OakHeart, Center for Counseling
  • Home
  • Counseling
  • Specialties
    • COVID-19 Related PTSD and Anxiety >
      • COVID-19 Resources
    • Depression
    • Bipolar Disorder
    • Grief and Bereavement
    • ADHD
    • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
    • Social Anxiety Disorder
    • Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia
    • Generalized Anxiety Disorder (Worry)
    • Health Anxiety
    • Specific Phobias
    • Maternal Mental Health
    • Infertility, Miscarriage, and Neonatal Loss
    • Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI)
    • Eating Disorders
    • Substance Use Disorders (SUD)
    • Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
    • Anger Management
    • Insomnia
    • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
    • Trauma
    • Divorce Recovery
    • Relationship Concerns and Couples Counseling
    • Self-Esteem
    • Therapy for Therapists
    • LGBTQA+ Support
    • Faith-Based Counseling
  • Providers
    • Erin Mitchell
    • Pamela Heilman
    • Katie Sheehan
    • Hillary Gorin
    • Lee Ann Heathcoat
    • Adam Ginsburg
    • Megan Noren
    • Sarah Williams
    • Christina Bieche
    • Bridgette Koukos
    • Laura Lahay
    • Annette Cisneros
    • Kate Nash
    • Anna Perkowski
    • Elizabeth Grzan
    • Samantha Koder
    • Vanessa Osmer
    • Kat Harris
  • Locations
    • North Aurora, IL
    • Sycamore, IL
    • Telehealth Online Counseling
  • Contact
  • Employment
  • FAQ and Notices
  • OakHeart Blog
  • Administrative Team
  • Additional Services
    • Divorce Mediation
    • Professional Consultation

Andrea Despotes, MA


Picture
Master of Arts
Clinical Psychology Extern 

To make an appointment with Andrea, please call 630-570-0050. You can also email Contact.OH@OakHeartCenter.com.

Treats the Following:

Anxiety, Mood Disorders, Relationship Concerns,Trauma, OCD, Worry, Social Anxiety

Biography


Everyone has times when life calls on them to make changes.  Perhaps current relationship problems, a recent loss or traumatic experience, or general life stressors have spurred a need for your life to be different.  Or maybe you’ve been thinking for a long time that things aren’t the way you’d like them to be. Sometimes strategies that have worked well in the past are not well-suited to addressing new challenges.


Therapy can be a powerful tool for both dealing with and making significant life changes.  In therapy, I strive to create a welcoming space where clients can explore authentically, and without judgment, how they want their lives to be different and what they can do to generate more of what they want.  I see therapy as a collaborative learning and growth process, and I take a client-centered approach while integrating cognitive-behavioral therapy (including evidence-based treatments for PTSD) with elements of third-wave mindfulness-based methods (such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)).

After practicing law for more than 15 years, I began a change process that led me to earn my Master of Arts in Psychology from Northern Illinois University (NIU), where I am currently working to complete my doctoral degree.  Prior to joining OakHeart, I provided individual therapy at NIU’s Psychological Services Center, culminating in a position as assistant to the clinic director. I also have served as a clinical extern within the OCD and Anxiety day program at AMITA Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital.  In these contexts, I have worked with clients on addressing problems associated with the following:
​

Trauma/PTSD
Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)
General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Depression
Relationship Concerns
Adjustment Issues

In addition, I have pursued clinical research regarding meaning-making processes following stressful, traumatic, and loss events.  I seek to continually grow my knowledge of effective therapeutic modalities through my membership in the following professional organizations:
​

International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS)
Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT)
​
​American Psychological Association (APA)

Picture
Phone: 630-570-0050
Fax: 630-570-0045
Email: Contact.OH@OakHeartCenter.com
North Aurora, IL Location
​66 Miller Drive, Suite 105
North Aurora, IL 60542
phone: 630-570-0050
​Sycamore, IL Location
1950 DeKalb Ave, Unit E
Sycamore, IL 60178
phone: 779-201-6440
  • Home
  • Counseling
  • Specialties
    • COVID-19 Related PTSD and Anxiety >
      • COVID-19 Resources
    • Depression
    • Bipolar Disorder
    • Grief and Bereavement
    • ADHD
    • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
    • Social Anxiety Disorder
    • Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia
    • Generalized Anxiety Disorder (Worry)
    • Health Anxiety
    • Specific Phobias
    • Maternal Mental Health
    • Infertility, Miscarriage, and Neonatal Loss
    • Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI)
    • Eating Disorders
    • Substance Use Disorders (SUD)
    • Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
    • Anger Management
    • Insomnia
    • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
    • Trauma
    • Divorce Recovery
    • Relationship Concerns and Couples Counseling
    • Self-Esteem
    • Therapy for Therapists
    • LGBTQA+ Support
    • Faith-Based Counseling
  • Providers
    • Erin Mitchell
    • Pamela Heilman
    • Katie Sheehan
    • Hillary Gorin
    • Lee Ann Heathcoat
    • Adam Ginsburg
    • Megan Noren
    • Sarah Williams
    • Christina Bieche
    • Bridgette Koukos
    • Laura Lahay
    • Annette Cisneros
    • Kate Nash
    • Anna Perkowski
    • Elizabeth Grzan
    • Samantha Koder
    • Vanessa Osmer
    • Kat Harris
  • Locations
    • North Aurora, IL
    • Sycamore, IL
    • Telehealth Online Counseling
  • Contact
  • Employment
  • FAQ and Notices
  • OakHeart Blog
  • Administrative Team
  • Additional Services
    • Divorce Mediation
    • Professional Consultation