Monica Bhatia & Melissa Hemzacek

Monica Bhatia and Melissa Hemzacek, both licensed clinical social workers, have dreamt about opening their own practice together for many years. Both clinical social workers have a background in education (both started their careers as teachers) and received their Master’s in Social Work after a few years of teaching. Monica received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and her Master’s Degree from Aurora University. Melissa received her Bachelor’s Degree from Monmouth College and her Master’s Degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Monica and Melissa both continue to work as school social workers while maintaining and working at the private practice. Monica believes a strong therapeutic relationship can make a great difference in the lives of the people she works with. She most often uses a strengths-based and client-centered approach in therapy and incorporates components of cognitive behavioral therapy in her sessions. She wants to make sure that her clients feel heard, respected, and comfortable in the therapeutic relationship. Monica enjoys working with children of all ages. She has experience helping children and young adults in many different areas including anxiety, peer conflict, adjustment disorders, ADHD, behavior difficulties, school anxiety, and more. Seeing children and young adults grow emotionally and socially is extremely rewarding. Monica also has experience working and collaborating with parents and other caregivers, as she believes a team approach is extremely beneficial. Melissa is a strong advocate for her clients, working alongside them to build on the strengths they already embody. She works with children of all ages, as well as adults both individually and within group settings. With children, Melissa likes to work in collaboration with parents/caregivers. Similarly, Melissa is open to incorporating an individual’s support system within the therapeutic approach to ensure success outside of the therapeutic setting. Melissa primarily utilizes client-centered, solution-focused, strengths-based, talk therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy therapeutic approaches. Melissa believes that the client is at the center of all decision-making and we (their team) must meet them where they’re at in regards to their needs. Melissa will also incorporate the Christian faith at the request of the client. She works with clients experiencing needs in the areas of ADHD, adjustment disorders, anxiety, behavior improvement, individual relationship counseling, self-image and social skills.