About Shirley Khong

You Didn’t Realize How Much You Were Carrying

You didn’t realize how much you were carrying—until your emotions started showing up in ways you couldn’t ignore. The panic attacks, the racing thoughts that keep you up at night, the constant burnout from taking care of everything and everyone... except yourself.

How I Help as an Anxiety Therapist in Chicago

You know something needs to change. But how do you find an anxiety therapist in Chicago, IL that you can truly trust—someone who gets what you’re going through, without judgment?

Hi, I’m Shirley Khong, a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) in Chicago and a second-generation Chinese-Vietnamese American. I help individuals and couples slow down, reconnect with themselves, and begin to get unstuck. My work is grounded in Psychodynamic therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and mindfulness—blended with curiosity, compassion, and real-life tools you can actually use.

My Approach: Compassionate, Evidence-Based, and Relational

Clients share that therapy feels “cathartic.” They describe feeling safe enough to talk about taboo topics like sex and intimacy, grief, eating disorders, and questions about healthy relationships. Some begin dating again after heartbreak. Others reconnect with emotions they’ve kept hidden for years, going from feeling detached to fully feeling their feelings. Many feel proud to break destructive family patterns so they can parent with more compassion and confidence.

In our work together, you’ll learn how to communicate your needs and boundaries to feel more present in your life. These skills don’t just help you—they create a ripple effect in your relationships, your family, and in future generations.

Why This Work Matters to Me

This work is deeply personal to me. Growing up, I was always curious why certain emotions felt so overwhelming—and how unspoken pain could lead to conflict, distance, or broken relationships. I saw it in my own family and community, where seeking support of any kind, let alone therapy, was often viewed as a weakness or that “you’re crazy”.

Personally, I knew that there had to be a better way. So I did what I did best - following my heart and curiosity to unlearn unhealthy behaviors to create safe spaces for my future children. I saw how destructive it was with others around me, and I didn’t want them to continue the negative self-talk or fear-based beliefs.

Getting into my Master’s program at The Institute for Clinical Social Work, I was encouraged to seek my own therapy (yes, therapists need therapy too!), and honestly, it was the best decision I made. I saw what it was like to be in the client’s seat and had many sessions where my feelings of anxiety and guilt never seemed to let up. So what did I do? At first, I distracted myself or overworked (spoiler alert: I burnt out). Then, with time, practice, and patience, I could sit and be with those uncomfortable feelings - shame included. So your feelings or uncomfortable experiences won’t scare me away.

My Ongoing Growth

I'm always learning—through books, podcasts, trainings, and in my client conversations. Recently, I’ve been deepening my work through Intimacy From the Inside Out (IFIO) training with the IFS Institute, which focuses on helping individuals and couples build safer, more connected, and more authentic relationships. This training expands my ability to support clients in exploring the parts of themselves that show up in relationships, helping them communicate needs and boundaries with more confidence and compassion.

Therapy is a two-way street. Staying engaged in my own growth ensures I can show up for you with grounded presence, updated skills, and a deep respect for your inner world and relationships.