Our Team

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Sophia Etling Portrait
  • Therapist

Sophia Etling

She/Her

Licensed Social Worker

Psychotherapist, Live Oak Founders Fellow

setling@liveoakchicago.com

773.880.1310 ext. 7636

English

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

I am a trauma-informed therapist. Trauma comes in many forms: individual, collective, and generational. You are the expert on your own identities and experiences. My job as a therapist is to bear witness to your experiences and empower you to gain the skills you need to make change in your life. My office is a judgment-free zone for us to grow, process, learn, and sometimes even laugh together. Real change can only be facilitated once we build a safe relationship marked by collaboration and mutual respect.

We all contain multitudes. My identities as a queer woman, an artist, an athlete, a birth doula, and a trauma survivor are reflected in my approach to therapy. I have experience working with survivors of complex trauma and community violence, as well as in the sex worker and LGBTQIA+ communities. I believe that all human beings are inherently resilient, and everyone deserves support in their time of need.

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

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