B.A. in Psychology — Northern Illinois University
Mr. Lopez specializes in trauma and has been certified in ARC (Attachment, Self-Regulation & Competency) since 2013. Including ARC, which is an evidence-based framework for therapy using a trauma-informed perspective, Mr. Lopez has extensive training and experience in trauma-informed therapy practice. He helps clients work through and process complex trauma experiences that may have occurred recently or in their past, supporting each person throughout the discussion of memories and issues at their own pace. He also works with individuals that may be experiencing trauma vicariously. Many service providers are affected by vicarious trauma and they too can benefit from processing their experience, including emotional responses.
Throughout his career, Mr. Lopez has worked as a crisis counselor, a staff therapist and a clinical supervisor. He worked as a crisis counselor for eleven years and provided home-based services for much of the northern Chicago area. He later provided outpatient therapy in a community mental health setting for three years, prior to his promotion to clinical supervisor. Eventually, Mr. Lopez developed a private practice where he continued to provide therapy and clinical supervision. Fluent in both English and Spanish, Mr. Lopez infuses a multicultural perspective within the therapeutic relationship to allow him to explore cultural issues, which may be impactful. Some additional therapeutic foci include using a strengths-based perspective, mindfulness techniques, solution-focused techniques, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), relational therapy and a systems approach to therapy.