Annette Cisneros, MSW, LSW
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Master of Social Work
Licensed Social Worker To make an appointment with Annette, please call 630-570-0050. You can also email Contact.OH@OakHeartCenter.com.
Specializes In:Anxiety, Depression, Social Anxiety, Worry/Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Trauma, Grief and Bereavement, Adjustment/Life Transitions, Self-Esteem, Bilingual
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Professional Experience
I received both my Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work from Aurora University in Aurora, IL. I am a helper by nature and have over 20 years of professional experience in healthcare. During my Bachelor's work, I worked with individuals and families experiencing unique and complex stressors, including housing insecurity. At that time, I focused on providing psychosocial assessments and disseminating resources to address needs uncovered during their assessments. During my Master's work, I completed my internship at a public library providing mental health education, psychosocial assessments, and community resources to diverse populations. In addition, I provided mental health training to professionals within the community. Post graduation, I excelled as a crisis social worker in the emergency department. During that time, I provided crisis assessment and support implementation to patients needing immediate mental health services or interventions. It is undeniable that for many of these patients, I was meeting with them on the worst day of their lives. While there, I also worked in health information management as a Spanish interpreter within the hospital and at an outpatient multi-specialty medical facility. These experiences combined have prepared me to assess and treat a wide array of individuals and concerns needed to excel in the private practice setting.
Specializations and Treatment Approach
I currently treat:
Depression
Anxiety
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (worry)
Social Anxiety
Trauma
Grief and Bereavement
Adjustment/Life Transitions
I am a bilingual Spanish-speaking clinician who sees a wide range of clients. I have a special interest in working with the Hispanic population, and I enjoy working with adolescents (13- 17 years old), emerging adults, adults, and seniors.
My therapeutic orientation is eclectic in that I feel comfortable pulling from several orientations as needed to address each individual's unique therapy goals and needs. In addition, I understand that therapy is not a one size fits all approach. Still, I am committed to utilizing evidence-based treatment approaches to assist clients with making progress toward their therapy goals. Therefore, I often pull from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, and Emotion Focused Therapy.
These types of treatment require a high level of trust and respect between clinicians and clients. Therefore, I take a collaborative approach in which the client is the expert on their lived experience, and I am the expert on tools that may help clients to live a more valued life. I meet clients where they are and work at their pace. My goal is to help clients discover the strengths they already have and to assist them with eliminating barriers to living the life they seek.
Depression
Anxiety
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (worry)
Social Anxiety
Trauma
Grief and Bereavement
Adjustment/Life Transitions
I am a bilingual Spanish-speaking clinician who sees a wide range of clients. I have a special interest in working with the Hispanic population, and I enjoy working with adolescents (13- 17 years old), emerging adults, adults, and seniors.
My therapeutic orientation is eclectic in that I feel comfortable pulling from several orientations as needed to address each individual's unique therapy goals and needs. In addition, I understand that therapy is not a one size fits all approach. Still, I am committed to utilizing evidence-based treatment approaches to assist clients with making progress toward their therapy goals. Therefore, I often pull from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, and Emotion Focused Therapy.
These types of treatment require a high level of trust and respect between clinicians and clients. Therefore, I take a collaborative approach in which the client is the expert on their lived experience, and I am the expert on tools that may help clients to live a more valued life. I meet clients where they are and work at their pace. My goal is to help clients discover the strengths they already have and to assist them with eliminating barriers to living the life they seek.
About Me
What are your professional and personal values?
Some of my professional and personal values are integrity, honesty, genuineness, curiosity, and hard work. I appreciate genuineness and showing up just how you are. Being genuine encourages positive experiences and strong relationships, whether professional or personal. Curiosity has opened so many doors for me. It has allowed me to approach things differently, teaching me to learn from others and understand each journey. Hard work has paid off when working on achieving my goals, but it has been a bigger payoff when celebrating with my clients when they have reached their individual goals. Honesty has kept me transparent and forthcoming. I believe in honest and clear communication. I firmly believe we can say anything because it is not what we say; it is how we say it. Delivery is important.
What are some adjectives you would use to describe yourself and why?
I would describe myself as resilient, casual, direct, funny, and sarcastic. I am culturally diverse, curious, authentic, motivated, and motivational. Like almost everyone, I have personally overcome obstacles in my life that have forced resiliency. From what I have learned through these personal experiences, I can identify with the struggles my clients are experiencing. I believe that we can collaborate in finding solutions by being empathetic and actively listening. I have a sarcastic sense of humor and sometimes use sarcasm to break the ice. However, I respect each individual’s boundaries and sense of humor. I come from a culturally diverse background. Therefore I am culturally diverse and approach each individual with cultural sensitivity. I am authentic, compassionate, and approachable. I also enjoy hyping up others and cheering them on as they achieve their goals.
What are some of your favorite self care activities?
I enjoy reading, learning about new things, and savoring good coffee. I love nature and walking on one of the many beautiful local trails. I also enjoy watching crime documentaries and even some reality television as it gives me insight into different personalities and provides me with mindless entertainment. I enjoy self-care activities that offer reflection time.
What is your favorite quote?
“It always seems impossible until it’s done”- Nelson Mandela
“You can’t change how people treat you or what they say about you. All you can do is change how you react to it.” - Mahatma Gandhi
“At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.” – Frida Kahlo
All three quotes speak to me on a personal level. The first reminds me that even though we sometimes feel overwhelmed, we can celebrate and feel victorious once we complete a task. It has given me the courage I need at times to move forward and break down the barriers into bite-size pieces that I can tackle.
The second quote reminds me that we don’t have to react to everything we hear. It is a reminder to protect my mental health and preserve my boundaries.
And the third quote is one of many I love from Frida Kahlo. It reminds us that we are stronger than what we give ourselves credit for.
What's the most profound, meaningful, or interesting thing you've learned or experienced as a mental health professional? Why do you love being a mental health professional?
The most profound and meaningful thing I have experienced as a mental health professional is the humility of this work. I feel privileged to be a part of a person’s journey to achieving their goals. Therapy requires so much vulnerability, and I feel honored to be trusted with those vulnerable moments. I take this responsibility seriously. I have also found that I feel great joy and excitement when my clients achieve their goals. I feel genuinely proud of them for courageously initiating and navigating this journey and committing themselves to this path of well-being. I love being a mental health professional because it’s rewarding to see clients transform into the empowered individuals they have always been. I love seeing individuals recognize and utilize their strengths.
Some of my professional and personal values are integrity, honesty, genuineness, curiosity, and hard work. I appreciate genuineness and showing up just how you are. Being genuine encourages positive experiences and strong relationships, whether professional or personal. Curiosity has opened so many doors for me. It has allowed me to approach things differently, teaching me to learn from others and understand each journey. Hard work has paid off when working on achieving my goals, but it has been a bigger payoff when celebrating with my clients when they have reached their individual goals. Honesty has kept me transparent and forthcoming. I believe in honest and clear communication. I firmly believe we can say anything because it is not what we say; it is how we say it. Delivery is important.
What are some adjectives you would use to describe yourself and why?
I would describe myself as resilient, casual, direct, funny, and sarcastic. I am culturally diverse, curious, authentic, motivated, and motivational. Like almost everyone, I have personally overcome obstacles in my life that have forced resiliency. From what I have learned through these personal experiences, I can identify with the struggles my clients are experiencing. I believe that we can collaborate in finding solutions by being empathetic and actively listening. I have a sarcastic sense of humor and sometimes use sarcasm to break the ice. However, I respect each individual’s boundaries and sense of humor. I come from a culturally diverse background. Therefore I am culturally diverse and approach each individual with cultural sensitivity. I am authentic, compassionate, and approachable. I also enjoy hyping up others and cheering them on as they achieve their goals.
What are some of your favorite self care activities?
I enjoy reading, learning about new things, and savoring good coffee. I love nature and walking on one of the many beautiful local trails. I also enjoy watching crime documentaries and even some reality television as it gives me insight into different personalities and provides me with mindless entertainment. I enjoy self-care activities that offer reflection time.
What is your favorite quote?
“It always seems impossible until it’s done”- Nelson Mandela
“You can’t change how people treat you or what they say about you. All you can do is change how you react to it.” - Mahatma Gandhi
“At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.” – Frida Kahlo
All three quotes speak to me on a personal level. The first reminds me that even though we sometimes feel overwhelmed, we can celebrate and feel victorious once we complete a task. It has given me the courage I need at times to move forward and break down the barriers into bite-size pieces that I can tackle.
The second quote reminds me that we don’t have to react to everything we hear. It is a reminder to protect my mental health and preserve my boundaries.
And the third quote is one of many I love from Frida Kahlo. It reminds us that we are stronger than what we give ourselves credit for.
What's the most profound, meaningful, or interesting thing you've learned or experienced as a mental health professional? Why do you love being a mental health professional?
The most profound and meaningful thing I have experienced as a mental health professional is the humility of this work. I feel privileged to be a part of a person’s journey to achieving their goals. Therapy requires so much vulnerability, and I feel honored to be trusted with those vulnerable moments. I take this responsibility seriously. I have also found that I feel great joy and excitement when my clients achieve their goals. I feel genuinely proud of them for courageously initiating and navigating this journey and committing themselves to this path of well-being. I love being a mental health professional because it’s rewarding to see clients transform into the empowered individuals they have always been. I love seeing individuals recognize and utilize their strengths.
Professional and Educational Additional Experience
Special Certificates and Trainings:
Crisis Mental Health Intervention Training
Certificate in Healthcare Interpreting
Cultural Sensitivity Training
Invited Talks:
Cultural Competency in HealthCare
Cultural Sensitivity and the Use of Interpreters in HealthCare
Crisis Mental Health Intervention Training
Certificate in Healthcare Interpreting
Cultural Sensitivity Training
Invited Talks:
Cultural Competency in HealthCare
Cultural Sensitivity and the Use of Interpreters in HealthCare
