About Youth & Family Counseling
Staff
YFC’s staff includes well-educated, professional psychotherapists, social workers, and counselors, who adhere to the highest professional standards and ethics outlined by the National Association of Social Workers, the American Counseling Association, and the American Psychoanalytic Association. In addition to their knowledge and experience, YFC therapists are deeply compassionate and committed to serving the needs of their clients and the community.
John Cecilia, LSW
John is a recent retiree from the world of business, marketing and engineering in a large corporation, with over 30 years of experience, which he brings to YFC. In addition, John brings over a dozen years of volunteer experience in conducting retreats and facilitating support groups which focus on the emotional and relational development of men. He continues his interest in relationships and men’s work at YFC, working with couples, adolescent boys and men. John holds a Master of Social Work from Loyola University Chicago, along with an MBA and BSME, both from Cornell University.
Sarah Christian, LCSW
Sarah has been counseling couples and individuals for more than fifteen years. In addition to her work at YFC, she maintains a private practice specializing in working with adults, adolescents and couples. Sarah is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and was the coordinator for The Family Circle, a parenting education program, for nine years. This work included supervising social work interns in their educational quest for licensure. Sarah is a graduate of Loyola University School of Social Work where she received an MA in Clinical Social Work. She also has a background in the fine arts and education, receiving her BA degree in Art and Education from Hope College in Michigan.
Sharon Fisch-Reichler, LCSW
Sharon received her Masters Degree in Social Work from Loyola University.
She works with children, adolescents, adults and couples focusing on depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder and life transitions. Sharon brings many years of work experience in Human Resource Management, with expertise in Employee Relations, Management Development and Performance Coaching. She is bilingual in Hebrew and English and is interested in multi-cultural experiences of individuals and families.
Nancy Friedman, LPC
Nancy joined the YFC clinical staff in 2007. She holds an MA in Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University. Prior to her work in the counseling profession, she received a BS in Biology from Boston College and has worked in the field of diagnostic genetics in Boston and Evanston. Nancy brings a warm, relational approach to her work with children, adolescents, and adults who are facing a broad range of psychological challenges. Her counseling clients include individuals, couples and groups. She has professional experience working with victims and perpetrators of domestic violence. In addition to being a psychotherapist at YFC, Nancy is also a therapist on the clinical staff of Family Service in Glencoe.
Gary Friend, LPC
Gary received his degree in Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University and completed his clinical training at Youth and Family Counseling. He is especially interested in working with married and unmarried couples experiencing relational difficulties. Gary is a senior partner in a medical group. For that reason, he is especially qualified to work with professional partnerships and family businesses whose members are experiencing conflict. He believes that communicative and empathic skills are essential to relating successfully and resolving conflict. These ideas are as applicable to groups of doctors or lawyers as they are to married couples.
Tom Hamilton, LCPC
Tom is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and has over thirty years of experience working with children, adolescents, individuals and couples. He has additional training, experience and expertise working in the fields of anger management, domestic battery and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. This experience includes facilitating group therapy. Tom maintains a private practice in Chicago, Glenview and Lake Bluff focusing on the assessment and treatment of couples, individuals and coaching adults with ADHD. He has a Master’s Degree from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology and from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.
Margot Hodgson, M.A.
Margot recently completed her master's degree in Counseling Psychology at Northwestern University. She received her clinical training at Youth and Family Counseling and continues her post-graduate training at an Advanced Clinical Training Program in Chicago. Margot enjoys working with children, adolescents, adults, and couples and brings to her work a strong belief in the collaborative nature of therapy.
Katie Kosmach, LSW
Katie is a graduate of Loyola University with a Master’s in Social Work degree. She began her work with YFC as an intern in 2004 and joined the staff following her graduation in 2005. Katie counsels children, adolescents and their families. Her working knowledge of Spanish aids in her expertise as she is the coordinator of the Aprendiendo Jugando Program, an after school learning enrichment program for at-risk elementary school age Latino children.
Mary J Krueger, LCPC, CGP
Mary is a senior clinician and training supervisor with 25 years of experience. She is also a Certified Group Psychotherapist and has developed group psychotherapies at YFC since 1998. Mary’s collaborative approach to psychotherapy is psycho dynamically based. In her practice Mary works with all age groups as well as couples and families. Her areas of specialty include issues such as: anxiety/panic, depression, relationship issues, adoption, parenting and divorce, and issues adolescents are dealing with. In addition to her clinical work she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses. Mary has published articles on a variety of mental health issues. Mary also takes an active role the professional organizations to which she belongs.
Paige LaCava, LCPC 
Paige is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor whose approach to therapy is grounded in the ideas of Relational Psychotherapy. She believes that the unique interpersonal setting which therapy provides, allows clients to explore their life stories in depth, and in that process, have a chance to understand themselves in new ways, thus opening up new choices in daily living. Paige's primarily psychodynamic orientation also integrates concepts from Group Psychotherapy and Systems Theory into work with individuals, adults, children, adolescents, couples and families. She earned an undergraduate degree in English from Columbia University in New York City, her Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University and an advanced training certificate in Adult Psychotherapy from the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis. She is an active member of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, The Illinois Group Psychotherapy Society and the International Association of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology.
Lynn Moosman, M.A., LCPC Director of Clinical Services
Lynn has practiced psychotherapy for more than ten year with adults, adolescents, groups and members of the LBGT community. She specialized in treating depression and anxiety, complicated grief and loss issues, eating disorders, and psychological symptoms from history of trauma. Lynn employs both psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral therapies to help understand the unconscious, and to develop coping skills to relieve painful emotional symptoms. Her background experience includes over 15 years in both education and business administration.
Carol Saldinger, LCSW
Carol Saldinger practices psychotherapy with individual adults, adolescents, children and couples. She graduated in 1981 with honors from Loyola University’s School of Social Work. After her internship at YFC, Carol was asked to join the staff and has been an integral part of YFC for 25 years. She has been a Training Supervisor to graduate school interns and is the Coordinator of YFC’s Employee Assistance Program. Her treatment includes work with clients who experience anxiety, depression, sexual abuse, issues of loss, post traumatic stress and life transition issues, including gender identity questions. She maintains a private practice and is the Employee Assistant Coordinator for an international distribution company.
Karen Welsh, LCPC
Karen obtained her Master’s Degree from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology. She has experience working with children, adolescents and families in inpatient/day hospital/outpatient counseling settings. This experience includes facilitating a group for sexually abused adolescent girls and co-facilitating group counseling for hospitalized adolescents. At YFC, Karen has been the coordinator of two children’s therapy programs, one dealing with life threatening/chronic illness and one dealing with children and families acculturating into the United States. She counsels individuals of all ages, couples and families. In addition to specializing in counseling for the challenges and emotional sensitivities of the gifted/talented, Karen maintains a private practice counseling individuals, couples, parents and families. She also has an MS in Statistics and an MA in Economics from Miami University and is a retired enrolled actuary.
1113 S. Milwaukee Ave. #104