Meet Jessica Kuhnen

Chicago, Meet Jessica Kuhnen Founder Hyde Park Center for Healing

Being biracial (African American and Caucasian) in America is an interesting experience; you get to see the strengths and weaknesses of both communities. You get a chance to see the elements that really distinguish the two and also the threads that they have in common. I use to want to write about this; the differences that both separate us and unite us. My Mother who was Caucasian suffered from Depression and over the years I realized that my Father (African American) also suffered from Depression. However, his symptoms didn’t resemble my Mothers. Hers showed up in sadness and his was often displayed in anger (both acceptable emotions to display according to their own individual experiences within America’s cultural and gender normative views). Mental health issues didn’t just show up in my household;  I saw them in school when my  friend committed suicide or afterschool when my close friend told me he still dreamed about seeing his friend being murdered.

Overtime, I realized that I didn’t want to write about the stories that separate and unite us. Rather I wanted to figure out how to change stories for the better. That is why I opened my private practice a little over a year ago; Hyde Park Center for Healing. My vision is to have a Center for Healing in every community; so that the treatment can really be tailored to that community and the individuals that reside in it. Most people in their lifetime deal with some form of trauma, depressive symptoms, anxiety, anger and sadness. We cannot get rid of these emotions. My job is to teach people how to identify these emotions, identify what triggers them and figure out how to make them less uncomfortable/decrease how often they experience them. My job is also to recognize that cultural differences impact our experiences. I do my best to tailor my treatment plans to the individual, taking into account all factors that may have impacted them over their lifetime.

If you want to learn more or schedule an appointment please feel free to follow the link below:

https://therapists.psychologytoday.com/317285?_ga=1.49077350.191091749.1481588881