About MK Counseling and Wellness

Black female somatic therapist at MK Counseling Chicago sitting at a wooden table with a brick wall background. There are several potted plants on the shelves above and on the table. The woman is smiling, wearing a blue top and a necklace.
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Meet Our Founder

Melissa Kwafo, LCSW, is the founder and clinical director of MK Counseling and Wellness. She has been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Illinois since 2015 and is also licensed in Michigan, where she offers virtual therapy.

Melissa is a somatic, trauma-informed therapist. She works with young adults and adults navigating anxiety, perfectionism, and generational trauma. She draws on Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, DBT, and Psychodynamic theory to help clients understand how stress and trauma live in the body, and how to work with the body to heal. As a certified yoga instructor, she brings breath and movement into her work when it supports the client.

Alongside her caseload, Melissa supervises clinicians at MK and provides clinical supervision to provisionally licensed therapists in the community. She believes the best clinical work happens in community, and she’s committed to helping the next generation of therapists practice with skill, humility, and care.

Melissa also presents and leads trainings on trauma-informed care for organizations, agencies, and fellow clinicians.

Interested in having Melissa speak or train your team? Contact us.

Getting started is simple

  1. Choose a therapist, or let us match you.

  2. Book a free 15-minute consultation online. No commitment.

  3. We’ll verify your insurance and send intake forms before your first session.

“Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today. To get through this thing called life.”
―Prince

Meet the Team

  • Melissa Kwafo, LCSW

    LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER

    FOUNDER

    Melissa is A level 2 trained Sensorimotor Psychotherapist who uses body-based approaches to support healing from trauma, stress, and difficult life experiences.

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  • Rebecca Rooks, LCSW

    LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER

    CLINICAL SUPERVISOR & PSYCHOTHERAPIST

    Trauma Informed DBT & CBT therapist supporting YA and adults navigating difficult family or interpersonal dynamics.

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  • Rebecca Johnson, LCPC 🏳️‍🌈

    LICENSED CLINICAL PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR

    STAFF PSYCHOTHERAPIST

    Rebecca works from a strengths-based, client-centered framework, supporting individuals and parents, with a focus on LGBTQIA+ affirming care.

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  • Lauren Robinson, LCSW 🏳️‍🌈

    LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER

    STAFF PSYCHOTHERAPIST

    Lauren has basic training in Attachment Focused Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (AF-EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Somatic Therapy. She integrates trauma-informed, body-based approaches to support healing and self-understanding.

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  • Emily Assef, LSW 🏳️‍🌈

    LICENSED SOCIAL WORKER

    STAFF PSYCHOTHERAPIST

    Emily is a Sensorimotor Level 1, Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP), and IFS-informed therapist supporting LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent individuals, with a focus on OCD and trauma-informed care.

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  • Vanessa Baldeon, LSW

    LICENSED SOCIAL WORKER

    STAFF PSYCHOTHERAPIST

    Vanessa is a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and IFS-informed therapist supporting individuals navigating mood disorders, grief, and emotional/relational challenges.

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  • Aja Collins, LSW 🏳️‍🌈

    LICENSED SOCIAL WORKER

    STAFF PSYCHOTHERAPIST

    AASECT-trained therapist supporting LGBTQIA+ individuals and couples, with a focus on trauma healing through narrative therapy.

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  • Laura Smith, LPC

    LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR

    STAFF PSYCHOTHERAPIST

    A client-centered, strengths-based therapist supporting older adults and first-generation individuals through life transitions, adjustment, and personal growth, with spirituality integrated into care when desired.

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  • Ray Jorgenson 🏳️‍🌈

    PRE-LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR

    STAFF PSYCHOTHERAPIST

    EMDR Basic Trained and Art Therapist supporting clients through trauma healing and emotional expression using creative, client-centered approaches.

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🏳️‍🌈 = Therapists who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community

We Believe

  • There is no universal rule book or guide on how to do life correctly. We believe everyone is doing the best that they can with tools, abilities, and understanding that they have at this current moment.

  • We may not have created some of the hurdles that we face daily, however we are responsible for our own healing. We have all that we need to heal.

  • Community is essential to restoring relationships, healing, and our overall well-being.

  • We have the ability to regulate our physiology by learning how to listen, honor, and work with the body through breathing, moving, and touch.

  • We can change social conditions to create environments in which we, the people we care about, and others feel safe and where they can thrive. Our therapists work within an anti-oppressive framework. We privilege marginalized people’s lived experience, activism, and voices as our most valuable resources.

  • We all develop parts of our personality that are present to protect us depending on the environments that we are in.

“You cannot, you cannot use someone else’s fire. You can only use your own. And in order to do that, you must first be willing to believe that you have it.”

— Audre Lorde

Colorful flames with red, blue, and orange hues against a black background, with small red circles resembling sparks or droplets scattered throughout.

Visit Us

1806 W Cuyler Ave, Suite 233

Chicago, IL 60613

Hours
Monday–Sunday
9am–9pm

*By Appointment only

Phone
(312) 883-7720

Fax:

(872) 813-5254