GET TO KNOW your therapist
Elizabeth Ernest, LCSW
“The weirdest thing about a mind is that you can have the most intense things going on in there, but no one else can see them.” ― Matt Haig
Insurances I Accept:
- BCBS PPO
- Optum
- Aetna
- Cigna
Ages I work with:
- 3+
Languages I speak:
- English
States: IL and MO
Who Am I?
My name is Elizabeth Ernest (she/hers) and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who works with children, adolescents, and adults. I am also a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Missouri and can see clients located in Missouri virtually. I am dedicated to helping children and families build skills to overcome challenges and thrive. As a former college athlete, I am also interested in supporting young athletes struggling with anxiety and stressors related to their sport. I am certified in AutPlay and will be a certified play therapist in the coming months.
I love working with:
- Children as young as 3 years old who struggle with anxiety, grief, emotion regulation at home and in school.
- Adolescent girls and teens struggling with anxiety, depression, OCD, self esteem, grief and BFRB’s (body focused repetitive behaviors).
- Adolescents and young adult athletes struggling with performance anxiety and day to day stress or anxiety,
- All ages with OCD.
- Adults who struggle with anxiety, stressors with parenting, family concerns, and day to day stress
Some of my favorite approaches include:
I utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Play Therapy, Exposure Response Prevention (ERP), and structural family therapy. For my little ones I practice play therapy which incorporates games, art, and stories to express and process feelings.
HOW I HELP
I strive to create a safe, and empowering environment for clients to feel comfortable to express their emotions using talk therapy or expressive techniques. My work focuses on fostering resilience and enhancing communication for children, teens, and adults in their families and communities.
I believe…
I believe in the profound power of relationships – within the therapeutic relationship and with your family and communities. I believe that every individual is unique, and I am committed to honoring diverse identities, backgrounds, and experiences in the therapeutic process.
What it’s like in a session with me
While it is important to establish and maintain professional boundaries for the success of our therapeutic relationship, I also like to make clients feel comfortable and create a space that doesn’t feel intimidating. You may often find me sitting on the floor coloring or playing with fidgets when working with adolescents, making art or playing with legos with young clients. Feel free to bring fidgets, artwork, or anything else that speaks to you. I understand we cannot all sit still and talk for a whole session! If we’re online I encourage you to find a private, safe, and comfortable space. While there is no set agenda each session, we do establish goals at the start of our treatment and those goals guide us. I encourage clients to take control and direct where we start because I believe you are the expert on you. For my littles, I meet with parents separately during our second session to get a full background of your child, family, provide you with space to share concerns, and provide education on CBT and play therapy. Our first session will focus on building rapport and comfort with meeting a new person. I encourage families to bring snacks and comfort items to our sessions. Please no Playdough or homemade slime that contains gluten due to touch sensitive gluten allergy. I hope to see you soon or your child soon in my office!
More about me
Outside of work I am typically reading, working out, watching sports, or spending time with my family, friends, and dogs. I love coffee, Taylor Swift, country music, house plants, and traveling. I volunteer as the treasurer of the Missouri Association for Play Therapy.
SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT
Schedule your first appointment. For follow up appointments (existing clients), please contact your therapist at 773-774-4444.
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