards a place of confidence and empowerment where they are able to finally become authors of their own stories. "
- Siemone S., LCPC (she/her/hers)
Siemone is a fully licensed therapist at Empower Family Therapy. She has completed her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology and is currently working towards her Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Couple & Family Therapy. Siemone has years of clinical experience and is receiving supervision under Tina Shrader, LMFT, founder of Empower Family Therapy. She is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in the State of Illinois.
To schedule an appointment with Siemone, contact us and mention her name.
Siemone’s Specialties Include:
Parent/child dyadic work (children birth to five)
Play therapy
Intergenerational work
Youth (teens and adolescents)
Youth who are parents
Trauma informed work
Attachment based work