Angela Ceisel, Psy.D.

Clinical Director
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Certified Animal-Assisted Intervention Specialist (C-AAIS)
(she/her)

Life can feel overwhelming when anxiety, difficult emotions, family stress, executive functioning challenges, or major changes begin affecting everyday life. You may be worried about your child, struggling to keep up with everything expected of you, navigating complicated relationships, or simply feeling stuck and unsure how to move forward.

I work with children, adolescents, adults, and families who are looking for practical support, greater understanding, and meaningful change. My goal is to create a space where you or your child can feel understood without judgment while also developing concrete skills that make life feel more manageable.

Areas I Can Help With

I especially enjoy working with patients experiencing:

• Anxiety and excessive worry

• Depression and other emotional struggles

• ADHD and executive functioning difficulties

• School and academic concerns

• Behavioral challenges

• Social and relationship difficulties

• Family conflict and changing family dynamics

• Divorce and separation

• Parenting and caregiver stress

• Grief and loss

• Eating disorders and body-related concerns

• Stress, burnout, and feeling overwhelmed

• Child and adolescent emotional or behavioral concerns

For parents, therapy may include helping you better understand what is driving your child's behavior, strengthening communication, developing effective parenting strategies, and working collaboratively with schools or other professionals when helpful.

What Therapy With Me Is Like

Therapy should not feel like a one-size-fits-all process. I take time to understand you as a whole person, including your relationships, family, school or work environment, culture, community, strengths, and the systems around you.

Together, we will identify what is getting in the way, understand the patterns contributing to the problem, and develop an individualized plan for moving forward.

Depending on your needs, our work may incorporate:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

• Narrative therapy

• Play-based therapy

• Family and systems approaches

• Executive functioning coaching

• Parent education and coaching

• Expressive and creative techniques

• Animal-assisted interventions

• Practical problem-solving and skill building

With children, I often incorporate play, creativity, developmentally appropriate activities, and parent collaboration so therapy is engaging and understandable rather than simply asking a child to sit and talk.

Children, Teens & Families

Much of my career has focused on understanding children and adolescents within the larger systems surrounding them.

When a child is struggling, the problem rarely exists in isolation. School expectations, learning differences, friendships, family relationships, developmental changes, ADHD, anxiety, and other factors can all play a role.

My experience includes working with concerns involving ADHD, executive functioning, anxiety, mood difficulties, behavioral concerns, school problems, learning differences, autism spectrum disorders, family conflict, divorce, self-injury, eating disorders, and social-emotional development.

I also have experience helping families navigate school-related concerns, including IEPs, 504 Plans, educational testing, school placement, and communication with school teams.

When appropriate and with your permission, I am happy to collaborate with schools, physicians, psychiatrists, dietitians, and other professionals involved in your or your child's care.

Animal-Assisted Therapy

I am a Certified Animal-Assisted Intervention Specialist (C-AAIS) and have specialized training in incorporating animals into therapeutic work.

Animal-assisted interventions can be especially helpful for some children and adults by creating opportunities to practice emotional regulation, communication, connection, confidence, and coping skills in a different and often less intimidating way.

My Approach

My background in both psychology and sociology strongly influences the way I practice.

People do not experience mental health concerns in a vacuum. Our families, relationships, schools, workplaces, communities, cultures, identities, and life experiences all shape how we understand ourselves and interact with the world.

I therefore look beyond symptoms alone. I want to understand both what has contributed to the struggle and what strengths you already possess that can help create change.

My approach is collaborative, practical, compassionate, and individualized. Therapy should help you better understand yourself while also giving you strategies you can actually use outside of the therapy office.

Background

I am the owner and Clinical Director of Brighter Pathways, PLLC and continue to provide direct patient care in addition to supervising and consulting with Brighter Pathways clinicians.

I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree from DePaul University, graduating from both the Liberal Arts Honors Program and Psychology Honors Program with a double major in Psychology and Sociology.

I earned my Doctorate of Psychology (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

My post-graduate and clinical training included advanced work in:

• Child, adolescent, and family therapy

• Anxiety and mood disorders

• ADHD and executive functioning disorders

• Autism spectrum disorders

• Learning disorders and school concerns

• Parent education and behavior management

• Eating disorders

• Self-injury and crisis intervention

• Trauma

• Grief and loss

• Divorce and child custody issues

• Couples and family therapy

• Play therapy

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

• Systems approaches to treatment

• Diversity and multicultural issues

• Psychological and educational assessment

My clinical experience has included private practice, therapeutic day school, public school, and charter school settings.

I have continued my professional education in areas including DBT and DBT for children, animal-assisted therapy, executive functioning treatment, families and addiction, positive psychology, adolescent anger management, eating disorders, compassion fatigue and burnout, trauma and racial injustice, LGBTQIA2S+ concerns, clinical ethics, and clinical supervision.

I am also passionate about mentoring clinicians and advocating for equitable access to mental and behavioral healthcare.

An Inclusive Therapy Space

The values I bring to my work also shape Brighter Pathways as a practice.

I am committed to creating a therapeutic environment grounded in diversity, acceptance, inclusion, and respect. I welcome patients from diverse backgrounds, identities, family structures, cultures, and life experiences and strive to provide care that is LGBTQIA2S+ affirming, neurodivergent affirming, body positive, sex positive, anti-racist, anti-ableist, and anti-oppressive.

You should not have to fit into someone else's definition of what you are "supposed" to be in order to feel supported in therapy.

Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Illinois License #071.008493

Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology (APIT)
Granted by the PSYPACT Commission
APIT #11542

Ready to Get Started?

Whether you’re looking for therapy for your child or teenager, yourself, or your family, finding a therapist who makes you feel comfortable, understood, and accepted is an important first step.

If you or your child are navigating anxiety, ADHD or executive functioning challenges, depression, school or behavioral concerns, family conflict, parenting challenges, grief, eating or body-related concerns, relationship difficulties, or a stressful life transition, and you think I may be a good fit, I’d be happy to help you take that next step.

Call Brighter Pathways at (224) 723-5772

Our patient assistant can answer your questions, help determine whether I may be a good fit for your needs, schedule your first appointment, and verify your insurance coverage.