Meet Our Staff

Hello. I am Dr. Eric Aprill (he/him, gay-identified), and I am a Postdoctoral Fellow and Staff Therapist at Freelife Behavioral Health. Although we haven't met yet, I am proud of you for taking the next steps in your therapeutic journey. It can be difficult to take those steps, whether for the first, second, or third time. Throughout life, we are faced with a variety of experiences, some of which are incredibly vulnerable that create lasting impacts on our lives. Those vulnerable experiences can cause us to feel stuck, sad, anxious, ashamed, and overwhelmed. Through therapy, together, we can process those vulnerable experiences that you lived through, learn how those experiences impact your life, learn how to cope with them, and eventually heal from them. Ultimately letting you move towards a happier, healthier life.

In therapy, I bring a genuine soft-heartedness, curiosity, and acceptance. Together, we can create goals that meet your needs to help you grow in ways to live a more self-led, authentic life. To help you achieve those goals, I utilize an integrative and collaborative approach to build a non-judgmental space where you will feel safe to process your experiences and help various parts of yourself heal.

I graduated with my Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from Adler University in 2021. During my doctoral graduate training experiences, I provided individual and couples counseling in a variety of settings, including private practices, a community mental health center, and a residential rehabilitation center. I completed my training at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation in Center City, Minnesota. I specialize in working with individuals and couples who experience depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, addiction, and men's issues. Additionally, I have previous experience and interest in working with folks within the LGBTQIA+, Consensually Non-Monogamous, and Kink communities.

I’m Dr. Ian Bonner (he/him, gay identified) and welcome to Freelife Behavioral Health. I’m a licensed clinical psychologist and have lived in Chicago a good long time providing therapy in private practices, LGBTQ+ focused agencies, addiction centers, and university settings. I deeply believe in the possibility of transformational change and the feeling of freedom that comes with being unburdened of the thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and systems that do not serve us and keep us limited. I believe the changes we want are best fostered in community with supportive and affirming others. My road down this path started with the arts. I spent most of my youth involved in music and got to feel what happens when we feel safe enough to take creative risks around others that won’t let us fall. What brought me to become a therapist was in fact my 10 years in improv comedy. What I learned but didn’t have language for at the time was that I wasn’t there for the laughs. That being able to express myself in my words and my body while also reveling in what others had to share had the impact of making anything feel safe and possible in ways I did not know could happen. This is one of the feelings I hope our work together can elicit.

Therapy with me is focused on your needs and working to identify what could feel different and what could practically be better in life. Sometimes, we don’t even have words for what is bringing us to therapy exactly, but we simply know that something isn’t as it could be. My work with clients starts with a thorough look at where they come from, what messages were given to them about who they are, what they are worth, and what they are and are not capable of. Together, we will explore what was learned and the way these messages interact with clients lives right now in their relationships, jobs, and with themselves. Through this process, clients begin to recognize that there are more choices than previously imagined and we are often freer to grow and thrive than we were ever allowed to feel.

Professionally, I graduated from Adler University with a PsyD in 2012. My training experiences included providing therapy and assessment services in clinics and after prison programs on Chicago’s west side. I then trained at Valeo, an LGBTQ+ focused substance abuse program. My advanced training, internship, and postdoctoral fellowships were all in University counseling settings at UIC and Emory University, respectively. Prior to opening Freelife, I worked for 7+ years at IntraSpectrum Counseling, an LGBTQ+ focused private practice in Chicago serving as a therapist and as the Executive Director.

Hello! My name is Kevin (he/him, gay identified), and I’m pleased you are reading this information. When you work with me, you'll enter a warm, empathic space that fosters feelings of safety and being valued. I prioritize understanding and accepting you as you are, allowing you to explore your experiences in depth. This approach often brings a sense of comfort and relief, especially when you feel deeply understood and accepted. Together, we can construct a new narrative, viewing your life and experiences through a more compassionate lens.

As a therapist, I believe it's crucial for you to take the lead in our sessions, exploring and addressing issues at your own pace. This helps create a safe and supportive space where you feel both empowered and respected. My passion lies in working with the LGBTQ+ community, a group with which I personally identify. I have experience in assisting individuals dealing with neurodiversity, trauma, anxiety, and depression.

I earned my doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology. My training included an APA-accredited Internship at MiraCare Neurobehavioral Health in Palos Heights, Illinois. I spent one of my training years at an LGBTQ+ community center and another in a private practice that primarily served the LGBTQ+ community. I have been working with clients for the last four years, and I am knowledgeable in third-wave CBT modalities, such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). I also incorporate various somatic techniques into my practice. My approach is tailored to meet your unique needs and preferences, ensuring that therapy is a collaborative and transformative journey.

Self-awareness, self-compassion, self-esteem? Resilience, effective functioning, self-care? Meaningful connections, authenticity, belonging? Are you lacking in any of these and wanting more of them? These are directions of growth I hope for you and each of my clients, to be defined and directed by us collaboratively in therapy. My clients value our therapeutic relationships for the casual communication, humor, warm rapport, empathic affirmation, and even existential exploration when desired. I balance this with honest feedback and evidence-based practical suggestions designed to challenge you to grow in the directions you’re seeking.

One of the first things I'll ask you is how you want your life and your mental health to improve within the next few months. To achieve this I use an integrative, client-centered approach to therapy, weaving together cognitive-behavioral (CBT), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), compassion-focused, psychodynamic, and relational interventions, to treat what you are suffering with in the moment and over time.  Populations I specialize in are men/male-identified; LGBTQ (queer men in particular); and/or neurodiverse (with autism, ADD/ADHD). Mental health concerns I specialize in are depression; perfectionism and shame; religion and spirituality; family-of-origin problems; romantic relationships and attachment; sex, kink and ethical nonmonogamy; substance use and behavioral health.

Originally from Northern California, I hold a doctorate in clinical psychology from Palo Alto University. After living in Iowa for a year and Chicago for two, I am licensed in Illinois and New York, and now live back in San Francisco. I am qualified to work with all ages through my clinical training at three university counseling centers, community clinics for older adults and for LGBTQ young adults, group therapy for neurodiverse children, and two private practices in Chicago. Having also lived in DC, England, Spain, and Taiwan, I try to implement both cultural competence and cultural humility in working with clients of many racial, cultural, regional, and international identities.

Hi, I’m Ben (he/they) and I’m a Postdoctoral Fellow at Freelife Behavioral Health. Congratulations on starting your journey to finding a therapist. That’s a really huge step. It takes a lot of courage to recognize that there are things you may want to explore, change, and/or better understand about yourself, the way you see others, and/or your environment. Finding a therapist you feel comfortable with and trust can be difficult. Painful life experiences, past trauma, and current situations can lead you to feel stuck, depressed, and anxious. I believe that we all have areas of our life that warrant closer examination. Whether utilizing therapy for developing tools to better navigate challenging situations or delving deeper into the complexity of relationships and life experiences, having a safe and non-judgmental space for the exploration of the self is crucial. You know yourself better than anyone. I bring training and expertise, which together we can utilize to form a deeper understanding of your present circumstances. I believe deeply in the transformational power of the therapeutic relationship.  As your therapist, I aim to create a supportive, respectful space where we can work together to best suit your therapeutic goals, even if those goals have yet to be uncovered.

In therapy, I bring an empathic, soft-hearted interest and acceptance to the therapeutic space, designed to encourage mutual exploration into areas of interest relating to a patient’s psychology and mental health. My clinical areas of interest include working with adolescents and adults from diverse backgrounds in individual and group therapeutic formats. I have experience and expertise in working with the LGBTQ+ communities and have clinical experience working with patients struggling with a number of issues, including but not limited to: sexual and gender identity, minority issues, acute and complex trauma, depression, anxiety, relationship issues, men’s issues, self-esteem, substance use, life transitions, and grief.

I received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Brandeis University. I earned my M.S.Ed. at Pace University’s School/Clinical Psychology Program and am completing my Doctorate in School/Clinical Psychology at Pace University. I completed my doctoral internship at the JCCA’s foster-care agency in NYC/Brooklyn in August 2021. I co-authored a chapter on gender and health in the Handbook of Health Psychology, published in 2019. I have also developed and presented lectures addressing the need for establishing better climates for LGBTQ+ youth and adults within various professional and educational spaces. My research interests involve LGBTQ+ mental health, masculinity, environmental systems, and the intersections of sexuality, gender, and ethnic identity.

Hello! My name is Dr. Valerie Velarde (she/they, queer identified), and I am a Postdoctoral Fellow at Freelife Behavioral Health. Thank you for being here and considering psychotherapy as a possible tool in your healing arsenal. I believe allowing yourself to be compassionately and nonjudgmentally witnessed and informed by our time together has the power to radically change the circumstances that bring you to therapy.

During our initial sessions, I seek to understand your history and how it influences your well-being today. This process allows us to access empathy and honor the totality of your experience as we gain insight into parts of yourself that tend to stay hidden, ignored, and in need of healing. Together, we will collaborate to alchemize old pains to develop a path toward a more free and joyful life. While I believe you are the ultimate expert on you, I utilize my training in depth psychology, issues of social justice, and personal experience to engage as your ally while humbly challenging you to realize your therapeutic goals. I prioritize holistic care and can support you to access resources and community outside of psychotherapy, including medical or spiritual care. Previous clients would describe working with me as supportive, humorous, engaging, and sensitive to cultural differences.

Personally, I have worked in the mental health field for over 10 years. I received bachelor’s degrees in psychology and gender studies, respectively, from the University of Utah, and a graduate certificate in LGBT Health Policy and Practice from George Washington University. Finally, I completed my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) from The Wright Institute in 2023. While much of my clinical experiences are in LGBTQ+ advocacy and community mental health settings that serve historically disadvantaged teens and adults, I also have interest in and experience working with couples, neurodivergence, trauma, generational or familial problems, life transitions, grief and death, relationship concerns, and anxiety or other emotional difficulties.

I have lived throughout the United States and look forward to learning about and serving communities in Chicago and Illinois. During my free time, I enjoy cuddling my two cats, perusing local eats and haunts, and studying ecology and herbalism, astrology, and other mystical sciences.