Michael Han

LPC

He | Him | His

Anxiety & Depression | LGBTQ+ | Identity Development | Emerging Adulthood | Life Transitions | Relationships & Attachment

My Background

Hi, folx!

My name is Michael Han, and I am Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Illinois. I completed my BA in Communication at the University of Illinois at Chicago with a minor in psychology and received my MA in Clinical Psychology at Roosevelt University. Like many other clinicians, my path to becoming a therapist wouldn’t be complete without a twisting origin story. Before stumbling upon psychology, I meandered between several career trajectories including medicine and teaching. Despite having dabbled my feet in a variety of potential professions, I found myself uninterested, anxious, and ultimately unfulfilled. It wasn’t until I began my own therapy journey that I realized my passion for mental health.

As a queer, second-generation Korean American raised in a religious immigrant home, I am no stranger to the challenges that come from navigating cultural confusion, emotional repression, and polarizing identities. Through therapy, I learned the beauty of my intersectionality and the power that comes in reclaiming identities snuffed out by oppressive forces. What started off as a personal passion for my own healing developed into a heart for helping others that experienced similar struggles. With newfound conviction and clarity, I pursued a career as a therapist and here I am now!

I am a process-oriented therapist, specializing in anxiety and depression; perfectionism and shame; religious trauma; and sexuality/identity development. I utilize various therapeutic modalities in my work including narrative, acceptance and commitment, compassion-focused, and person-centered therapy. Through our work together, we will process emotions, explore relationships and past experiences, and establish meaning making – all with purpose to help deepen insight, identify thinking- and behavioral patterns, and improve the relationship with the self.

My approach to therapy is casual, direct, collaborative, culturally sensitive, and trauma informed. I believe in providing a warm, affirming environment that focuses on the clients’ needs, highlighting their strengths, and embracing their complexities. Change is scary, uncomfortable, and at times painful. Therefore, I strongly believe it is my role to establish a strong, supportive relationship between client and therapist as the foundation from which we explore, learn, grow, and heal.

When I take off my therapist hat, you can find me playing video games, focusing on fitness, dancing in my apartment, dabbling in photography, as well as yapping with my loved ones.