Our Philosophy

We are a community of diversely identified humans working together to enhance the emotional, psychological and spiritual well being of individuals, families, and communities, beginning with ourselves.

Live Oak Theory of Change

Identity Centered Clinical Practice: At Live Oak, we believe that understanding ourselves is a critical part of the journey of supporting others in understanding themselves. We believe that in order to support those who participate in therapy, consultation, and training ethically, each staff member and trainee must commit to an ongoing practice of investigating the many identities and experiences that we are managing throughout our lives. This includes our identities and experiences related to gender, sexuality, familial role, personal history, work roles, culture, race, ethnicity, religion, familial structure, spirituality, ability, body size, body experience, neurological experience, etc. We believe that we must interrogate our socialization into identities that hold privilege as well as those that have been marginalized within the communities that we live and participate in.

The foundations of this practice at Live Oak are:

• LGBTQIA++ Affirmative Practice
• Trauma-Informed Practice
• Intersectional Practice
• Self First

Minimum Qualifications

Master’s degree in Social Work, Counseling, Couples/Family Therapy, Art Therapy, Dance/Movement Therapy, Music Therapy or Master’s degree in a related field and RYT or CYT credential.

Initial Clinical Licensure as an LSW, LPC, AMFT or licensed Clinical Psychologist within the state of Illinois.

At least one year of post-graduate clinical experience and/or 5 years of compensated professional experience.

Expertise in working with men with a focus on interrogating masculinity.

Expertise in working with queer people at the intersection of Black identity.

Frameworks (strong candidates will have demonstrated experience in at least 2 of the following)

• Anti-racist and anti-oppressive frameworks within clinical practice
  • Demonstrated experience articulating an evolving understanding of the ways that they have been socialized into their own identities, benefitted from and been harmed by that socialization.
  • Additionally, strong candidates will have prior practice bringing an awareness of their socialization as well as the effects of their own domains of power and privilege and that of their clients and others into clinical practice.
• LGBTQIA++ affirmative practice
  • Demonstrated experience with holding a clinical lens that affirms multiple, intersecting identities, especially at the intersections of sexuality, gender, and relational structure including polyamory and non-monogamy at the intersection of all other identities.
  • Demonstrated experience in trans/GNC and non-binary affirmative practice.
• Trauma-Informed Practice and Trauma-Treatment Approaches
  • Demonstrated experience in and ability to articulate their personal approach to trauma-informed clinical practice.
  • Demonstrated expertise in a specific trauma treatments and trauma-informed practices including, but not limited to: EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems, Narrative Therapy, Sex Therapy, Dance/Movement Therapy, Drama Therapy, Art Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), etc.
• Self-First
  • Demonstrated practice with developing an ever evolving understanding of one’s own internalizations of the normative ideology of the times.
  • Demonstrated practice with interrogating and disrupting beliefs that normalize bodies, identities, and ways of being over others.
  • Demonstrated practice with seeing one’s own mistakes with self-compassion, willingness to learn and grow, commitment and practice at co-creating a learning environment where making mistakes and getting it wrong are a part of growing.
• Intersectional Practice
  • Demonstrated experience in employing a systemic approach to clinical practice with specific attention to race, power, and privilege within the therapeutic dynamic/relationship.
  • Demonstrated experience in and ability to practice from a clinical lens that incorporates a systemic conceptualization of any given client’s presenting concerns, intersections of identity, and relational dynamics between the therapist and client(s) given the therapists intersecting identities, etc.
  • Practice investigating their relationship with one’s own internalizations of the oppressive systems we live within, and the constructs reinforced by those systems.

Desirable Qualifications

• Group facilitation experience
• Clinical Training Facilitation experience
• Prior experience supervising and/or mentoring colleagues or interns/trainees
• Prior experience providing psychological testing
• Fluent in a second language
• Experience working with those struggling with substance use/abuse
• Practice applying a harm reduction framework

Responsibilities

• To provide individual, couples, family, and group psychotherapy (minimum of 23 sesson hours weekly)
• To provide sliding scale fee services to 20-30% of overall caseload at the following rates: 2 cases at a rate of $35, 2 cases at a rate of $50, and 2 cases at a rate of $75-$90
• To attend all designated staff, community, consultation, and supervision meetings.
• To plan and carry out personal and organizational marketing related to clinical service in collaboration with the Clinical Director
• To complete designated paperwork in a timely and accurate manner, as identified by the Clinical Director
• This role will require a schedule that centers evenings and Saturday

Developmental Opportunities

• At Live Oak, all employees have the opportunity to engage in paid administrative projects and roles outside of assigned clinical responsibilities. These projects are co-identified by employees and Live Oak’s leadership team, and employees are provided individualized mentorship related to developing administrative skills in areas such as: policy and procedure development; project management; data collection, management, and evaluation; quality improvement; and program development.
• All employees are provided opportunities for promotion throughout their tenure at Live Oak. Given the organization’s commitment to cultivate a culture that embodies our core values and clinical approach, all supervisory and administrative roles are filled from within the clinical staff, and employees can be mentored into specific roles over the course of time in alignment with their individual strengths.

Compensation

• Compensation range for full time psychotherapists depends on their years of experience, years at the organization, licensure status, and degree level is between $42,000 and $98,000.
• Employees are paid on a monthly payroll schedule.
• See Live Oak’s Compensation policy for more information

Benefits

• 401K plan available with employer contribution after 3 months of employment
• Health and dental insurance – 60% of premiums paid by Live Oak
• Vision insurance – 100% of premiums paid by Live Oak
• Collaboration and consultation with experienced mentors
• Weekly individual supervision
• A working environment that values diversity and the strength that comes from difference
• Attendance at any Live Oak sponsored training event at no cost, space allowing
• User friendly and comprehensive electronic health records system
• Administrative support
• Paid Time Off: Employees are encouraged to take vacation days throughout the year. Scheduling time off is done with the approval of each employee’s supervisor and the Clinical director. See compensation policy for paid time off.
• See Live Oak’s Compensation policy for more information

To Apply

We are accepting applications for this role at this time with the goal of hiring someone to begin on 10/1/25. In order to apply, please send a cover letter, this written, audio, or video interview and resume to our Recruitment and Hiring Managers, Sakina Levin and Beto Chavez at employment@liveoakchicago.com.