Sunflower Path Counseling was founded by Monica Alvarez, LCPC, NACT, a bilingual psychotherapist licensed in Illinois and California. She holds a Masters in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University.

She is certified as a narcissistic abuse clinician with Dr. Ramani Durvasula. She also has training in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), which is a highly effective treatment for trauma and PTSD.

While she can help with a wide range of mental health issues, Monica has extensive experience helping clients with stress, anxiety, trauma, narcissistic abuse, postpartum depression, domestic violence, immigration issues, suicidal thoughts, teenage self-harm, coping with grief and loss, and parenting issues.

Monica’s Story

As an immigrant from Colombia, Monica arrived in the U.S. at the age of 17. Motivated to pursue a career helping others, she worked tirelessly to put herself through college and graduate school while navigating the challenges of acculturation, language barriers, and cultural differences. These personal struggles shaped her deep understanding of resilience and compassion and created the bedrock of her mental health practice. With every client she helps, she strives to truly connect and see life through their perspective.