LGBT therapists in Elgin, IL

I’m a Licensed Social Worker with over 30 years of experience providing mental health services in Northern Illinois and the suburban Chicago area. Since earning my master’s degree, I have worked with individuals, couples, and families facing a range of concerns, including mood disorders, panic disorder, anxiety, depression, and grief. I believe therapy should be a place for fresh starts and meaningful change. My goal is to create a supportive, interactive environment where clients feel heard, understood, and empowered. I’m committed to helping people build practical skills and insight so they can move toward a more balanced, fulfilling, and happier life.

I did not stumble into this work — I chose it, and I choose it every day. I am Bianca Gist, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Illinois and Indiana.

I am also a former collegiate athlete, and that background shapes how I show up — I know what it feels like to carry a lot and still need someone genuinely in your corner. My experience is rooted in the spaces where people need the most and are often given the least — Chicago Public Schools, foster care, home-based services, and community mental health. Through my private practice, Her Sole Purpose LLC, I work with children, adolescents, student-athletes, and families using CBT, ACT, and trauma-informed care. I use what works for the person in front of me, not a one-size-fits-all approach. I work well with people navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, and the weight of environments that were not built for them. Therapy with me is honest, grounded, and focused on what actually helps you move forward — not just cope.

If any of this resonates, I would love to connect.

I have over 3 decades of experience working in the fields of mental health and social work. I work with youth, adults, and couples who are struggling with trauma, depression, anxiety, ADHD, autism, relationship issues, and school refusal.

I have spent my career learning and translating theories into practice with individuals, families, couples, and groups. For the last few years, I've gained deeper knowledge working with trauma, anxiety, couples, and the LGBTQIA+ population.

My style is eclectic and strength based. I see human nature as intrinsically good. Sigmund Freud said we are bio-social animals. I believe a great deal in listening to one’s self talk. The more positive our dialogue with ourselves is, the more positive our dialogues with others and our lives are. I’m also experienced in CBT, DBT, MI, Solution Focused, ACT, Gestalt, Interpersonal, and person-centered counseling.

My training includes lots of wonderful supervision and workshops, a three-year certificate from the Gestalt Institute of Chicago, and two one month intensives with Virginia Satir, the founder of family therapy. Virginia taught that exploring the self is like mining gold. We all have gold inside of us. That is our basic goodness. A lot of emotional suffering is the result of being detoured from that basic goodness.

I offer support and skills to those exploring identity, intimacy, or relational complexity—whether in gender, sexuality, kink, or deocolonized relationships. They may be sitting with grief, unraveling the impact of trauma, or feeling the weight of past experiences in their body. They long for connection but struggle with vulnerability, trust, or belonging. Some feel stuck in cycles of overwhelm, while others are questioning the stories they’ve been told about who they are. They seek a space where they can be seen without judgment, process their experiences, and make sense of the systems shaping their lives.