Nilsa Ruiz

Nilsa is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with a master’s in leadership development in Social Services, from Loyola University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Justice and Sociology from Northeastern Illinois University. Nilsa is a culturally competent bilingual clinician with a passionate focus on helping individuals, couples, adolescents, and families in overcoming generational trauma and destructive Mental Health related issues. As a Latina, Nilsa understands the barriers and stigma around Mental Health Services in marginalized communities and the effects it has in black and brown communities. She believes in the power of understanding her client’s story, experience, and social factors that has shaped them in who they are today regardless, of their race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion or any other status. Nilsa also has professional and volunteer experience in community outreach, client advocacy, and providing therapeutic and crisis de-escalation services for disadvantaged youth and families within diverse populations . This also includes being certified as a Racial Healing, Peace Circle, and Circle of Security certified facilitator. Nilsa has a unique clinical background with proven impact in workforce, education and community settings. She understands that the meaning of healthy living comes in many different shapes and forms. Nilsa is a coalition builder he has been able to work side by side with school administration and collaboratively build on their strengths to transform school culture that allows staff and students to feel connected, safe and invested in their schools. While working with multiple agencies in the city, she has been able to help individuals move beyond their current skill level, continue their education and launch prosperous careers. With her expertise in group work Nilsa created and implemented a successful culturally strength based parenting curriculum, designed to positively affect workplace outcomes and help families identify and work through generational trauma while developing their capacity around mental wellness. Her belief in social justice weaves throughout her clinical framework and strengthens communities by building leadership capacity, teaching advocacy, and increasing mental wellness for community members through psychoeducational workshops. Nilsa increases her impact in the filed by providing clinical supervision / coaching to other professionals in the field, and providing quality psychoeducational workshops in a number of settings within the community With a professional background that includes working with individuals facing, anxiety, depression, gang violence, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) community violence and relationship challenges, she utilizes an individualized holistic technique to meet her clients challenges. Nilsa strongly believes in creating a nonjudgmental and empowering space promoting growth and positive change in all of her client’s stages of life.