Jamie Stevens Counseling Group LLC

05/26/2026

☀️ NEW Summer Social Connections Group!! ☀️
In addition to our summer social connections group for neurodiverse children entering grades 3–5 for the 2026-27 school year, we are ADDING a group for children entering kindergarten - second grade! The group for grades 3-5 will be meeting Wednesday evenings, and the group for K-2 will meet on Thursdays.

Therapist Lexia Swope-Hassan will facilitate a social hour where kids can engage in interest-led activities in a sensory-safe environment.
This group is designed to help children interact with peers, strengthen social communication skills, and grow confidence through engaging activities, games, and collaborative play in a welcoming environment.

🌟 Small group setting
🌟 Supportive and neurodiversity-affirming approach
🌟 All communication styles welcomed and respected
🌟 May be covered under commercial insurance plans
📍 Location: 1701 S Prospect Ave, suite 101, in Champaign (right next to Art Mart!)
📅 Day: Thursdays starting June 11
⏰ Time: 6-7 pm
Contact practice manager Grace Chong at 217-840-2785 or [email protected] to learn more and register. A parent or caregiver session will be required prior to joining the group.
Come join us for a summer of connection, growth, and fun!

05/20/2026

✨We're so excited to have Tachel Brown as a clinical intern for the next year!!✨

Age range: Tachel works with clients ages 3 through adult

Specializations:
Gender/LGBTQ+ issues
Neurodivergence in children, adolescents, and adults
Trauma in children, adolescents, and adults
Depression
Anxiety

Scheduling availability: Tachel has EVENING hours available on Thursdays and Fridays, plus WEEKEND AVAILABILITY! If you've found it challenging to make room in your schedule for therapy, Tachel has you covered!

Bio: "Tachel (she/her) is a Master of Social Work student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is excited to bring her educational background to a clinical setting. She has experience working with LGBTQ+ and neurodiverse children and adolescents, focusing on self-acceptance, creative problem-solving, and strengths exploration. She is passionate about creating an affirming and compassionate therapeutic environment using an eclectic approach that centers the client and their unique needs and strengths.

Tachel has training in several evidence-based methods, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Solutions-Focused Therapy, Non-Directive and Directive Play Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing. She also has experience with group facilitation and mindfulness techniques.

Believing that one of the most important parts of therapy is building a trusting relationship, Tachel is eager to work alongside children, adolescents, and young adults in a collaborative, safe environment."

Cost: our interns can accept Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Cigna, Aetna, or private pay rates as low as $30/session!

✨To schedule a session with Tachel, call or text practice manager Grace Chong at 217-840-2785 or email [email protected]✨

05/12/2026

☀️ Summer Social Connections Group ☀️

We are excited to offer a summer social connections group for neurodiverse children entering grades 3–5 for the 2026-27 school year! Therapist Lexia Swope-Hassan will facilitate a social hour where kids can engage in interest-led activities in a sensory-safe environment.

This group is designed to help children interact with peers, strengthen social communication skills, and grow confidence through engaging activities, games, and collaborative play in a welcoming environment.

🌟 Small group setting
🌟 Supportive and neurodiversity-affirming approach
🌟 All communication styles welcomed and respected
🌟 May be covered under commercial insurance plans

📍 Location: 1701 S Prospect Ave, suite 101, in Champaign (right next to Art Mart!)
📅 Dates: June 10, 17, and 24, July 1, 15, 22, and 29, and August 5
⏰ Time: 6-7 pm

Space is limited! Contact practice manager Grace Chong at 217-840-2785 or [email protected] to learn more and register. A parent or caregiver session will be required prior to joining the group.

Come join us for a summer of connection, growth, and fun!

04/13/2026

JSC Therapist of the Month Spotlight for April: Alena Fishkin!

"Hi everyone! I’m Alena (she/they), a Licensed Social Worker who specializes in eating disorders and disordered eating for kids, teens, and adults. I especially love working with neurodivergent clients, including folks navigating ARFID and sensory-based eating challenges.

A lot of my work focuses on helping people better understand their relationship with food without shame, while also honoring sensory needs, routines, and the ways their brain works. I use approaches like DBT, IFS, CBT, and Motivational Interviewing, but always tailor things to fit the person in front of me.

If you or someone you know is looking for support around food, body image, or sensory eating concerns, I’d love to connect."

For more information on scheduling with Alena, call our office at 217-840-2785 or email practice manager Grace Chong at [email protected].

03/31/2026

For Trans Day of Visibility, we wanted to share our clinicians' stories about their experiences with transness. We honor and celebrate our trans community members, clients, families, and friends today and every day.

Peri Drury writes:
"My journey with gender has been a long and confusing road. Being socialized as a woman, I always felt like my relationship with my gender was different from my peers, constantly feeling like I had to check boxes and perform gender for some sort of evaluation, but I was missing out on some secret shared knowledge everyone else got about what it means to be a girl. When I started accepting and embracing my queerness, that also opened up questions about my gender, and I learned about being agender as a part of the non-binary and trans umbrella. This has opened up my world to see that my experience with gender could also mean that internally I experience no gender at all, and can free myself from the performance I was constantly doing. Realizing I'm agender has really helped me come home to my body and understand who I am without trying to contort myself to gender norms, and through body modification, style exploration, and more, my trans journey has led me to being more myself than I ever could have imagined. I still have the experiences with sexism and misogyny that our heteropatriarchal society violently forces upon us, but for me, my gender no longer inherently feels linked to the violence of its existence, but instead to a deeper understanding and embracing of self. For me specifically, being trans feels less transformative and more restorative, as if I'm connecting to my very own nature for the first time instead of contorting to the controlling systems we all experience in a racist, settler-colonial, hetero-patriarchal society. My found understanding of self has helped me to develop my practice as a therapist to be trauma-informed, LGBTQIA+ inclusive, and in the never-ending practice of decolonizing therapy. Being trans has helped me open up my life and myself in ways I once thought unimaginable, and I find it to be the greatest privlege that as a part of my work I get to help other trans folks explore their gender and find what transness means to them."

03/10/2026

Our clinical intern, Peri Drury, is accepting new ongoing therapy clients - they will be seeing clients at a discounted rate through the end of summer 2026! Curious to learn more?

Peri says: "Hi, I'm Peri (they/them), a clinical intern here at Jamie Stevens Counseling, and I'd like to introduce myself! I am a trauma-focused therapist, pursuing my MSW with a clinical focus. I have worked in the mental health and public service fields for the past 10 years, with students in schools, program development in higher education and nonprofits, and across micro, mezzo, and macro levels of social work, engaging individuals, groups, communities, and larger-level policies. I have a Master's in Public Policy with a focus on social inequality, but I found myself eager to work more directly with people, which led me to my work as a therapist and my pursuit of a degree in Social Work. Despite being an intern, I have ample and varied previous experience with both one-on-one therapy and groups. I look forward to honing my clinical practice and expertise here with JSC! If you are looking for someone who has experience and expertise in trauma, neurodivergence, LGBTQIA+ issues, and grief, I would love to meet you and be a support for you during your journey of healing and self-exploration. I love to work through a mixture of modalities, including traditional talk therapy, art therapy, DBT, CBT, and narrative therapy. I see my role as a therapist as collaborative in achieving your goals, and being a support that offers clinical expertise alongside care and empathy. A few fun facts about me: I love animals and have two cats with whom I’m obsessed. I’m an avid reader, especially of speculative fiction and contemporary literary fiction! I consider myself a creative person and write poetry and essays, draw, sing, love to cook and bake, and dabble in archery. In addition to my cats, I’m a passionate plant parent and fan of all things cozy. If you feel like we could be a good match, I’m accepting Blue Cross Blue Shield, AETNA, and self-pay at a discounted intern rate. Let’s have a cup of tea, get cozy, and know we will get through this together."

Reach out to practice manager Grace Chong - [email protected] - for scheduling details!

02/10/2026

Jamie Stevens counseling group is very proud to sponsor Champaign Centennial High School Archery team. This is an amazing program that has positively impacted so many kids in our area!!!! if you own or manage a business, I encourage you to support this organization as well.


Today we highlight two of our long-standing team sponsors, Jamie Stevens Counseling and CES Complete Electrical Systems! We are grateful for these two organizations supporting our squad of 95 archers and 8 coaches in the past and this season! THANK YOU! Consider supporting these businesses that give back to their community!

If you are interested in having your business name up during our event of over 1000 archers and their families on January 27th and 28th (and mentioned on social media for the rest of our season) please contact us at [email protected]!

Jamie Unzicker Stevens
Ian Stevens

01/28/2026

We are delighted to announce that Annie Freeman has joined Jamie Stevens Counseling Group as a Clinical Intern for spring 2026!

Annie Freeman (she/her) is a graduate student in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at the University of Illinois Springfield. Annie is beginning her first clinical internship experience and is excited for the opportunity to work directly with clients from diverse backgrounds while continuing to grow as a developing counselor.

During her undergraduate studies at Illinois State University, Annie gained hands-on experience through the Body Project (Eating Disorder Prevention Team) where she facilitated groups focused on body positivity and fostering healthier relationships with food. These experiences contributed to her passion for helping others and promoting self-worth, identity development, and emotional well-being.

Annie has a strong interest in working with neurodivergent clients and has recently completed her Autism and Trauma Training for Neurodiversity.

Annie strives to create a safe, supportive, and nonjudgmental space where clients feel heard, respected, and valued. She approaches counseling with openness and a collaborative mindset and looks forward to building meaningful therapeutic relationships while working alongside clients as they explore their experiences, strengths, and goals.

If you are interested in working with Annie, please email [email protected] for appointment times. We offer reduced-cost private pay options for both Annie and Peri Drury as they complete their internship programs.

01/22/2026

01/22/2026

We’re excited to announce FOUR new therapy groups launching this February at Jamie Stevens Counseling Group! These groups are designed to provide a safe, supportive space to connect, grow, and feel less alone.

We are in-network for AETNA and Blue Cross Blue Shield, and we can accept UIUC student UnitedHealthcare plans. Our private pay/out-of-network rate is $50 per session.

📩 Spots are limited. Email [email protected] today to learn more or to reserve your place.