MARK THOMAS, MA, PSY.D.

He/his

Licensed Clinical Psychologist/

Founder, Logan Square Counseling, LLC

I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist experienced in treating the complexities of anxiety and depression. I have been working directly with people in the mental health field since 1999 in settings ranging from inpatient psychiatric hospitals to private practice. I have experience working with children and adults in hospitals, residential treatment centers, transitional living, therapeutic school settings, as well as substance dependency programs. 

My therapeutic approach has always been to treat each individual as a whole person, each unique in their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Although at times I find diagnoses and symptoms to be helpful lenses, I generally operate from a strengths-based perspective (as opposed to a disease model). I strive to understand your specific point of view, what purpose it serves for you, and then we collaborate to explore other perspectives in a non-judgmental way. My goal is always to help you understand your needs, how you are currently attempting to meet them, and to help you learn to meet your needs in the healthiest ways available. By working to understand the origin and nature of your experience, I can help to illuminate your style of living in a way that helps to make it pliable and easier to change. As part of my work with my clients I also enjoy guiding people towards healthier relationships with their partners, their parents, their children, and their friends.

I received my degree in psychology from The University of Texas Austin in 2002, after which I pursued my master's and doctorate of psychology in Chicago. My dissertation was focused on the use of creative writing as a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Although I continue to have an interest in writing, I have found through my clinical experience that I work well with individuals who have an interest in exploring their creative process in general. I enjoy working with artists, writers, musicians, designers, engineers, and others to explore who they are through what they do in a variety of ways.

Between 2009 and 2013 I held a teaching position in the Humanities and Social Sciences department of Columbia College, Chicago, teaching Psychology, and the Psychology of Creativity. I also worked for four years as a staff Psychologist at the Sonia Shankman Orthogenic School at the University of Chicago. In 2011 I started a small private practice in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago. As it has grown into Logan Square Counseling I continue to feel truly privileged to be a part of my clients' lives.

In general, my treatment approach combines traditional Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic models with more contemporary Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I also use techniques from Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Gestalt, Jungian, and Existential/Humanistic therapy when appropriate. I enjoy helping people to achieve changes that are specific, lasting, as well as meaningful.

Apart from my work as a therapist, I am kept busy by being a father of three, a musician, a writer, a reader, and a mechanic of simple machines.

Many of my clients have been with me for many years. I do still take new patients, but my availability is limited.

Mark is available Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and can be reached by clicking the link below, by calling 773.245.3725, or by emailing logansquarecounseling@gmail.com