Therapy for Creative Adults

Whether you’re in theater, music, or another creative field in Chicago, your work often blurs the lines between passion, identity, and livelihood. The highs can feel expansive, and the lows can feel deeply personal. Add in unpredictable schedules, financial uncertainty, and the quiet (or not-so-quiet) pressure from family or peers to take a more “stable” path, and it can start to feel like you’re carrying a lot on your own.

At Growing Sideways Therapy, Lisa Howard is experienced in working with creatives who are navigating exactly these tensions. Therapy becomes a space to step into something more grounded and reflective. Together, we can explore questions like: How do you balance your creative work with the rest of your life? Whose expectations are you holding, and which ones are truly yours? How do you stay connected to what matters to you, even when things feel uncertain or overwhelming? This is a collaborative process, one where you’re not being told who to be, but supported in getting to know yourself more deeply.

There is no perfect path, only the one that is uniquely yours. For creatives, that path is rarely linear and often requires redefining success on your own terms. Therapy offers a place to sort through the noise, make sense of competing pressures, and move forward with more clarity and self-trust. At Growing Sideways Therapy, Lisa Howard walks alongside you with curiosity and care as you shape a life and creative practice that feels aligned, sustainable, and genuinely your own.