Summer Stewart (she/her)

PsyD
Accepting Clients

Are you exhausted from being the anchor for everyone but yourself?

Post-Doctoral Fellow in Palos Heights, IL
Supervised by Aretha Steele, PsyD

Services

About My Clients

You’re likely the high-functioning one—the woman everyone calls when they need a problem solved, a crisis averted, or a shoulder to lean on. You are the one who "has it all together," the one who never drops the ball, and the one whose strength is so consistent that people have forgotten to ask if you’re okay. But while you’re busy being the “strong one,” the “reliable one,” or the “dependable one,” who is holding space for you?

My Background and Approach

Many of the women I work with, particularly Black and Brown women, come to therapy feeling profoundly exhausted by the constant, invisible pressure to stay “on.” This isn’t just a simple case of being "busy." It is a deep, soul-level fatigue that comes from navigating a world that demands your excellence while often ignoring your humanity. You might be navigating the sharp edges of past trauma, the suffocating weight of burnout, or relationship patterns that leave you giving far more than you ever receive. On the outside, your life looks successful, polished, and capable. But on the inside, you feel like you are exactly one more expectation away from empty. You are tired of "masking" your anxiety, tired of the "Strong Black Woman" archetype, and tired of shrinking your own needs just to keep the peace or make others comfortable.

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

Therapy should be the one place where you don't have to be a hero. With me, your identity isn't just a footnote. It is the lens through which we understand your healing. As a therapist of color, I recognize that your stress doesn't just come from "within." It is shaped by systemic pressures, generational weights, and the daily "micro-stresses" that live in your body as tension in your shoulders or a racing heart at midnight. My approach is trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and deeply relational. We won’t just talk about your problems; we’ll work on reclaiming your nervous system by moving out of "high-alert" survival mode and into a space of genuine rest. We’ll focus on redefining your boundaries and healing the "inner provider." You’ve spent enough of your life carrying the heavy things alone. You don’t need the "right" words here, and you don’t have to share everything at once. We’ll move at your pace. You’ve taken care of everyone else; it’s time to take care of you.

Insurance Plans Accepted
  • Aetna
  • Blue Choice
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS)
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO
  • Aetna PPO
I offer online counseling in the following states:

At A Glance

  • Experience: 7 years of practice
  • Languages: English
  • Rate: $125 - 175/session

Info

Email Summer
7110 W 127th St
Palos Heights, IL 60463
8547 S Cicero
Chicago, IL 60652

Reach out to Summer