Meet our founder

Lynette Ensalaco MA, LCPC

To me, there is nothing more meaningful than walking alongside individuals on a therapeutic journey towards healing and fulfillment. At Therapeutic Life Counseling PC, I’m passionate about working with adults, couples, families, and especially children. I strive to truly connect and empathize with every client I see and meet them on their level, wherever they may be.

My approach is collaborative and unique for each person— there is no one-size-fits-all solution to therapy. I aim to be a pillar of support and comfort for my clients, while also presenting them with the challenges and manageable goals that they need to grow. I truly love my job and am invested in each client. I don’t believe in “do as I say, not as I do.” I work very hard to practice what I preach, and would never suggest a technique that I wouldn’t use in my own life. If I recommend that you practice certain skills or activities, you can trust that I’ve done the research and tried those skills myself. 

No matter what brings you to therapy, I promise to meet you exactly where you are, without judgment, only compassion and a strong understanding of therapeutic solutions, in order to create lasting healing.

Questions? Get in touch.

My Story

My love for psychology began in the 4th grade when my mom was taking classes at the local community college.

She came home with her Psych 101 school books and told me to look at the cool things she was learning. It was then that I realized a vase could look like two humans facing each other, a rabbit could look like a duck, and an image of a young woman could also look like the image of an old woman.

These optical illusions drew me in and kept me there as I continue to have an interest in the brain to this day! I couldn’t even spell psychology, but I knew that it was the field for me from that point on. I decided that I wanted to begin my journey in psychology as quickly as possible and graduated high school in 3 years. After that, I attended Eureka College and pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

Though I took as many psychology classes as they offered, my favorite classes continued to revolve around counseling. After I graduated in 2008, I attended The Chicago School of Professional Psychology where I fine-tuned my psychotherapy abilities and developed so much more as a clinician. I’ve completed over 800 internship hours as a Master’s level clinician in a private practice in Loves Park, Illinois where I specialized in Pediatric Psychotherapy. I was able to develop and utilize such skills as Talk Therapy, Play Therapy, Sand Tray Therapy, and Clay Therapy. During this time, I also enjoyed working with adults, couples, and families using a variety of modalities.

The training and education that I received in this program resulted in achieving a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology with a Counseling Specialization in 2011.

Credentials

BA Psychology, Eureka College (2008)

MA Clinical Psychology with a Specialization in Counseling (2011)

6 Years in a Doctoral Program