Our Team

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Sophia, a white ciswoman in her late twenties, stands behind a chair and leans forward with her arms folded over the back of the chair in a friendly, casual, way. Sophia has a big, toothy smile, rosy cheeks, blue eyes, and long, blonde, wavy hair. She is of medium height and slight build. She wears a deep blue silk blouse with brass buttons down the front and blue jeans.
  • Therapist

Sophia Etling

She/Her

Licensed Social Worker

Psychotherapist

setling@liveoakchicago.com

262.299.7807

English

Supervised By:

Get Answers About

  • For clients: Sex Worker Support Group
  • For clinicians: Sex Work Affirming Practice & History of Sex Work and Mental Healthcare Workers CEU Trainings

Values & Philosophy

In you, there is both the raging warrior who fights with unbreakable honor, and the healer who brings together those things torn apart. – Rumi

Everything you need to heal is already inside of you.

I am a strengths-focused, trauma-informed therapist. I believe that you are the expert on your own identities and experiences. My job as a therapist is to walk alongside you as you gain the skills you need to change your own life. My office is a judgment-free zone for us to grow, process, learn, and even laugh together.

I take a nurturing, loving approach. At the same time, I will most likely challenge you. I’m a firm believer in dialectical thinking, or the understanding that there is no absolute truth and that everything can be seen from multiple perspectives. I will challenge you to show yourself compassion and spend time in the “gray.”

We all contain multitudes. My identities as a queer woman, a birth doula, and a trauma survivor are reflected in my approach to therapy. I have experience working with survivors of complex trauma, eating disorders, and community violence. My specialty is in working with sex workers and LGBTQIA+ folks. Healing cannot take place unless we acknowledge the impact that intersectional systems of oppression have on our concepts of self and our relationships.

Fun fact: In my free time I enjoy running marathons, reading fiction, and cooking for others.

Education & Training

Licensure

LSW
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, 2022

Degrees

MA
University of Chicago, 2022

BS
Northwestern University, 2018

Certifications

Association of Contextual Behavioral Science
2022

Trauma Informed Care Certification
The University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, 2022

Contextual Behavioral Practices Program of Study
The University of Chicago, 2021-2022

Birth Doula
Doulas of North America (DONA), 2018

Publications

Herriott, A.L., Etling, S. and Hans, S.L. (2023), Community-Based Doula's Role Within the Birth Support System: Young Black Mothers’ Perspectives. J Midwifery Womens Health.

View Publication

Areas of Focus & Specialization

  • Developmental Trauma
  • Complex Family Dynamics
  • Sexual Trauma
  • Reproductive health & birth trauma
  • Identity Exploration, Development, & Intersectionality
  • Poly & Non-Monogamy Affirming Practice
  • Sex work-affirming practice

I Work With

  • Individuals
  • Relationships (triads, polycules, metamours, constellations, couples.)
  • Families (chosen & family of origin)
  • Adolescents

Modalities

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
  • Narrative therapy
  • Psychodynamic & Attachment-based Approaches
  • Anti-racist, Intersectional Feminist Approach