Psychotherapy Tailored to You.
At Zoe Counseling Center in Glendale, Arizona, we provide compassionate, clinically grounded counseling for adults, children, teens, couples, and families within a Christian worldview.
Our licensed therapists offer a safe and nurturing space to explore life’s challenges, heal from emotional pain, and grow spiritually and relationally.
We proudly serve the Glendale community and nearby areas such as Peoria and Arrowhead Ranch, offering both in-person therapy sessions and telehealth options across Arizona.
Whether you are seeking support for anxiety, trauma, or relationship concerns, our goal is to walk alongside you with empathy, faith, and professional care, helping you find lasting healing and hope.
Contact us today to schedule your first session and begin your journey toward healing.
Psychotherapy Services & Specialties
What We Treat
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Complex anxiety goes beyond everyday worry—it’s a deep, layered response that can stem from prolonged stress or challenging life experiences, leaving someone feeling constantly on edge or overwhelmed. Complex trauma, on the other hand, arises from repeated or severe events, like abuse or neglect, and can leave lasting emotional scars, disrupting how a person feels safe or connected. Someone might wrestle with just complex anxiety, tangled in relentless unease, or they could face both, where trauma fuels a cycle of heightened fear and distress. These overlapping struggles—often called comorbidities—bring extra layers of complexity, involving not just one issue but a mix of factors that need careful unpacking. We’re here to help, especially with these tougher cases, offering the understanding and tools to navigate multiple disorders and their unique challenges.
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People with OCD have no control over what intrusive thoughts will pop into their brain. These thoughts can occur very frequently—often with no rhyme or reason. This is very distressing to the individual, and their compulsions are an effort to “push away” those obsessions and/or prevent them from happening again.
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Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a mental health condition characterized by excessive and persistent worry and anxiety about a wide range of everyday situations and events. The worry and anxiety associated with GAD are often disproportionate to the actual circumstances and can be difficult to control. Individuals with GAD may constantly anticipate disaster and have a heightened sense of uncertainty.
Symptoms of GAD include:
feeling anxious, restless, or on edge most of the time without a specific reason.
difficulty controlling the constant worrying.
experiencing physical symptoms such as muscle tension, fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, sleep problems, and restlessness.
worrying excessively about everyday things, such as work, health, family, or financial issues, even when there is no clear reason for concern.
engaging in repetitive or obsessive thoughts and going over potential worst-case scenarios.
having difficulty making decisions due to excessive worry and fear of making the wrong choice.
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Binge Eating Disorder may also be referred to as “Compulsive Overeating” or “Emotional Overeating,” and it is now the most common form of eating disordered behavior in the United States.
BED is characterized by consuming a large amount of food within a very short period of time (for example, 3-4 meals-worth of food in less than 10 minutes, etc.). People who struggle with Binge Eating sometimes describe feeling as though they “black out” during a binge episode and are not fully aware of the amount they are consuming or how quickly they are consuming it. Binge Eating is typically a behavioral response to “numb out” or decrease the intensity of unpleasant feelings, thoughts, and memories. Binge Eating is an especially dangerous behavior because it can lead to numerous physical and medical complications for the person.
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Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is an anxiety disorder that causes a person to experience excessive worries and anxiety about one or several aspects of their physical appearance. BDD affects approximately one in every 50 people. While a person of any age or gender can have BDD, it is most common in teenage and young adult women.
People with BDD:
become preoccupied with minimal or nonexistent flaws in their appearance
the most common areas of fixation include skin, hair, nose, chin and teeth
believe these areas their body are deformed, asymmetrical, disproportional and ugly
spend several hours a day thinking about the area or areas of concern
experience clinically significant distress/impairment due to preoccupation with appearance
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Trichotillomania is a body-focused repetitive behavior (BRFB) and is also known as "hair-pulling disorder." It is defined as the repetitive pulling of one's hair, and about 1-2 in 50 people have this disorder
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Individuals with MDD experience either loss of interest in pleasurable activities and/or persistent sadness for at least two weeks. Almost 15% of U.S. adults report that they experienced a major depressive episode at some point in their lives. Typical symptoms of MDD include fatigue, concentration difficulties, feelings of hopelessness, thoughts of death or dying, and changes in appetite and sleep patterns. However, individuals with MDD can endorse numerous additional symptoms including anxiety, physical pain, and extreme social sensitivity. It is common to develop depression secondary to a severe anxiety disorder. Common symptoms of depression seen in children are irritability/aggression, social withdrawal, low self-esteem, and poor school performance.
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Individuals with MDD experience either loss of interest in pleasurable activities and/or persistent sadness Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), often referred to as clinical depression, is a common mental health condition characterized by persistent feelings (at least two weeks) of sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, and a range of emotional and physical symptoms.
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Health anxiety is characterized by excessive worrying and preoccupation with having a serious medical condition. Individuals with health anxiety often misinterpret normal bodily sensations as signs of a severe illness and constantly seek reassurance from medical professionals or engage in excessive health-related behaviors, such as repeatedly checking their body for signs of illness or researching medical conditions online. These measures may provide temporary relief but do not alleviate the underlying anxiety.
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Clients suffering from impulse control disorders experience a strong uncontrollable urge in their body and relieve it by engaging in repetitive body behaviors. One out of 20 people report engaging in repetitive body-focused behaviors including scab picking, nail biting, and knuckle cracking. However, clients with Repetitive Body Focused Disorders (RBFD) report weak control over these urges and behaviors, excessive distress, and significant life interference.
Trichotillomania, or hair pulling, is a very common RBFD. Clients with trichotillomania will pull hair from any site on their body, but the most common sites include eyelashes, eyebrows, scalp hair, underarm and pubic regions, and arm and leg. Individuals with trichotillomania have noticeable gaps or patches in hair growth. Pulling behavior can be focused (with awareness) or automatic (without awareness). The behavior can be experienced as soothing in the moment but can lead to feelings of shame and anxiety. For some people, the pulling ritual includes examination of hair and root, as well as root chewing. Pulling behavior may be triggered by a variety of emotions (e.g., stress, anxiety, anger, boredom), situations (e.g., work, T.V., driving, falling asleep), or contexts (e.g., seclusion, mirrors, grooming).
Skin Picking is an impulse control disorder in which people excessively pick or scratch at their blemishes, scabs/sores, etc. Individuals with skin picking often pick to accelerate the healing of a blemish, achieve symmetry, or soothe an uncomfortable urge. Most individuals will describe feeling out of control or “once I start, I can’t stop.” The damage to skin is often noticeable and leads to embarrassment and shame. As a result, individuals with skin picking will typically attempt to conceal the skin picking sites.
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Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) is a specialized form of psychotherapy that focuses on improving relationships and fostering healthy communication within families, couples, and individuals.
Grounded in evidence-based practices, MFT addresses a wide range of emotional, behavioral, and relational challenges, such as conflict resolution, parenting struggles, intimacy issues, and life transitions.
Our licensed therapists work collaboratively with clients to uncover patterns, strengthen connections, and build resilience, tailoring treatment to each unique situation.
Whether you’re seeking to heal a partnership, navigate family dynamics, or enhance personal well-being, MFT offers a compassionate and effective path toward lasting change.
Learn more about marriage counseling in Glendale, AZ.
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What are Panic Attacks?
A panic attack is defined as the emergence of four or more physiological sensations (e.g., heart race, dizziness, light-headedness, stomach distress, trembling, feelings of derealization) peaking in intensity within 10 minutes. More information on panic attacks here.
What is Panic Disorder?
Panic attacks are common in all anxiety disorders and in the general public (approximately one-third of the population has had a panic attack in the past year). However, those who suffer from panic disorder, the occurrence of even a single panic attack may be so distressing that they develop an intense and persistent fear of having another one. They fear a catastrophic outcome will occur (i.e. I'm going to lose control of myself, I'm going to die, I'm going to go crazy and/or I'm going to embarrass myself).
Often, people with Panic Disorder tend to avoid situations that might elicit a panic attack (called Agoraphobia). Examples of avoided situations: locations (airplanes, traffic, large open spaces); foods (caffeine, sugar, alcohol); emotions (excitement, anger, anxiety); and activities (exercise, sex).
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What does it feel like to have postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety? What are the signs or symptoms? How do you know when you have it? And if you do have it, what should you do?
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PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can develop following a traumatic event (i.e., exposure to a threat to the physical safety of self or others–either experiencing the threat directly or witnessing the threat to another). The traumatic event is experienced with a sense of intense fear, horror, or helplessness. In children, the reaction involves disorganized or agitated behavior. Symptoms of PTSD include:
re-experiencing the trauma (i.e., flashbacks, nightmares, recurrent intrusive thoughts)
hyperarousal (i.e., feeling jumpy or easily startled, difficulty sleeping and restlessness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and hypervigilance or feeling on guard all the time)
avoidance (i.e., avoiding places, people, events, or objects that remind a person of his or her trauma, emotional numbness, loss of interest in previously-enjoyed activities, difficulty remembering important aspects of the trauma, feeling cut-off from people)
Many individuals experience a few of the symptoms described above following a trauma. However, a person develops PTSD when these symptoms last more than one month and become life-interfering. In some cases, it can be months or years following a trauma before symptoms emerge.
PTSD symptoms can arise in people of all ages who have experienced a traumatic event; however, symptoms may appear differently in children compared to adults. Younger children may develop the following symptoms: repetitively acting out the event during play, separation anxiety, decrease in speech, bedwetting, and/or stomachaches and headaches. Symptoms in teenagers are more likely to resemble those of adults but may also include disruptive and destructive behaviors. In addition to the symptoms described above, those with PTSD often have emotional reactions such as anger, guilt and shame as well as disruption in sleep, diet, and exercise habits.
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Children, teens, and adults with separation anxiety typically fear being away from loved ones and/or home. Common worries of separation include harm to themselves or loved ones as well as fears of having uncomfortable sensations associated with anxiety (e.g., stomach distress) or illness while away. While the worry of separating can occur during daytime activities, anxiety tends to escalate around nighttime and during extended trips. Some children will exhibit oppositional behaviors (e.g., meltdown, tantrums, aggression) in an effort to avoid leaving parents/home. Separation anxiety can interfere with social relationships given reluctance to enter new social situations that require temporary separation from loved ones.
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Social anxiety is a common mental health condition characterized by an intense fear of social situations and interactions. Individuals with social anxiety have an extreme fear of being negatively evaluated by others. They may constantly worry about making mistakes, appearing foolish, or being scrutinized by others. This fear can be present in various social settings, such as public speaking, meeting new people, parties, job interviews, or even everyday conversations.
Social anxiety can significantly impact a person's daily life and functioning. It may lead to avoidance of social situations or enduring them with great discomfort. This avoidance can interfere with forming and maintaining relationships, participating in social or professional activities, pursuing educational or career opportunities, and overall well-being.
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A specific phobia refers to the excessive and persistent fear of specific objects or situations that is understood as out of proportion to any actual danger. The fear causes life-interfering distress and/or impairment. Common types include:
Animals (e.g., dogs, cats, spiders, insects, rats, birds, and snakes)
Natural Environment and Weather (e.g., heights, storms, natural disasters, and water)
Blood-Injection-Injury Type (e.g., seeing blood, receiving a blood test or injection, watching medical procedures)
Situational Type (e.g., driving, flying, elevators, and enclosed places)
Other Type (e.g., choking or vomiting, loud noises, or fears of costumed characters)
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Almost every aspect of our lives can create stress, and at times it can feel unmanageable. Fortunately, there are proven, effective therapeutic methods people can learn to better manage and let go of stress in their lives. This true regardless of the source of your stress. Contact us to learn more about how the counselors at Chicago Counseling Center can assist you in understanding how stress impacts your life!
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Virtual reality therapy (VRT is a form of therapy that uses technology (i.e. a virtual reality headset) to immerse the client in a computer-generated environment. The virtual environment is designed to mimic real-life situations or scenarios that trigger the person's symptoms or fears. Through the use of specialized software, the therapist can control and manipulate the virtual environment to gradually expose the individual to their fears or triggers in a controlled and safe manner.
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Couples Therapy is a specialized form of psychotherapy designed to help partners strengthen their relationship, resolve conflicts, and deepen emotional connection. Rooted in evidence-based techniques, our skilled therapists guide couples through challenges such as communication breakdowns, trust issues, intimacy concerns, or major life changes. By fostering understanding and collaboration, we help partners identify unhealthy patterns, rebuild mutual respect, and create a shared vision for their future. Whether you’re looking to repair, enhance, or rediscover your bond, Couples Therapy offers a supportive space to achieve meaningful and lasting growth together.
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Schedule an appointment with our expert clinicians and start your journey toward healing. Whether you're seeking therapy, assessments, or consultation, we’re here to support you with compassionate, specialized care. Request a session today.