Diala Abughosh, MSW, LCSW
About Me
Founder and Therapist
I'm Diala- a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Illinois and an EMDR-trained therapist. I work with adults through individual therapy. I obtained my Bachelor's degree in Psychology and my Master's degree in Social Work with a mental health concentration. My clinical focus is trauma. Most of my clients are working through something that happened to them, or a long pattern of things, and looking for a way to stop carrying it the way they're carrying it. Some come in knowing they have trauma, but other's don't.
Most came in for anxiety, a hard postpartum, a marriage that wasn't going anywhere, an unshakeable feeling of not being okay, and we found the trauma underneath it together.EMDR is my primary modality, but it's not the whole of my practice. I draw on talk therapy, CBT, DBT skills, mindfulness, and parts work depending on what the work needs. Some clients never do an EMDR session and benefit deeply. Most do. I'll never push you into a modality you're not ready for.
My approach is client-centered and collaborative. I see each person as the expert of their own experience, and I value your ability to help me understand you without assumptions or labels.At the heart of my work is the belief that therapy should feel real, safe, and human. My goal is to create a space where you feel seen, heard, and understood as you are.While we will develop a treatment plan tailored to your needs and goals, I also believe therapy is more than a process—it is a relationship built on trust and genuine connection.
In our sessions, you can expect warmth, respect, and space for your full experience. Whether you are sharing something painful, sitting in silence, asking difficult questions, crying, or even laughing—you are welcome here. Healing can be challenging, but therapy does not have to feel clinical or distant. This is a space for honesty, growth, and being fully human.
Specialities
Trauma & PTSD. The thing that happened — or the things that kept happening — is still running the show. Sleep, intrusive thoughts, hypervigilance, the way your body reacts before your mind catches up. EMDR is built for this.
Birth trauma & the postpartum window. A delivery that didn't go the way it was supposed to. Postpartum anxiety that no one warned you about. The intrusive thoughts you can't say out loud to anyone. Becoming a parent surfaces things — sometimes things you didn't know were there.
First responders. Police officers, paramedics, dispatchers, firefighters. The job builds something in you that gets you through shifts and breaks down everything else. EMDR works well with first responders because it doesn't require you to talk through every detail.
Anxiety in relationships, parenthood, and identity. The marriage you can't fix in couples therapy because the work is yours to do. The version of yourself you became when you became a parent and aren't sure how to live with. The pattern you keep recognizing too late.
Is This You?
You've probably tried therapy before. Maybe more than once. You can describe your patterns clearly — that's part of the problem. You can see what's happening, and seeingit hasn't changed it. You're functional. You go to work, parent your kids, show up for the people who counton you. The cost is internal: the rumination, the bracing, the part of you that's always scanning. You're tired of being articulate about your suffering. If that's familiar, we should talk.