Womencare unequivocally stands against the violence, oppression, and injustice perpetrated on Black and Brown people by White individuals and institutions. The intergenerational infliction of trauma continues to do harm. Racism kills. Racism kills by the systems of oppression designed to keep Black and Brown people down. Read more.
We welcome people of all races, ethnic groups, religions, genders, sexual orientations and abilities. Womencare is located in an ADA accessible building.
Founded by Laurie Kahn (she/her), MFA, LCPC in 1978, Womencare Counseling & Training Center is committed to cultivating, encouraging and sustaining healthy relationships with self, others, family and community. Our skilled therapists offer individual, relationship and family counseling aimed at restoring life’s meaning and the capacity to form healthy relationships. Collaboration, mutuality and careful pacing are key to our relational approach. Whether you are a trauma survivor, or coming in for support around other life challenges, we understand that the decision to enter therapy is an important one. To inquire about our fees and services, or to schedule an initial appointment, please contact our intake counselor: scheduling@womencarecounseling.com.
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VIRTUAL WORKSHOP:
Grounded in trauma therapy and liberation-based, decolonial practice, Laurie and John will share the journeys that led them to create this workshop—and why this work matters now.
We will begin with the questions many therapists are holding, and where they come from—our training, workplaces, communities, and the broader cultural moment:
What are the stories and beliefs that may be harming us?
Why are so many therapists exhausted—and how is that connected to the times we’re living in?
What sustains us as humans and as healers?
Together, we will map the narratives we carry about what it means to be a “good therapist”—including expectations around neutrality, productivity, acceptable emotion, and self-sacrifice—and consider how these messages are shaped by professional systems, cultural contexts, and family histories. We will also explore how these narratives live in the body, and what it means to notice, hold, or release them.
We will then explore several dominant narratives that contribute to moral distress in clinical work:
The myth of the neutral therapist
The framing of suffering as primarily individual rather than systemic
The culture of martyrdom in helping professions
As we examine these, we will begin reclaiming forms of wisdom that support more relational, embodied, and sustainable ways of practicing.
At its core, this workshop is about belonging.
Healing is not only individual. Therapy matters, but it cannot replace the power of community, culture, ancestry, and solidarity. In these times, therapists need spaces for collective care—to grieve, reflect, and reconnect with purpose. This workshop offers a space to step out of isolation and into shared inquiry, honesty, and connection.
Participants will engage in guided reflection, shared dialogue, experiential somatic practices, and collective meaning-making, with attention to mutuality in clinical relationships.
Participants will leave with language for addressing moral distress and systemic impact, practical somatic tools for regulation and resilience, and a renewed sense of connection, clarity, and shared purpose.
Our humanity is not a liability in healing work—it is the bridge.
Registration Details:
Fee: $165 (includes four CEUs)
25% discount available for groups of 5 or more
Scholarship option available — simply say how much are you able to pay.
Individual registration is available via the Calendly link below. Group bookings (5+) can be arranged directly. We’re happy to provide Zoom access and coordinate registration manually to ensure your group receives the discounted rate.
If you’re interested in attending — individually or with colleagues — you can register here:
calendly.com/accordingtosykes-info/the-therapist-s-journey-in-these-times?month=2026-05
We would be honored to have you join us in this important and timely conversation.
Presenters:
John Sykes, MSW, LCSW (he/they)
John Sykes is a licensed clinical social worker in Illinois with extensive training in complex traumatic stress, liberation-based healing, somatic abolitionism, restorative justice, and decolonizing practices. With decades of nonprofit experience since 1986, John has worked across residential treatment, child welfare, community mental health, education, and juvenile justice in roles ranging from case manager to executive and clinical leadership. He teaches at the Crown Family School of Social Work at the University of Chicago, consults on vicarious trauma and reflective practice, and leads a private practice in Hyde Park, Chicago.
Laurie Kahn, MA, MFA, LCPC (she/her)
Laurie Kahn is the founder of Womencare Counseling & Training Center and a pioneer in trauma treatment. For nearly forty years, she has worked with the lasting impacts of childhood trauma and has played a significant role in training and mentoring clinicians. She has developed ongoing training programs, presented widely, and is the author of Baffled by Love: Stories of the Lasting Impact of Childhood Trauma Inflicted by Loved Ones.
A Note from Laurie and John
Our collaboration has been rooted in trust, joy, and mutual learning. As helping practitioners, we feel called in these times to share what we have gathered—through our work, our lineages, and our commitment to collective healing.
We hope you will join us. ... See MoreSee Less
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This month is Sexual Assault Awareness Month- and it has been a hard news month for survivors and loved ones. We always stand with you, and hold you in our hearts.
We know that your nervous system may be on high alert and scanning for further danger. If you are struggling to manage your own reactions to the news, we offer some helpful guidelines to consider. There is no particular order to these- except for the first one.
1) Honor your reaction and experience. Whatever they may be, your feelings matter and are valid.
2) Use your breath to help support calming your system. Take slow, deep breaths, making sure your exhale is longer than your inhale.
3) Honor your physical needs, such as movement, sleep, food and hydration.
4) Focus on your five senses. The exercise centered on this can be helpful. Identify five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can feel, two things you can touch, and one thing you can taste. It may also be helpful to sit on the ground or feel your feet on the ground.
5) Take charge of your own media consumption. Don't let the algorithm decide for you what and how much you will watch. Honor what you know will work best for you- or experiment with that, if you aren't sure.
6) Connect with a safe person- a friend, family member or therapist.
7) Go for a walk outside in an area you feel safe.
8)Create a sense of safety- go to places that feel predictable or that you feel safe in. ... See MoreSee Less
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We are so pleased to welcome Lisa Baron to our community! Lisa is an experienced psychotherapist who works with adults,
adolescents, and children (ages 8 and up). She has extensive experience working with individuals, couples, and families. ... See MoreSee Less
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WORKSHOP COMING!!
In these times, many therapists are carrying more than is named. We invite you to join us in an interactive workshop.
The Therapist’s Journey in These Times
Questions, Wisdom, and Belonging
Presented by:
Laurie Kahn, MFA, LCPC (she/her)
John Sykes MSW, LCSW (he/they)
May 29, 2026 | 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM | 4 CEUs | virtual
This four-hour, experiential workshop offers a space to pause, reflect, and reconnect—with ourselves, with each other, and with a deeper sense of purpose.
Together, we will explore:
The questions we’re carrying as therapists in these times
The wisdom we are reclaiming and creating together
What it means to find belonging in our work and with one another
Through guided reflection, experiential somatic practices, and dialogue, we’ll consider how the broader cultural and political landscape is shaping our clinical work, our nervous systems, and our sense of moral grounding.
Our humanity is not a liability in healing work; it is the bridge. You’ll leave this workshop with:
Language for naming moral distress and systemic impact
Practical tools for regulation and resilience
A renewed sense of connection and shared purpose
A Note from Laurie and John - Our collaboration has been rooted in trust, joy, and mutual learning. As helping practitioners, we feel called in these times to share what we have gathered—through our work, our lineages, and our commitment to collective healing.
We hope you will join us.
Laurie and John ... See MoreSee Less
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