Latifat Cabirou, Ph.D (she/her)
Founder | Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Clinician . Advocate . Educator . Researcher
Education & Work Experience
My identity as a counseling psychologist was developed through training at the following institutions:
Loyola University- PhD in Counseling Psychology
Northwestern University Counseling and Psychological Services- Predoctoral Internship
Advocate Trauma Recovery Center- Postdoctoral Fellowship
As a clinician, I have had the fortunate opportunities to work in various settings including inpatient and outpatient behavior health systems, trauma unit of medical hospitals, emergency rooms, university counseling centers, and community counseling centers. I have worked with individuals across the lifespan with various presenting concerns including mood, relationships, identity, education/career, cross-cultural challenges, and family-of-origin. I also have specialized training in working with college students, immigrants, and survivors of intentional violence/trauma.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist- IL License # 071.010777
Therapy Style
I believe that change occurs once we are able to bring hidden or unnoticed parts of ourselves into awareness, accept them, and then decide what to do with them. This belief influenced the name of this practice, Imọlẹ. In yoruba, my native language, imọlẹ means illuminate, light, shine, or new dawn.
My approach to therapy is empathic, collaborative, and person-centered, and integrates multiple evidence-based therapy practices. My approach is rooted in existential & interpersonal therapies, which emphasizes a focus on understanding yourself and the meaning you make out of your experiences, while attending to your interpersonal relationships and social functioning. I also regularly incorporate techniques and interventions from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Achievement and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to achieve therapy goals.
Regardless of what brings you to therapy, my culture-centered approach allows me to attend to the intersections of your cultural identities and how it impacts how you experience the world and how the world experiences you. With this, we can identify how to address day to day challenges, and other major aspects of your life you would like to change.
Fun Facts
Outside of my work spaces, you can find me at your local coffee shop, relishing the comfort of an (extra) hot cup of latte with a warm, buttery croissant and a great non-fiction novel (likely about a character navigating new cultural spaces, and very likely written by an African author). My favorite recent reads are the first two installments of Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi and The Fisherman by Chigozie Obioma. I am a junkie for mystery and espionage films, but have also watched He’s Just Not That Into You about a thousand times. I love to laugh, have deep discussions about our place in the world, and engage in practices that hopefully makes life at least a little bit better for the people I encounter.