David Panahi, LCPC

By every outside measure, you are doing well. You work hard, you have achieved real things, and most people would never guess how tired and run down you feel. At some point you started believing the next success would finally bring peace, and each time you reach it, the feeling does not come. Instead there is a steady undercurrent of anxiety and restlessness, that impostor feeling of not quite belonging, and a stream of negative self-talk insisting you are still not enough.

I think that points to one of our deepest longings: to be truly known. That can feel scary too. Most of us want relationships where we can be ourselves and feel cared for without judgment, shame, or criticism. My goal as a therapist is to help you reconnect with your most authentic self, and together we will gently peel back the layers of hurt, pain, and protective coping so you can move toward peace and connection.

Many of the strategies we learned growing up once kept us safe. They shielded us from the hardest parts of life, and at some point those shields get heavy. Therapy gives us a place to look at them honestly and set down what no longer serves you. In that work, I see myself as a fellow traveler, not someone above you. I have spent years alongside people carrying heavy burdens who were ready to lay some of them down.

My approach combines insight and action. We look at the younger parts of you, how they were shaped by hardship, and how they may still be calling the shots today, and at the same time we build skills you can use the same week you learn them. I do not force a single method; we shape the work around your needs, goals, and timing.

In session, we will set clear goals together, look at the patterns that keep tripping you up, and practice tools that hold up in daily life: skills that calm your nervous system, ways to handle strong emotions, and boundary work that protects your time and energy. You will always have a say in what we do.

I work with adults dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use concerns, and relationship challenges. That can look like racing thoughts, trouble sleeping, constant worry, irritability, numbness, or burnout, and patterns like people-pleasing, perfectionism, and difficulty setting boundaries, or leaning on alcohol or other substances to cope. If family dynamics, grief, or past experiences keep echoing into your present, we will make space to understand them and loosen their hold.

I believe healing happens in safe connection. It is a privilege to sit with people in hard places and to witness their strength. You do not have to settle for an old normal. Together we can create a new way of relating to yourself and to others, one that feels honest and free.

When I am not working, you will usually find me out in the yard, working on leather projects at my bench, or settling in with a good book or podcast. Most of all, I enjoy time with friends and family.

I see clients in person here in Wheaton, and across Illinois by online therapy. Whenever you would like to begin, the first step is a free 15-minute call with our care coordinator to hear about my availability and book your first session.