Our Team

 

 

 

NOVO’s team includes professional counselors and facilitators with a wealth of knowledge and experience to help you grow, succeed, andfind JOY in life!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Dr. Vicki Alden, Ph.D., LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)

 Vicki is in private practice with offices in Geneva. She holds a Master of Social work degree from Loyola University Chicago and her Ph.D. from the Institute for Clinical Social Work.

Dr. Vicki has over thirty years experience in the social service/mental health field. She has provided services in a variety of settings including an inpatient mental health center, two community mental health centers, and three medical center outpatient clinics.

Her focus for the last decade has been her private practice for adults. Her specialties include Grief & Loss and Life Transitions. Dr. Vicki’s services include individual, couple, and group psychotherapy, and one-session, weekend, and multi-session education seminars and workshops.

Dr. Vicki’s Geneva office is located at 501 West State Street, Suite 204. She can be reached at (630)-297-3617 or Vicki@novocounsel.com.

Associate: Laurie Walsh, MSW, LCSW

She is a licensed clinical social worker with more than a decade of mental health expertise who specializes in the evaluation & treatment of teens and adults with attention deficit disorder (AD/HD). Laurie also works with couples having relationship difficulties and those suffering from depression and anxiety.

Laurie currently serves as the immediate past president of the Board of Alumni, as well as an Advisory Board Member for Loyola University Chicago’s Graduate School of Social Work.  She is also a student pursuing an advanced degree in Oriental Medicine.

Counselor/Workshop Facilitator: Kathleen Jacob, LCSW

Kathleen is passionate about healing. With nearly 20 years of experience as a psychotherapist, she is dedicated to learning new and more effective ways of supporting you with your healing path.

She is available to speak on several topics including stress management, writing and supercharging your own affirmations, creating your new vision plan, and experiencing guided imagery.

Kathleen is a graduate of the University of Chicago with a license in Clinical Social Work.

Counselor/Workshop Facilitator: Christina Kolski, MSW, LCSW

Christina Kolski is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who works for Chicago Public Schools as a school social worker with the Department of Early Childhood Community Partnership Program. Christina received her Masters in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her Bachelors degree in Psychology and Theatre from the University of Notre Dame.

Specializing in children and adolescents, Christina utilizes an eclectic approach in therapy, incorporating dramatherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) in her practice. Having worked in both schools and mental health, she understands the importance of supporting the child in every environment from home, school, and social settings. Christina has worked with children and adolescents with depression/bi-polar disorder, anxiety, eating disorders, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder and many others. She is committed to helping youth develop positive self-esteem and grow in their relationships with others and their community. 

Christina will be providing individual therapy and facilitating groups for NOVO, including a dramatherapy group and a group for pre-teen/teenage girls. For more information, click on any of the links below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drama_therapy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solution_focused_brief_therapy.

Workshop Facilitator: Deborah Todd, CPCC, ACC

Deborah is an interactive certified professional life coach trained and certified with the Coaches Training Institute holding an additional associate accreditation with the International Coach Federation. Deborah is the first licensed Louise Hay certified Heal Your Life teacher in the state of Illinois, teaching empowerment strategies for positivity and possibility thinking.

Along with Deborah’s individual coaching expertise, she also is the presenter of several experiential workshops and has been described as energetic and passionate about helping people live a life of fulfillment. Deborah offers new insights and perspectives along with choice and accountability to those willing to push away barriers that are holding them back from living their best life.

Workshop Facilitator: Lori Lain

Lori Lain is the ThinkUThin Coach and distributor for Chicago-land’s No Diet Weight Solution.

She is passionate about Health and Wellness, and believes that we can control our health with the choices we make. The first step is getting in the right frame of mind. For most of us, busy lifestyles, commitments and our environment have taken control over our health. It’s time to take the control back! The first step to making any change is “awareness.” Lori’s mission is to peak “awareness” of your present lifestyle and the impact it has on your overall Health and Wellness.

Maintaining a healthy weight is the single most important factor in your overall Health and Wellness. You can control your weight and No Diet Weight Solution® can help you achieve a healthy weight permanently.

Workshop Facilitator: Shirley Lyles

Shirley Lyles has had a lifelong passion for developing human potential. Her guiding principles are to treat everyone with dignity and respect, inspire hope, and renew confidence. Shirley earned a Masters degree in Administration and Supervision at National-Louis University and has been certified for Leadership and Customer Service training. For over twenty years Shirley developed and facilitated leadership, customer service, and technical training for Fortune 300 corporations. She engaged participants with interactive practical programs that reduced turnover, increased sales, and assisted in earing many prestigious business awards for the organization.

Programs Coordinator: Katy De Haven

Katy graduated from Eastern Illinois University in May 2009. She now holds a Bachelor Degree in Family and Consumer Sciences with a concentration in Family Services.  Katy is researching, developing, and implementing NOVO’s teen/young adult program. Katy is planning to continue her education in a gradute program in the near future. For more information about NOVO or to reach Katy, go to mail@novocounsel.com.