Affirming Mental Health
Locations
3033 N Clark St, Chicago IL 60657 (Admin)
2835 N Sheffield Av, Suite 220, Chicago IL 60657 (In-Person)
280 Meeker Av, Brooklyn NY 11211 (Williamsburg)
Meg McDuffie, MSW
(she/her)
Licensed Clinical
Social Worker, Illinois
Meg is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in Chicago, IL, who is deeply committed to honoring and celebrating the unique stories, identities, and lived experiences of every patient. She holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Jane Addams College of Social Work (2020) and a Bachelor of Social Work from Northeastern Illinois University (2019). With a background in community-based social work, Meg has extensive experience in areas such as infectious disease, sexual health education, housing instability, and substance use. She specializes in working with the queer community, individuals aged 60+, parents and guardians, people living with HIV/AIDS, adult children of people with substance use disorders, and those navigating job or capitalism-related burnout. She holds space for creatives and for those who, growing up, felt like the "weird kids"—the curious, the sensitive, the ones who felt out of step or unseen. Meg also brings particular expertise in supporting individuals through major life transitions—such as career changes, identity exploration, loss, or navigating relationships—while addressing a wide range of mental health concerns. Her clinical experience includes working with depression, anxiety, complex PTSD, bipolar disorder, and substance use disorders, as well as the emotional impact of family conflict and systemic oppression. Her approach is grounded in empathy, compassion, humor, and curiosity. Having personally experienced therapy that felt cold, one-sided, or lacking in meaningful dialogue, Meg intentionally shaped her own practice to be different. Rather than offering a blank stare or generic advice, she engages clients in dynamic, collaborative conversations that honor their narratives. Her work is rooted in relationship and connection, not hierarchy. Meg draws from a range of therapeutic modalities, including decolonized mental healthcare, queer-affirming care, narrative therapy, mindfulness practices, harm reduction, breathwork, and client-centered approaches. She believes in the inherent capacity for growth and healing in every person—and in the fundamental right to receive care that is kind, nonjudgmental, and attuned. Whether you're seeking support, insight, or simply a space to be deeply heard, Meg offers an affirming, collaborative, and responsive therapeutic relationship. She's here to walk alongside you—and to gently challenge you when needed. If you're curious about working together, reach out for a quick consultation to see if it’s a good fit.
Dixon Kurz, M.A.
(they/them)
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Illinois/
Limited Permit, New York
Dixon is a Licensed Professional Counselor providing therapy services in Illinois and New York. Dixon has worked in private practice since 2022 and been involved in community-led mental health and social justice work since 2011. They practice therapy from the perspective that factors causing pain, disorder, and distress often come from the painful, disordered, and distressing systems outside of an individual's control - and still, people can thrive when they are empowered to take ownership over the choices they make and don't make in their lives. Dixon specializes in working with neurodivergence and many of their clients are people who resonate with diagnoses like ADHD, autism, psychosis, and other altered states of experience. By hearing their clients' lived experiences and encouraging curiosity about the parts of themselves that show up under stress, Dixon helps their clients leverage their strengths to make change. They believe therapy can be a collaborative, creative meeting of the minds and that the therapeutic relationship can be a place where people are supported in challenges, not pressured to "just get better".
Kat McNall, M.A.
(they/them)
Licensed Professional Counselor, Illinois
Kat McNall is an alumnus of the Chicago School of Professional Psychology with a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology. Their therapeutic focus is on LGBTQIA+ issues, specifically identity development, systemic oppression, intersectionality, career, work and burnout, non-traditional relationship structures including polyamory and blended family structures, and working with artists. They are versed in these areas as well as anxiety, depression, AD/HD, and complex trauma. Kat's primary approaches include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Humanistic/Existential therapy, and Narrative therapy from a client-focused, intersectional, anti-racist, non-incarceration lens. Kat brings insight, compassion, authenticity, and a grounded presence into the room, and believes that empathy and curiosity open the most doors in a person’s mind. With trauma-responsive interventions and a culturally humble approach, individuals are met where they are at in their lives and encouraged to collaborate throughout the treatment process. With a background in theater, Kat embraces creative self-expression as a tool for meeting life’s challenges, especially in the cases of mindfulness and the processing of traumatic events. By reflecting on internal discoveries, clients are able to see the wide effects of their actions and reactions and acknowledge the historical origins of challenging circumstances. They believe that self-discovery is some of the hardest and most rewarding work a person can do, and is dedicated to maintaining a safe and open space to process emotions, track patterns, and behaviors, and develop goals in a collaborative, safe, and affirming atmosphere.
JD Waggoner, M.A.
(he/him)
Licensed Professional Counselor, Illinois
JD has a Masters of Counseling Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. He provides individual therapy to clients ranging from young adults to elders, specializing in navigating life transitions, grief and loss, and exploring issues of identity, including gender and sexuality. JD approaches each client with acceptance and works with them to find their unique strengths and perspectives that are best suited to their needs. A primary focus of his practice is providing affirmative care to members of the LGBTQIA+ community, addressing the unique stressors and forms of trauma that can impact this population. JD also has experience supporting clients in diverse relationship structures, such as polyamory and consensual non-monogamy, and works from a kink-affirming and sex-positive point of view. JD’s therapeutic approach is strengths-based, integrating the modalities of Person-Centered Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). For trauma-specific work, he utilizes a combination of talk therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to help clients safely reprocess difficult memories and activate the brain’s natural healing process.
Moth Donahue, LPC
(they/them)
Licensed Professional Counselor, Illinois
Moth holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. They believe that healing grows through authentic connection. Their work is grounded in a feminist framework that centers mutual empathy, curiosity, and the impact that cultural and relational contexts have on mental health. Moth offers a warm, nonjudgmental and straightforward therapeutic presence rooted in the belief that people thrive when they feel seen and understood. As a queer Trans therapist, Moth is passionate about supporting LGBTQIA+ communities. They have a special interest in working with clients exploring gender and sexuality, nontraditional relationship structures (including consensual nonmonogamy and polyamory), and kink/BDSM dynamics. Moth also has a strong foundation in disability justice and is committed to neurodiversity-affirming care. They are well-equipped to explore disability identities, including invisible and dynamic illness. Moth particularly enjoys helping clients with identity development, building authenticity, sexual wellness (sex therapy), chronic pain, and relational/social challenges. Across all areas of their work, they prioritize shared understanding and empowerment, supporting clients in building relationships — with themselves and others — that feel grounding and liberating.
Loren Beard, PhD
(they/she)
Licensed Social Worker, Illinois
Loren is a Licensed Social Worker based in Chicago, IL. They are committed to providing anti-oppressive, LGBTQ+-affirming care, and their orientation to therapy is collaborative, relational, and respectful of lived experience. Using this orientation, they work to build a therapeutic space where healing, self-acceptance, and transformation feel within reach. Loren's clinical background spans private practice and community-based settings with LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, and more broadly marginalized youth, young adults, and adults. They specialize in supporting clients navigating relational and complex trauma, depression and anxiety, sexuality and gender identity, expansive relationship structures, and the impacts of racial, economic, and related forms of marginalization. Loren also works from a pleasure-positive lens that resists pathologizing and centers meaning-making, experimentation, and choice. They draw from relational, somatic, and cognitive-behavioral approaches, as well as their Gottman Level 1 and 2 training, to support clients navigating issues related to conflict and trust. They use humor, warm and straightforward communication, and thoughtful self-disclosure to expand what feels safe and imaginable.
Jim Hayes, MSW
(he/him)
Founder ​
Licensed Clinical Social Worker/Clinical Supervisor, Illinois/New York
Jim has an MSW from Columbia University’s School of Social Work with over 13 years of clinical experience. He has practiced in many settings including community health/mental health, private practice, a psychoanalytic institute, and criminal justice diversion programs. Jim is the Clinical Director and Founder of Affirming Mental Health. He holds full licensure in Illinois and New York, and can provide talk therapy and clinical supervision in both states. Jim specializes in working with members of the LGBTQ community, people living with HIV/AIDS, and those struggling with anxiety/depression, trauma, life transitions, family conflict, and/or stress management. His approach is strengths-based with a focus on helping people learn more about their underlying motives for behaviors and thought patterns, while also assisting with the implementation of present-day coping mechanisms.