Illinois Therapists for Chronic Illness, ADHD & Medical Trauma
Good with complicated. Easy to talk to.
Beacon Pathways is a small virtual therapy practice for adults throughout Illinois. Our therapists work especially well with chronic illness, ADHD, medical trauma, cancer, disability, caregiving, anxiety, grief, and the places where all of those things overlap.
We’re conversational, practical, collaborative, and very much actual people.
You don’t need to figure out which therapist sounds perfect on paper. Read a little about each of us, see who you naturally gravitate toward, and if you’re still not sure, we’ll help you figure it out.
FOUNDER + THERAPIST
Samantha Traum, LCSW, CDP, ADHD-CCSP
Adult ADHD · Chronic Illness · Medical Trauma · Cancer Support
I’m really good with complicated.
A lot of my clients come to therapy with more than one thing going on. ADHD and a demanding career. Chronic illness and anxiety. Cancer and everything that comes with it. Medical trauma, caregiving, grief, burnout- or a handful of things that don’t fit neatly into one category.
My work focuses especially on adult ADHD and executive functioning, chronic illness and complex medical conditions, cancer support, healthcare-related trauma, caregiver stress, grief, and burnout. You don’t have to separate everything out before you get here.
Therapy with me is practical, collaborative, and pretty conversational. I use humor, I don’t take myself too seriously, and I’m not going to hand you a worksheet and call it a session. We’ll actually think things through together- and I’ll gently call you out when something isn’t adding up.
The goal isn’t to make you better at pushing through. It’s to build a life that works better for the brain, body, and capacity you actually have.
GOOD FIT FOR:
Adult ADHD · Executive functioning · Chronic illness · Cancer · Complex medical histories · Medical trauma · Caregiving · Burnout · Grief + loss · Work stress · Life transitions · Older adult support
THERAPIST
Kayla Shoemaker, LCSW
Adult ADHD · Autism · Disability · Anxiety + Depression
Your brain doesn’t need to work like everyone else’s.
Kayla works with adults who have spent a lot of their lives feeling like their brain, body, or way of moving through the world works differently- and are ready to understand themselves without turning every difference into something that needs to be fixed.
Her work focuses especially on adult ADHD, autism, neurodevelopmental conditions, physical and intellectual disabilities, anxiety, depression, complex grief, and social or relationship challenges. She understands that these things rarely stay neatly contained to one part of life.
Therapy with Kayla is strengths-based, practical, and focused on things you can actually use outside of session. She draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Therapy, and evidence-based social skills training to help you understand patterns, build coping tools, communicate more effectively, and make everyday life feel more manageable.
Kayla starts from the assumption that you already have strengths and capacity. Therapy is about figuring out how to access them in ways that actually work for you.
GOOD FIT FOR:
Adult ADHD · Autism · Neurodevelopmental conditions · Physical disabilities · Intellectual disabilities · Anxiety · Depression · Complex grief · Social skills · Relationships + interpersonal effectiveness
Not sure who to choose?
You don’t need to compare bios like you’re making a major life decision. Tell us a little about what’s going on, and we’ll help you figure out who makes the most sense based on what you’re looking for, personality fit, and availability.
And if you’re still not sure? That’s completely fine. You can start with a consultation and we’ll take it from there.
