Elizabeth Grzan, MSW, LSW
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Master of Social Work
Licensed Social Worker To make an appointment with Elizabeth, please call 630-570-0050. You can also email Contact.OH@OakHeartCenter.com.
Specializes In:Anxiety, Depression, Worry/Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Trauma, Non Suicidal Self-Injury, Adjustment/Life Transitions, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRB's)
Ages Served: Kids (4+), Adolescents, Young Adults |
Professional Experience
I graduated with my Bachelor’s and Master’s in Social Work at Aurora University. During my master program I did a specialty with health care which helped me learn more about eating disorders and non-suicidal self-injury. While at Aurora I was able to have an internship at an inpatient facility and an outpatient facility for mental health. As an intern I ran groups, did different exposures with clients, and do individual therapy. Being an intern at these facilities helped me grow into a therapist that is comfortable helping a range of mental illnesses (depression, anxiety, non-suicidal self-injury) and age rage. I now continue my education with specialized training for eating disorders and general mental health through the National Association of Social Work (NASW).
Specializations and Treatment Approach
I currently treat:
Depression
Anxiety
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Non Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI)
Trauma
Faith-Based Therapy
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRB)
In my practice I spend most of my time seeing children, adolescents and young adults with depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. I participate in the annual National Association of Social Work (NASW) conference to keep my education on these topics up to date. I also continue to take classes to continue learning how to help individuals with these disorders.
One of the main treatment approaches that I use in my sessions is a combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). I believe that with both treatment focuses that I will be able to not only help you conquer your negative thinking but also give you the skills you need to use. I also have experience in using Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP) that will help lessen symptoms you may be experiencing.
I fully believe when it comes to working with a client that they feel comfortable while talking about their past. I want clients to want to be excited to walk into therapy and start working on goals that have been created and work through triggers. My goal with clients is to work towards making their life more meaningful and fulfilled. I enjoy being a therapist and want to join alongside my client’s journey in life.
Depression
Anxiety
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Non Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI)
Trauma
Faith-Based Therapy
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRB)
In my practice I spend most of my time seeing children, adolescents and young adults with depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. I participate in the annual National Association of Social Work (NASW) conference to keep my education on these topics up to date. I also continue to take classes to continue learning how to help individuals with these disorders.
One of the main treatment approaches that I use in my sessions is a combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). I believe that with both treatment focuses that I will be able to not only help you conquer your negative thinking but also give you the skills you need to use. I also have experience in using Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP) that will help lessen symptoms you may be experiencing.
I fully believe when it comes to working with a client that they feel comfortable while talking about their past. I want clients to want to be excited to walk into therapy and start working on goals that have been created and work through triggers. My goal with clients is to work towards making their life more meaningful and fulfilled. I enjoy being a therapist and want to join alongside my client’s journey in life.
About Me
What are your professional and personal values?
Some of the values that I have are honesty, authenticity, spirituality, curiosity, and generosity. I believe honesty is important when it comes to building relationships with friends or anyone. I also believe that authenticity goes in hand with honesty. No matter who I talk to I believe that being the real true me is the most important. I want you to feel comfortable with me and know that who you are seeing is the real me. For me spirituality is extremely important to me. It is part of who I am and helps me when it comes to things I may not fully grasp. My relationship with my higher power helps gives me peace and understanding when I need it. I am a natural curious person. One thing that I have learned while being a therapist is that its ok to ask questions. The more I am curious about my clients’ stories and lives will better help me understand them and give them the help they need. And lastly generosity. I believe that it is important to help those that are in need. Either it be donating money to a local charity or church or even volunteering at a local homeless shelter. I am blessed with what I have in my life and think it’s important to help those who need it.
What are some of your favorite self care activities?
During the summer I love to be outdoors and enjoy the nice weather. I have learned to kayak and will go out with my family while they go fishing. During the colder seasons I will crochet or sew some blankets since you can never have enough blankets. But no matter what time of year it is I always will have some type of music going on (mostly country) and reading a good book.
Why do you love being a mental health professional?
One of the most amazing things I have been able to experience as a therapist is to watch someone turn their life around. It brings me such joy when I can work with a client and help them better their life. I feel honored that the clients I have worked with have given me the trust to share what they are going through. I love being able to not only validate what they are going through but also noticing that light bulb moment of when they are able to make an active change in their lives.
Some of the values that I have are honesty, authenticity, spirituality, curiosity, and generosity. I believe honesty is important when it comes to building relationships with friends or anyone. I also believe that authenticity goes in hand with honesty. No matter who I talk to I believe that being the real true me is the most important. I want you to feel comfortable with me and know that who you are seeing is the real me. For me spirituality is extremely important to me. It is part of who I am and helps me when it comes to things I may not fully grasp. My relationship with my higher power helps gives me peace and understanding when I need it. I am a natural curious person. One thing that I have learned while being a therapist is that its ok to ask questions. The more I am curious about my clients’ stories and lives will better help me understand them and give them the help they need. And lastly generosity. I believe that it is important to help those that are in need. Either it be donating money to a local charity or church or even volunteering at a local homeless shelter. I am blessed with what I have in my life and think it’s important to help those who need it.
What are some of your favorite self care activities?
During the summer I love to be outdoors and enjoy the nice weather. I have learned to kayak and will go out with my family while they go fishing. During the colder seasons I will crochet or sew some blankets since you can never have enough blankets. But no matter what time of year it is I always will have some type of music going on (mostly country) and reading a good book.
Why do you love being a mental health professional?
One of the most amazing things I have been able to experience as a therapist is to watch someone turn their life around. It brings me such joy when I can work with a client and help them better their life. I feel honored that the clients I have worked with have given me the trust to share what they are going through. I love being able to not only validate what they are going through but also noticing that light bulb moment of when they are able to make an active change in their lives.
Blogs:
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According to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM 5 TR), avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is a pattern of limited eating in regards to the variety of food or volume of food. Most individuals with ARFID attribute their limited variety or volume to one of the following: a lack of interest in eating or food (low hunger/lack of enjoyment of eating), avoiding food due to their sensory characteristics (sensory sensitivity), or avoiding food consumption due to a feared adverse consequence of eating (choking, vomiting). However, it's important to remember that ARFID is more than just being a picky eater or skipping a meal here and there. For an individual to qualify for an ARFID diagnosis, the eating pattern must be associated with important medical or psychosocial consequences...(to read more, click on the link above)
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Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs) include any repetitive self-grooming behaviors such as biting, pulling, picking, chewing, or scraping one’s own hair, lips, cheeks, skin, or nails that can lead to physical damage to the body. Often, the individual will make multiple attempts to stop or decrease the behavior but fail to do so. BFRB's fall in a category of disorders called the "Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders." The most common BFRBs are hair pulling (trichotillomania), skin picking (excoriation), nail biting (onychophagia) and cheek biting. There is no one cause for BFRBs; however, there is likely some genetic predisposition which is then triggered by some environmental components...(to read more, click on the link above)
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