Jeff Levy, LCSW, CTRS
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Jeff brings with him almost 30 years experience as a recreation therapist and social worker. This unique combination of training creates a foundation for practice that emphasizes creativity, strengths, experiential learning, and a firm belief in the body-mind connection. He has provided training locally and nationally and has authored numerous articles addressing a broad range of issues including psychotherapy practice, training, and diversity. His training efforts were twice recognized nationally, receiving the Psychotherapy Networker's "Innovations in Training" award. Jeff is also a Part-Time Lecturer at the School of Social Service Administration/University of Chicago.
In the past, Jeff has taught at University of Illinois-Chicago/Jane Addams College of Social Work, Aurora University, Chicago State University, and The University of Toledo/Ohio. He was also Associate Faculty with The Chicago Center for Family Health. Prior to private practice and his work with Live Oak, Jeff was the Associate Executive Director and Clinical Director for Teen Living Programs, Inc. in Chicago, the Director of Program Development at the Center for Contextual Change in Skokie and Director of Therapeutic Recreation and Staff Development at Lawrence Hall Youth Services in Chicago.
Jeff's volunteer experience has included:
- Board Member, National Runaway Switchboard
- Board Member, American Therapeutic Recreation Association
- Associate Editor, Families in Society
- Triennial Reviewer, United Way of Chicago
- Grant Reviewer, Dept. of Health & Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families
- Trainer/Group Facilitator, Horizons Community Services (now known as the Center on Halsted)
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Bruce Koff, LCSW
Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer
As a seasoned professional who has been in the field of mental health since 1976, Bruce has presented both nationally and locally on a wide range of LGBTQ issues including clinical practice with individuals, couples and families, working with youth, ethical issues, HIV, domestic violence, and recovery from trauma, including childhood sexual/physical abuse He is a Lecturer at The University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration and an Associate Faculty member at the Chicago Center for Family Health, an affiliate of The University of Chicago. He has also served as Executive Director of The Center on Halsted (formerly Horizons Community Services), Clinical Director of the Evelyn Hooker Center for Gay and Lesbian Mental Health, a program of The University of Chicago Department of Psychiatry and Adjunct Faculty member at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology.
Bruce is the co-author of Something To Tell You: The Road Families Travel When A Child Is Gay (Columbia University Press, 2000), and writes an online column for Windy City Media Group. A member of the American Family Therapy Academy, Bruce has served on numerous boards and advisory committees, and is the recipient of the City of Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame Award, the HUMAN FIRST Award, the Illinois Gay and Lesbian Task Force Human Rights Achievement Award, the Gay Chicago Magazine Hall of Fame Award, and the Grinnell College Alumni Award. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelors degree from Grinnell College and a Masters in Social Work degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
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Live Oak Associates
Cal Calvird, MA
Clinical Associate
Cal has a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Counseling from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. He strongly believes in a strength-based, collaborative approach to therapy and in the creative potential of each person to realize constructive, meaningful change. Particular areas of interest include creativity, chronic wellness, mind-body integration, substance misuse, and compulsive or unhelpful behaviors. Cal is a creative process group facilitator at the Open Studio Project in Evanston, and received his Master's in Interdisciplinary Art from Columbia College Chicago in 2006. As a 2009-10 Schweitzer Fellow, Cal initiated intuitive art-making and writing workshops with older adults at The Center on Halsted.r adults
Heidi Coleman, MA, AM
Clinical Associate
Heidi has over 10 years of experience working with late adolescents and draws from a theater background in both professional and academic contexts. In addition to her work at Live Oak, she is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Chicago and the head of the undergraduate program in Theater and Performance Studies. She has extensive experience with group work and a firm belief in the possibilities of strength-based, process-oriented individual and group practice. Particular areas of interest include trauma, non-traditional families, depression, and anxiety arising from life transitions.
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Chris Cotten, PhD, LCSW, ACSW
Trainer and Consultant
Chris is a clinical social worker with more than 15 years of clinical and supervisory experience -- primarily in residential treatment and child welfare settings. He has worked with Jeff Levy, Live Oak CEO, since 1993, conducting staff and in-service training with such organizations as The Night Ministry, Teen Living Programs, Rainbow House, the Salvation Army, Children's Home and Aid Society of Illinois, Lawrence Hall Youth Services, and Uhlich Children's Advantage Network. As a trainer for CESO (formerly known as the Community Emergency Shelter Organization, now renamed the Center for Excellence in Training Organizations), he conducted sessions on case management, counseling, communication skills, and documentation (among other topics) for service providers in Chicago, Peoria, and Rockford. In addition to his work with Live Oak, Chris is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Social Work at Indiana University Northwest, in Gary. He received his MSW from New York University, his PhD in social work from UIC's Jane Addams College of Social Work (in 2006) and has been adjunct faculty both at UIC and at The University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration.
Andrea Gundersen, LPC
Body-Centered Psychotherapist
Andrea pairs her counseling training with a rich background in movement, anatomy and physiology,
meditation, yoga, massage and integrative healing techniques. She offers her clients training
in how to safely and compassionately hold the body's experience within a holistic context that
also includes the verbal and emotional realms. Andrea specializes in providing body-centered
trauma resolution to a diverse clientele including adult survivors of torture, war, and family
violence from many diverse cultures. She has written, presented, and provided training in
body-centered trauma treatment and body-based attunement skills for professionals in the mental
health field both nationally and internationally. In addition to her work with individual clients,
Andrea also facilitates a skill-development group for trauma survivors called "Becoming Safely Embodied."
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Erich Heintzen, LCSW
Psychotherapist
Erich is a psychotherapist and trainer at Live Oak. His extensive experience with families and with at-risk youth -- including 6 years as a family therapist in the Child and Adolescent Program of Counseling Center of Lakeview in Chicago-- inform both his training expertise and clinical practice . Utilizing a framework of strengthening client's resiliencies, Erich employs systemic and solution focused approaches in his work with individuals and groups. He specializes in trauma, couples therapy, youth and family issues, gay affirmative treatment, and providing consultation and supervision to other health professionals.
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Jaime Henry-Juravic, LMFT
Psychotherapist
Jaime is a graduate of the Family Institute at Northwestern University. Her clinical work is informed by her training as a Marriage and Family Therapist as well as her background in movement and the arts. She has a firm belief in the healing nature of the therapist/client relationship as well as the importance of integrating both mind and body approaches. In addition to her work with individuals, couples and families, Jaime also facilitates a skill-development group for trauma survivors called "Becoming Safely Embodied”, as well as a general skill-development group using the principles of Mindfulness. In addition to her work at Live Oak, Jaime is the Clinical Coordinator at PEER Services, an outpatient substance abuse treatment center serving adolescents and adults.
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Mark Hodar, MA
Clinical Associate
Mark holds a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Roosevelt University in Chicago. He has spent nearly fifteen years working with Chicago's LGBTQ community, particularly around issues of identity, sexual health, harm reduction, grief & loss, and HIV/AIDS. He has worked with high schools and universities throughout the Midwest, training students and faculty on issues of diversity and the creation of safe spaces for LGBTQ individuals. In addition to his work at Live Oak, Mark works at Howard Brown Health Center, counseling groups and individuals. In 2009, Mark received the State of Illinois' Red Ribbon Award, given for his dedication, compassion, and effectiveness.
Margo M. Jacquot, PsyD, CSADC
Faculty, LGBT Postgraduate Certificate Program
Margo is a trainer in our postgraduate program in Clinical Practice With LGBT Individuals and Their Families. In addition, Margo is Adjunct Faculty at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology where she teaches Trauma Therapy in Clinical Practice, Family Therapy, and Professional Practice. Margo is also a published author and lecturer on assessment and treatment of addictive disorders. She maintains a private practice in Park Ridge, IL, with expertise in individual, couple, group and family practice with lesbians and gay men, specializing in anxiety/depression, identity integration, HIV, relationships, and trauma.
Alisa Messana, LCSW
Psychotherapist, Trainer, and Consultant
Alisa is a licensed clinical social worker and has worked with youth and families as a therapist and supervisor for 15 years. She has primarily focused on providing individual, couples and family therapy, along with case management and outreach services, in community based mental health settings. Alisa also served as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Sociology at Elmhurst College and continues to guest lecture there. Alisa believes in engaging clients from a strengths-based, family systems perspective through a trauma informed lens.
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Prem Pahwa, LCSW
Trainer and Consultant
Prem has worked with LGBTQ youth and adults for the past 10 years in a variety of settings including community-based and residential group care settings. As the former Director of Youth Services at Horizons (now the Center on Halsted), Prem provided individual and group psychotherapy to LGBTQ youth, as well as training and consultation to agencies looking to provide services to this population. With Live Oak, Prem continues to provide training and consultation on issues related to LGBTQ individuals and their families, as well as on topics of cultural competence in clinical practice. In additional to his work with Live Oak, Prem consults with Vital Bridges, the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women's Network, and the Asian Health Coalition and has recently done collaborative work with Test Positive Aware Network and The Pride Institute. He also maintains a full-time private psychotherapy practice. Prem received his MA degree from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration.
Mark Petroelje, MA
Clinical Associate
Mark's eight years of working in the retail and design industry have provided him opportunities to collaboratively train and coach people in their professional development. He also has experience leading a variety of groups, including art workshops and mindfulness training. Mark takes a holistic and strength-based approach to personal wellness. His clinical interests include: gender and social identity development, same-sex relationships, health psychology, and living with HIV. Mark has a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Counseling from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Scott D. Pytluk, PhD
Faculty, LGBT Postgraduate Certificate Program
Scott teaches our postgraduate training program in Clinical Practice With LGBT Individuals and Their Families. He is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University/Chicago. He also serves as co-chair of Division 39's Committee on Sexualities & Gender Identities and liaison between Divisions 44 (Society for the Scientific Study of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Issues) and 39 (Psychoanalysis) of the American Psychological Association. Scott's expertise is in gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender psychology, diversity, and psychoanalytic theory. He maintains a private practice in Chicago where he specializes in work with LGBT individuals as well as the general population.
Erica Rumpel, MA
Clinical Associate
Erica holds a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Counseling from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP) and has been a yoga and meditation instructor for 7 years. Her psychotherapy practice is informed by eastern philosophy, body-mind integration, and the premise that an individual is continuously unfolding to greater self awareness, acceptance and an expression of authenticity. She has worked extensively with diverse populations of underserved adolescents, teens, and adults and specializes in the use of yoga techniques, mindfulness, and meditation for anxiety, depression, trauma and addictions. Erica has facilitated yoga therapy groups for clients at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and Haymarket Center in Chicago. Particular areas of interest include: health psychology, yoga, mindfulness, meditation, and training clinicians to incorporate the use of the body into clinical practice. In addition to her work at Live Oak, Erica owns Urban Lotus Yoga studio and works for TCSPP as a Service Learning Coordinator and as adjunct faculty.
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Carolyn Schneider, M.A., LCPC
Director of Professional Development
Carolyn is a psychotherapist and trainer at Live Oak. She has over 15 years experience as a clinician, trainer and administrator. Carolyn has served as the Mental Health Services Director at the Center on Halsted and Director of The Chicago Counseling and Psychotherapy Center, the outgrowth of Carl Rogers' Counseling Center at the University of Chicago. She is also an adjunct trainer at the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women's Network where she provides basic skills training and ongoing consultation to domestic violence and sexual assault counselors. Her clinical work is informed by her training as a client-centered therapist, focusing on the individual's right to self-determination and the provision of a therapeutic environment emphasizing acceptance, self-awareness, and growth. She is particularly experienced in working with couples in discord or transition, as well as working with individuals coping with identity, career, and relationship concerns, sexuality and sexual dysfunction, and depression. She is also experienced working with individuals exploring gender identity and pursuing gender transitions.
Jacquelyn Singer, LCSW
Trainer and Consultant
A graduate of the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, Jackie is a licensed clinical social worker with over ten years experience in the field. She has worked in a variety of settings with both children and adults and brings a systems-oriented, strengths-based approach to her work. Her background includes work with LGBTQ individuals, families affected by HIV/AIDS, trauma, abuse, and loss, as well as children with special needs. In addition to her role at Live Oak, Jackie is an adjunct professor of psychology and sociology at the University of Advancing Technology and maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Chicago.
Matt Spitzmueller, MA, MSW
Clinical Associate
Matt has over five years of direct practice experience working with children, adolescents, and adults. At four Chicago-based agencies, he has led numerous groups in topics that include substance abuse, advocacy, and art therapy. He has taught a variety of courses on literature, philosophy, and psychology in the at-large program at the G. G. Jung Institute in Evanston. In addition to Matt's work at Live Oak, he is currently a doctoral student at the University of Chicago, where he researches community mental health policy and practice. He has two masters degrees from the University of Chicago, one in history of religions and another in social work with a clinical emphasis.
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Rachel Strauss, MA, MT-BC
Music Therapist, Trainer, and Consultant
Rachel is a board certified music therapist with a masters degree from The University of Iowa. She has had experience using music therapy with many different populations including those in hospice, adults with developmental disabilities, children with conduct disorders, geriatric psychiatry, older adults with dementia, and bilingual populations. Rachel is classically trained on the piano with 20 years of experience and a music degree from the University of Illinois. Rachel also plays guitar, percussive instruments, sings, and has knowledge of different indigenous instruments such as the mbira, kalimba, tarka, sikuri, talempong, and saz. Rachel believes in using music for health, personal empowerment, and as an avenue to achieve personal goals.
Janet Sushinski, LCSW
Psychotherapist, Trainer, and Consultant
Janet has worked with Jeff Levy (Live Oak's CEO) since 1991 in a variety of settings. At Live Oak, she facilitates support groups for parents of adopted teens, workshops for wives of gay/bisexual men, and training/consultation to mental health and child welfare agencies in the Chicago area. In addition to her work with Live Oak, she is a social worker at Adlai Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire where she developed and implemented a support group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth--one of the first in the Chicagoland area. Janet has conducted workshops on how schools can serve this population and has also provided consultation for schools throughout the country interested in similar programming. Prior to working as a school social worker, Janet worked in child welfare settings with youth in substitute care.
Live Oak Graduate Interns
Bonsai Bermudez-Cintron
Bonsai is completing a Master's Degree in Guidance and Counseling from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus. Prior to entering graduate school, he completed a Bachelor's Degree in Theatre and Dance and has worked professionally as a ballet/modern dancer and actor. His clinical interests include: drama and dance therapy, body-mind integration, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, non-conforming and questioning (LGBTQ) individuals, and life balance integration. He is trilingual (Spanish, English and Sign Language) with a strong interest in multicultural issues. Bonsai believes in a holistic healing approach integrating body, mind and spirit as a path toward growth and transformation.
Mikker Gimenez-Peterson
Mikker's holistic, strength-based approach to personal growth incorporates creative expression, family systems analysis, and identity development. His approach considers the whole individual while focusing on their specific concerns. Areas of particular interest include gender and sexuality, men's issues and expression, and underachievement. Mikker's experiences include working at a South American school for special education, mentoring youth in the foster care system, and caring for adults with autism. He currently is pursuing his master's degree in clinical psychology with a specialization in counseling at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Jennifer Hains
Jennifer takes a collaborative and strengths-based approach to working with clients, which includes a holistic view to healing and growth. She has twelve years of experience in Human Resources and coaching and utilizes a humanistic perspective, including mindfulness practices to facilitate creativity and change. Jennifer's clinical interests are: trauma/childhood abuse, addictions, eating disorders, life transitions, health psychology, gender and social identity development, career exploration, self-esteem, women's issues, and multicultural challenges. Jennifer is currently completing a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Counseling at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Ron Pajak
Ron is finishing his studies as a Master's student at the University of Chicago in the School of Social Service Administration. He has worked with individuals and groups, and has experience providing counseling to LGBTQ populations and on issues of caregiving and family dynamics. Areas of particular interest are gender, sexuality and identity issues; aging; navigating life changes; grief and loss. Ron also holds a Master's in Fine Arts from Columbia College Chicago. He is a documentary filmmaker, and teaches at the college level. Ron is very interested in the use of personal narratives as a method of self-exploration and a means to identify patterns of behavior.
Laurel Spindel
Laurel is in her final year of the evening graduate social work program at the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. She has worked with adolescents and adults providing individual and group therapy as well as individuals coping with job loss and other life transitions. Laurel believes therapy can provide a healing space for individuals to overcome barriers in order to fully engage with the possibilities of life. She is particularly interested in creative approaches to therapy, including dream work, and believes in the importance of tending to mind and body for overall wellbeing. In addition to her work at Live Oak, Laurel works in child and family policy research and holds master's degrees in history and public policy from the University of Chicago.
Katherine Woodbury
Kate is completing a Master's degree in Clinical Professional Psychology at Roosevelt University. In her thirteen years in the social services field, she has worked in foster care, substance abuse, domestic violence, partner abuse intervention and with the chronically homeless. Kate is particularly interested in sexual orientation and gender identity issues, multicultural counseling, and trauma. She takes a collaborative, holistic and psychoeducational approach to improving wellness.
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