Our Team

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Betty Guilfoile, a white cisgender older woman with short gray hair and blue glasses, smiles at the camera while wearing a sky blue blouse with a darker blue scarf and gold earings.
  • Leadership & Admin
  • Supervisor
  • Therapist

Betty Guilfoile

She/Her

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

Staff Psychotherapist, Clinical Supervisor, Internship and Fellowship Manager

bguilfoile@liveoakchicago.com

773.234.9705

English

Values & Philosophy

As human beings, we are complicated. We have thoughts, feelings, and emotions that guide us through life and relationships. Each one of us is unique, born into families, cultures, and systems that are as varied as fingerprints. Through these systems, we develop expectations—some conscious, some not. These expectations are formed by what we see around us, at home, with family, even by what we see on social media. We expect to have a job, have friends, and experience love. We are assigned identities by others such as our name, gender, and pronouns and often society expects us to live life as assigned even if those assignments impact our wellbeing and livelihoods. Families expect us to find love—often with someone of the opposite gender, who is of similar age and background. Sometimes, when these things don’t go as planned, we find ourselves stuck without a clear way to move forward.

I see therapy with individuals, couples, and families as an opportunity to understand and examine these expectations, learn what needs to be done to achieve them, mourn the loss of what cannot be achieved, and discover new ways of thinking and being. I believe you are the expert on your own life, relationship, and family. My job as a therapist is to listen and help identify the patterns that get you stuck and identify options and ways to try something different.

I use a relational, collaborative approach through a Systems Therapy lens. This helps me support you as you examine roles and rules of the systems you belong to, such as family, relationships and work systems, so that you can recognize daily patterns that are keeping you from reaching your goals. I often combined this with Mindfulness to help you learn techniques to reduce stress and anxiety through body and mind awareness. I also utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy which can help change the thinking and behavior patterns that can influence your mood. With these tools, I will be a guide to help you live your life as your most authentic self.

Education & Training

Licensure

LMFT, 166001109
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, 2016

LMFT, MFT001041
Georgia Secretary of State, 2006

Degrees

MS
University of Bridgeport, MA, 1988

AB
Regis College, 1981

Certifications

Clinical Fellow
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, 1986

Areas of Focus & Specialization

  • Couples & Relationships
  • Parents & Families of Trans/Gender Nonconforming Individuals
  • Adult Families
  • Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
  • Anxiety & Depression
  • Aging Concerns

I Work With

  • Individuals (Adults)
  • Relationships
  • Families (chosen & family of origin)

Modalities

  • Systems Work
  • LGBTQ Affirmative Practice
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Mindfulness