Bryan Gehrling

Waking up without any real sense of appreciation for your life—or watching your kid struggle to find meaning in theirs—can feel like you're stuck in a fog with no way out. I work with teens, college students, and adults who want to reconnect with themselves and figure out what actually matters to them, so they can build a path forward that feels real and worth showing up for. I'm big on exploration and individuality—your differences aren't something to fix. They're worth being heard, understood, and met with curiosity. Before becoming a therapist, I earned an engineering degree from the University of Illinois Chicago and worked in project management for a while. That taught me how to break down complicated problems and actually get to the root of what's not working—which turns out to be pretty useful in therapy too. But eventually I felt pulled toward something different—humanitarian work, philosophy, personal growth—and that's what led me to where I am now, completing my Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at The Chicago School. I'm especially drawn to helping people figure out who they are—the big existential stuff, sure, but also the everyday things: the friendships, the pressure, the decisions that feel huge in the moment. I want to help young people connect where they are now to where they want to end up, so they feel more confident and less anxious about the future—without losing their sense of humor or who they are along the way. In life and in therapy, I care about connection, insight, humor, and just having fun. Outside of sessions, you'll probably find me out in nature, making music on my laptop, or deep in conversation about life's big questions.