Stephen Jennings

He/Him/His

Chicago

Clinical License

Illinois LPC 178.020709

Supervising Clinician: Alexandra Hoerr LCPC 180.010561

Education

MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Wheaton College Graduate School, Wheaton, IL

BA in Psychology, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL

A green decorative plant in a wooden vase.

Specialities

Adulting & Responsibility
Couples Therapy
LGBTQIA+ & Queer Concerns
Faith Integration & Spirituality
Sexual Health & Functioning

Techniques

Person-Centered Therapy
Existential Therapy
Humanistic Approach
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Solutions-Focused Therapy

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As a bisexual man, my adolescence almost felt like two puberties back-to-back. When I first got feelings for another man, I was suddenly faced with a whole new set of questions about my identity, my values, my relationships, and what I wanted for my future. Through those teenage years, I wished I had someone to talk to, someone who had also worked through those fundamental, existential questions. Eventually, I was blessed to find the mentors I needed, and now I want to pass along that wisdom. I know what it’s like to wonder who you are and what your place in life is, and I want to help others grappling with that uncertainty. No matter what is holding someone back, I want to be there next to them, encouraging them to take ownership of their life, their values, and their strengths.

“Stephen is a very attentive and insightful counselor. He accompanies the client to the very depths, helping to find the reasons, understand the essence of the problem or question, and find a way out to the surface.” -LC

“Stephen makes the whole counseling process incredibly collaborative and creates a space where you feel listened to and safe to share and process.” -AL

“Stephen is a very insightful and kind individual; he is highly empathetic and is able to work well with people of all walks of life.” -BB

Reviews

Our clients' stories

What led you to pursue a career in counseling.
What got me into counseling was in large part a lot of family experiences around mental illness. I grew up overseas and my parents both struggled with depression and anxiety, and it was hard to watch them deal with those experiences without having the resources they need. My heart in counseling is I really want to serve people who haven’t been able to access care before, whether that be through access to resources or social stigma. There’s a lot of reasons that can keep us out of counseling, and I want to help you overcome those.
How has your personal identity influenced your work?
Also, my experiences being a bisexual Christian really influenced why I got into this field. When I was an adolescent, it felt like I was going through two puberties. I asked a lot of questions of “who am I and what is my direction in life? What are my values and goals? Why am I here?” And I didn’t feel like I had the mentorship I needed during that process to really sort through those existential questions. And so I really want to be there for other people going through those processes of just questioning who they are.
I think no matter who you are, we can come together and we can connect on the fact that we are humans dealing with everyday challenges and dramatic challenges. And we’re sorting through some of those important questions together.
Which populations and life experiences do you focus on?
When it comes to the people I’m excited to work with, definitely part of that is LGBTQ people. I think as a member of the queer community, I’m passionate about supporting other queer people. I’m also interested though in working with anybody who’s coming in the counseling room wondering like, “who am I?” or “what’s keeping me from living the life I want to live?” And I want us to be able to work together to help you take ownership of your life and figure out what’s next for you.
I know a lot of what it’s like to go through transition. I’ve dealt with a lot of losing loved ones because of distance and figuring out how to live in a new place that’s totally unfamiliar. And so I’m definitely passionate about working with other people going through transition. I think that tends to be the time when we question ourselves the most too, when we’re in a place that’s already full of questions. So I really care about helping people sort through that.
What brings you joy in your personal life?
The things that bring me joy—I love hiking. I love bird watching. Generally anything with nature, I’m going to be excited about that. I’m also a D&D player, so I love collaborative storytelling. I also love to read. Some of my favorite authors are Albert Camus, Simone Weil, C.S. Lewis. Those are a lot of things that make me excited.
What would you say to someone considering starting therapy?
What I would say to someone considering counseling is, you know, for myself as a therapist, I know I’ve been through these unique experiences growing up overseas and being bisexual, but really what these were for me were promptings to ask some of those fundamental existential questions. And I think that’s a universal experience. So I think that there’s not a single person out there that I couldn’t connect with on some level of like, we’re humans figuring out how to live.
I think too, humans have always had members of their community that were there to help them deal with challenges or questioning how they want to live. I think of healers. I think of priests, rabbis, imams. There’s such a rich history of helpers in human society. And that’s a tradition I see myself carrying forward. And I think that when you see counseling, you are joining in on that tradition with me and together, we’re helping each other live better as people.