Individual and Family Counseling

Working to heal the hurt

LCFS Clinical Staff Bios

Northern IllinoisCentral Ilinois
Addison

Bloomington

Belvidere

Decatur

Chicago

Quincy

DoltonSpringfield

Downers Grove

Elgin

Southern Illinois
FreeportBelleville

Montgomery

Mount Vernon

River Forest

Rockford

Yorkville

Northern Illinois Counseling Sites

Addison

Belvidere

Chicago

Dolton

Downers Grove

Elgin

Freeport

Montgomery

River Forest

Rockford

Yorkville

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Central Illinois Counseling Sites

Bloomington

Jim Strauss, LCPC, is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor who has a long history of helping children, adolescents, adults, and entire families overcome crises in their lives.  Since 1991, he has served struggling people professionally through therapy service, around such issues as family enrichment classes, crisis response teams, domestic violence and anger-management programs, marital counseling, adolescent crisis intervention, individual adult therapy and group therapy.  He has been a speaker at family related conferences.  "I believe that, whatever self-destructive behavioral and thinking patterns exist, the power of biblical principals applied through therapy can revolutionize a life."

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Decatur

Annette Mandeville, LCPC, is a licensed therapist who enjoys working with children and adults of all ages as well as families of diverse backgrounds. Annette has extensive experience assisting others in healing from trauma, coping with loss and change, and treating a wide range of mental health issues.  Annette has specialized training in Pastoral Counseling and Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reintegration (EMDR).

Diane Risius, MS, is a Master’s level clinician with training in family therapy. She enjoys working with couples and families to help find solutions to life’s problems. She was led to LCFS due to her strong Christian faith.

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Springfield

Scott Murphy, M.A., has been providing quality therapy for more than 15 years. He has been a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor since 1998. Scott enjoys providing individual, marital, and family therapy to assist others with achieving their goals in life. Clients consistently say that they enjoy talking with Scott and that it is easy to talk with him.

Jonathan Ponser M.A., LCPC is a licensed therapist who enjoys working with children, adolescents, adults, and families. He has had experience in helping individuals and families cope through acute crisis situations and find personal and family strengths to overcome the depths of depression, uncomfortable anxiety, strained relationships, and “out of control” children in complex family situations. “I think that it is important for a therapist to advocate for their client, often that means holding the hope until he/she/they can experience it for themselves.”

Deborah Thompson-Beard, MSFT, LCPC, NCC, is a marriage and family trained counselor who enjoys working with children, individuals, families and couples.  She strongly believes that whenever families or individuals are in crisis their coping skills can be enhanced by existing strengths.  These strengths and their acquired skills from counseling are combined to accomplish their goals.  Her diverse experience in business as a Human Resource Manager, professor, pastor's wife, and grandmother provide a unique background for clients to establish a therapeutic connection.

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Quincy

Teresa L. Godman, MSEd, CADC, is a certified alcohol and other drug counselor and has served residents of both Illinois and Missouri as an educator and counselor/therapist. She enjoys helping others recognize and reach their potential in life and is driven most by a strong faith. Apart from her professional life, Teresa enjoys music, theater, the out-of-doors, and caring for animals.

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Southern Illinois

Belleville

Michelle Engblom is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Illinois and is completing her Ph.D. at St. Louis University in Marriage and Family Therapy. Although she is trained and has experience in dealing with a wide range of problems facing couples and families, her specific areas of clinical specialty include: dealing with divorce and remarriage, decreasing marital conflict, working with children and adolescents, and increasing positive family interactions.

Khaola Shalabi has been a therapist with LCFS for almost three years. She earned a B.A. in Psychology in 1991 and M.S. in Counseling and Guidance in 1995, both from California State University, San Bernardino. Prior to coming to LCFS, she spent ten years working as a counselor in both elementary and middle school settings. Khaola is experienced in working with individuals of all ages and families on a variety of issues including, but not limited to, coping with divorce and co-parenting effectively, the effects of abuse, behavior management strategies, grief /loss issues, anxiety and depression.

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Mount Vernon

Ron Lyons has worked with children and families in Southern Illinois since 1993. He received his MSW from University of Illinois in August 2006 and joined LCFS part-time in February 2008. Ron was trained in Multisystemic Therapy and was a Certified EEG Neurofeedback provider in Private Practice. He focuses on family systems and cognitive behavioral therapies.

Tammy Christensen has worked with children and families since 2004 in Missouri and Illinois. She received her Ed.S. in Community Counseling from Pittsburg State University in December 2005 and joined LCFS in February 2009. Her focus is on family systems and cognitive behavioral therapies.

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Counseling


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