Meet Our Therapists
Our therapists integrate the concept of “The Middle Way” into services that honor the power of the intellectual mind — yet simultaneously awaken ways of knowing that go beyond intellect and information to help you enhance your healing process, peace of mind, and enjoyment of life.
Matthew Word
Associate Therapist
Accepting New Clients
he/him
Matthew Word, LMSW, CHT, is a dedicated and compassionate psychotherapist who works with adults, children, teens, and couples, offering a thoughtful and individualized approach to healing. He integrates evidence-based and holistic modalities to help clients navigate challenges and foster meaningful growth. Matthew creates a safe, supportive space where clients can explore their emotions, develop resilience, and work toward lasting change.
When working with children and adolescents, Matthew creates a developmentally appropriate space where young clients feel safe expressing their thoughts and emotions. He incorporates SMART (Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Therapy), an innovative body-based therapy designed to help children and teens regulate emotions, process trauma, and develop healthy coping strategies. Alongside SMART, he uses talk therapy, play-based interventions, and creative techniques to support children and teens struggling with anxiety, depression, self-esteem issues, school stress, and family transitions. His compassionate and engaging approach helps young clients build emotional awareness, resilience, and a stronger sense of self.
In his work with couples, Matthew employs the Gottman Method, a research-based approach to couples therapy that enhances communication, deepens emotional connection, and strengthens relationships. He helps couples navigate conflict, rebuild trust, and cultivate healthier dynamics that foster intimacy and understanding. Whether addressing long-standing relationship challenges or strengthening an already solid foundation, Matthew provides couples with the tools and insights needed to build a fulfilling partnership.
For those seeking resolution from trauma, Matthew employs EMDR, a powerful evidence-based therapy designed to help clients process and heal from trauma, distressing memories, and deeply rooted emotional challenges. EMDR allows individuals to reprocess difficult experiences in a way that reduces emotional distress and fosters long-term healing. His expertise in trauma recovery makes him especially effective in supporting clients dealing with PTSD, anxiety, and past emotional wounds.
For those seeking a non-traditional approach to healing, Matthew incorporates Depth Hypnosis, a powerful modality that blends hypnotherapy, Buddhist psychology, and shamanic counseling. This integrative method allows clients to access deeper layers of consciousness, uncover the root causes of emotional distress, and transform limiting patterns.
Eve Udesky
Associate Therapist
Accepting New Clients
she/her
Eve Udesky, LMSW, is a psychotherapist specializing in work with adults, couples, and older adults. She is deeply committed to helping individuals and partners navigate life’s challenges and transitions, offering a supportive and compassionate presence throughout the therapeutic process. Eve is passionate about empowering people to overcome obstacles, strengthen relationships, and develop a kinder, more compassionate relationship with themselves. She sees therapy as a collaborative journey and feels privileged to be a part of her clients’ transformative growth.
Eve’s therapeutic approach is person-centered, trauma-informed, and rooted in psychodynamic, compassion-focused therapy (CFT), and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). She also incorporates somatic mindfulness and focusing techniques, which help clients tune into the physical sensations in their bodies to process emotions, regulate their nervous systems, and deepen self-awareness. By integrating the mind and body, Eve supports clients in releasing stored tension, building resilience, and fostering a sense of calm. Eve is also trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), a highly effective method for processing trauma, reducing distress related to painful memories, and promoting emotional healing.
Eve has a special interest in grief work, recognizing the profound challenges and emotional complexities of loss. She helps clients process their grief in a way that honors their experiences while supporting them as they find meaning and navigate life after loss. Eve provides a compassionate space where clients can explore the emotional, physical, and relational impacts of grief while working toward healing and rediscovery. Whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a relationship, or a significant life transition, Eve offers tools to help clients process and grow through these deeply personal experiences.
In her work with couples, Eve uses Gottman Method Couples Therapy, a research-based approach designed to build on existing strengths and teach effective communication strategies. This approach helps couples resolve conflicts, deepen intimacy, and foster a stronger sense of connection and fulfillment in their relationships. Eve helps couples address unresolved issues, navigate challenges, and strengthen their partnership for long-term growth and closeness.
Eve meets clients where they are with warmth, openness, and non-judgment, whether they are navigating a crisis or simply seeking to live a more fulfilling life. Her practice focuses on helping clients:
• Heal from relational trauma
• Navigate grief and difficult life transitions
• Deepen self-awareness, self-compassion, and emotional regulation
• Process trauma and distress using EMDR and somatic techniques
• Strengthen relationships and improve communication as couples
• Live a more satisfying and self-actualized life
• Celebrate change and personal growth
With Eve, clients can expect a compassionate and empowering therapeutic experience, grounded in the belief that healing, growth, and a more fulfilling life are always possible.
Laura Kent
Associate Therapist
Accepting New Clients
Laura Kent, LMSW, is a psychotherapist specializing in work with adolescents, adults, and couples. She is deeply committed to fostering genuine connections with her clients, co-creating a therapeutic relationship built on trust, authenticity, and mutual respect. Laura uses this alliance as a foundation to support exploration, facilitate meaningful change, and promote personal growth. She specializes in treating anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, and trauma.
Laura creates a safe, welcoming therapeutic space that is collaborative, warm, and nonjudgmental. She values the power of connection and encourages exploration as a pathway to deeper understanding and growth. Her approach is relational and trauma-informed, incorporating psychodynamic principles alongside evidence-based techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and somatic mindfulness practices. Through somatic mindfulness, Laura helps clients tune into their physical sensations and connect with their bodies, enabling them to process emotions, regulate their nervous systems, and build a greater sense of self-awareness and calm.
For couples, Laura draws on Gottman Method Couples Therapy, a research-backed approach that helps partners build on their existing strengths. She works with couples to improve communication, manage conflict more effectively, and foster deeper connection, friendship, and intimacy within the relationship. Laura provides a supportive environment where couples can work collaboratively to strengthen their bond and navigate challenges together.
Laura also has a special interest in working with adolescents, recognizing the unique pressures and challenges they face in today’s world. She helps adolescents develop emotional awareness, build self-esteem, and navigate complex social and academic environments. By providing a space where they feel seen and heard, Laura empowers young clients to develop the skills and confidence needed to thrive.
Laura understands the transformative potential of therapy, particularly in helping clients build healthier relationships with themselves and others. She emphasizes the importance of deepening self-awareness and paying attention to the cues our bodies communicate. By integrating somatic mindfulness into her practice, Laura supports clients in reducing stress, fostering self-compassion, and creating stronger connections with themselves. Her ultimate goal is to help clients gain insight, improve relationships, and achieve long-term healing and well-being.
Sofia de Guzman
Therapist
Accepting New Clients
she/her
Sofia is a licensed psychodynamic therapist who works with children, adolescents, and adults, tailoring her approach to meet the unique needs of each individual. Drawing from psychodynamic principles, she helps clients uncover underlying patterns and unconscious influences that shape their emotions, relationships, and sense of self. Her approach is deeply rooted in an understanding of how past experiences inform present struggles, allowing clients to develop greater self-awareness and shift long-standing patterns that may be holding them back.
Sofia takes a trauma-informed perspective, ensuring that clients feel safe and supported as they explore difficult experiences and work toward healing. She recognizes that therapy is a collaborative process and meets each client where they are, fostering an environment of trust, curiosity, and self-compassion. Her style is warm, reflective, and nonjudgmental, creating space for clients to process their emotions, build resilience, and engage in meaningful change. She has experience working with a range of concerns, including life transitions, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, identity exploration, self-esteem, and creative expression.
In addition to her psychodynamic practice, Sofia is a board-certified Creative Arts Therapist (LCAT, ATR-BC) and offers art therapy for clients open to this modality. Art therapy provides an alternative way to process emotions, offering a powerful, experiential means of expression—particularly beneficial for those navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, or feeling stuck in verbal processing. Through guided creative exercises, clients can explore their internal experiences, gain insight, and reduce stress, all without needing prior artistic experience. Sofia specializes in integrating art therapy into her work as a way to deepen self-exploration, enhance emotional regulation, and foster personal growth. Whether through verbal processing or creative expression, Sofia is committed to helping clients find the therapeutic approach that best supports their journey toward healing and self-discovery.
When working with children, Sofia creates a nurturing and developmentally appropriate therapeutic space where young clients can express themselves in ways that feel natural and engaging. Using a combination of Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT), play therapy techniques, and creative arts, she helps children process emotions, navigate challenges, and build essential coping skills. Sofia understands that children often communicate their thoughts and feelings through play and creative expression rather than direct conversation, and she tailors her approach to meet their individual needs. She has experience addressing a variety of concerns, including anxiety, depression, behavioral challenges, trauma, self-esteem, and family transitions. By fostering a warm and supportive environment, Sofia helps children develop emotional awareness, resilience, and the ability to express themselves in healthy ways.
Olivia Conway
Associate Therapist
Accepting New Clients
she/her
Olivia Conway received her MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the Family Institute at Northwestern University. She believes that there’s no “one size fits all” approach to therapy and draws from a range of theories, including somatic and psychodynamic, to tailor her approach using techniques that are best suited to supporting the needs of each client. In her work with adolescents, adults and couples, Olivia strives to create an environment that welcomes all aspects of the human experience. She considers how intersecting identities impact how we encounter the world around us and acknowledges how those identities are ever present, even in the counseling space. She is sex-positive and strives to be affirming of all sexualities, gender identities, and relationship structures.
Olivia practices through a trauma-informed lens and is trained in the use of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), a highly effective technique for processing and resolving traumatic experiences. EMDR helps clients reprocess painful memories and reduce the emotional intensity tied to those events, allowing them to find relief and move forward. Olivia works with clients to explore how past traumas affect their present lives and to build resilience as they heal and grow.
For couples, Olivia draws on her training in the Gottman Method, a research-based approach to improving relationships. She works with partners to enhance communication, rebuild trust, and foster deeper connection. Whether couples are navigating conflict, strengthening intimacy, or addressing life transitions, Olivia provides a supportive space for collaboration and growth, helping partners develop tools for a more fulfilling relationship.
In treatment, Olivia emphasizes the importance of collaboration. She works closely with clients to identify practical ways to manage day-to-day symptoms, which ultimately frees up the emotional space needed to examine deeper issues. Olivia believes that clients come to therapy in possession of everything they need to heal and considers it a privilege to walk with them as they come to understand that themselves.
Michaela Murray
Clinical Intern
Accepting New Clients
(she/her)
Michaela is a Master’s candidate at Northwestern University, pursuing a degree in Mental Health Counseling. Her work is grounded in a deep appreciation for human complexity and the importance of connection.
Michaela’s approach balances the use of practical techniques with thoughtful exploration of past experiences to help clients modify patterns that no longer serve them. She believes in the power of therapy to help individuals navigate life transitions, strengthen their sense of identity, and improve relationships. Whether addressing issues related to anxiety, self-esteem, or interpersonal dynamics, Michaela strives to provide a safe, accepting, and judgment-free environment where clients feel supported in their growth.
In her work with couples, Michaela helps partners explore and strengthen their relationships by addressing patterns of communication and fostering deeper understanding. She incorporates evidence-based techniques, including the Gottman Method, to help couples navigate challenges, resolve conflicts, and build greater intimacy and trust. The Gottman Method focuses on enhancing communication, building emotional connection, and resolving conflict in constructive ways. Michaela’s approach is grounded in the belief that meaningful relationships are key to our emotional well-being and that therapy provides a valuable space for reconnection and healing.
Michaela also integrates somatic mindfulness into her practice, encouraging clients to develop greater awareness of their physical sensations and how these connect to their emotional experiences. By tuning into the body, clients can uncover hidden emotions, regulate their nervous systems, and foster a sense of calm and balance. This mind-body connection is a vital aspect of Michaela’s work, helping clients access deeper levels of healing and self-understanding.
The decision to come to therapy is a courageous step, and Michaela is committed to welcoming each client warmly and with compassion. She works collaboratively with clients to empower them on their journey toward self-discovery, meaningful relationships, and lasting change.
Tara Rullo
Owner, Clinical Director
Waitlist Only
she/her
Tara Rullo, LCSW, believes that every person has the ability to heal, grow, and experience wellness and joy. She has over twenty years of experience in the mental health field and is the founder of Middle Way Healing. Tara’s therapy approach is based in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and incorporates a blend of mindfulness, practical skills, and cognitive restructuring. Tara is also registered Kundalini yoga teacher and offers yoga-informed somatic therapy which can include work with the breath, body awareness, and some movement. For couples work, Tara employs Gottman Method Couples Therapy, which encourages couples to build from existing relationship strengths and learn practical communication tools to successfully process disputes and unresolved issues. This highly effective therapy technique can help couples move towards closeness and fulfillment. Tara also employs therapy practices which bring forth a deeper connection to intuition and the wisdom of the body such as Focusing, Emotional Freedom Technique, and Mindfulness Meditation. Additionally, she offers treatment through EMDR for those seeking relief from past unresolved trauma. Tara’s therapeutic style is warm and welcoming. She strives to understand your experience and worldview without judgement. Tara will listen deeply and help to create a therapy environment that allows newness and evolution.
The goals of her practice are to help you:
• Deepen self-awareness and self-knowing
• Increase connection with yourself and others
• Heal from painful experiences and memories
• Live a more integrated and satisfying life
Contact: tara@middlewayhealing.com
Jen Ottman
Practice Coordinator
she/her
Jen Ottman is our practice coordinator and assists clients with scheduling, billing, insurance questions, and any other assistance they may need along the way. She is currently pursuing her masters degree in clinical psychology, driven by her passion for the transformative impact of the therapeutic journey.
Contact: admin@middlewayhealing.com
