Alexa Keramidas, Ph.D.
(she/her)
Hello! I’m Alexa. I support people who struggle with self-criticism, self-doubt, and shame.
I am a licensed clinical psychologist practicing virtually out of Chicago.
How do I practice?
My therapeutic style has been described as friendly, warm, curious, and relational; a bit like confiding in a close friend.
I tend to see “symptoms” as coping strategies that once helped us survive traumatic or otherwise challenging circumstances, such as abusive relationships, oppression, poverty, or other hardships, even if those coping strategies may no longer serve us once our circumstances change. I support clients in honoring how these patterns once protected them, while creating space to explore new ways to approach challenges.
Above all, I value building a genuine, trusting relationship where clients feel safe enough to show up authentically, even in moments when that may feel especially messy or vulnerable.
What I Do
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If you are new to therapy, you may be expecting it to look something like a visit to your doctor (minus the white coat and cold exam table). Like a visit to your doctor, the therapeutic relationship is mostly one-sided, governed by specific professional boundaries and ethical parameters. Yet unlike your medical care, therapy work is only as effective as the strength of the relationship between the two humans within it. This means our relationship is most supportive to you when we each show up authentically. For my part, this means that you’ll get a sense of my personality. I’ll be honest with you. I may join you in laughter, celebration, or tears. If it’s cool with you, I’ll probably swear. I find it is much easier to be vulnerable and honest with someone who seems like a real human, as opposed to a “blank slate.”
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I may focus pretty heavily on your emotional experience. This focus includes emotions of your past as well as your current, in-the-moment feelings. Many of us were taught that our emotional experiences are wrong, are a problem to be fixed, or can be easily controlled. These beliefs complicate or entirely cut us off from the important information that our emotions provide. I view emotions as invaluable data points that help us to understand ourselves better, accept ourselves more fully, and make decisions that align with our values. Part of our work in therapy may be rebuilding your connection to your emotional experience, approaching feared or shunned emotions, or finding healthy ways of expressing big feelings.
What I Don’t Do
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Most of the “tips and tricks” I have to offer are probably things you can find on Google, and I imagine you’ve already been down that path! That said, I certainly understand the desire for simple, digestible “tricks” that reliably work to reduce our suffering. In my experience, what makes therapy actually work is engagement in the process of sharing vulnerably and honestly, being heard, and being open to feedback or new ways of thinking about your experience.
I don’t structure therapy as a “class” in which you are expected to master content or do homework for the same reason. If I know of a particular skill that I think would be helpful to you, I will certainly offer it. But the bulk of my therapeutic work is process-based.
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A central tenet of Feminist Theory (one of my favorite theories of psychotherapy!) is “the personal is political.” Therapy is an inherently politicized process, because our lived experiences are politicized. We cannot disentangle ourselves from the impact of local, national, and global politics, and we are each products of our historical and generational context. To pretend this is not the case would be dishonest and harmful. In therapy, this means that I will name the ways that racism, sexism, fatphobia, ableism, and other harmful systems of oppression may be impacting you. I also invite you to share about your specific lived experiences related to these systems.
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I know what it is like to feel paralyzed by a difficult problem and desperately want somebody who “knows better” to tell you what to do next. This is so human. Yet when it comes to the types of problems that folks usually bring to therapy, the truth is that I don’t necessarily know what is “right” any more than you do. Instead, I see my role as facilitating the process by which you come to your own “right” answer through careful listening, thoughtful questioning, and attunement to your emotions. I will support you in connecting to your needs and values, understanding your fears, and collaborating on a path forward that feels most true and honest for you.
Training & Licensure
Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology (2021) — University of Missouri - Kansas City
Internship in Health Services Psychology (2021) — University of Wisconsin–Madison University Health Services
Postdoctoral Fellowship (2022) — University of Illinois Chicago Counseling Center
Illinois Licensed Clinical Psychologist 071.010902