About

Ms. Pantoja is the daughter of Mexican immigrants who did their best to instill their culture, language, and faith. She was born and raised in Elgin where she continues to reside along with her husband and two young children. Her community is a strong piece of her identity as Elgin allotted her the opportunities to grow and foster a desire to give back to her hometown. She is a social worker to her core and often finding ways of contributing to her community whether it is coaching her son’s t-ball team or being a listening ear to her neighbors. Parenting her son and daughter has become Ms. Pantoja’s favorite job and is often exploring new ways to strengthen and improve her parenting abilities.

Experience


Ms. Pantoja is a bilingual English-Spanish licensed clinical social worker. She earned her bachelor and master degrees in social work from Loyola University Chicago. Her social work career began while working as a bilingual case manager at the Community Crisis Center. After obtaining her graduate degree she became an intact family case worker for Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). She assisted families with arranging support services while mitigating child safety issues. After numerous years of case work, she became a children protection specialist or investigator at DCFS. As an investigator, Ms. Pantoja completed a forty-hour forensic interview training and conducted child sensitive interviews while collaborating with the Kane County Child Advocacy Center. Ms. Pantoja is most experienced in providing parenting education, domestic violence therapy and working within family systems.

In addition to working at Luna Behavioral Health Center, Ms. Pantoja is a school social worker with district U-46.

About

Veronica Frias is a first generation Mexican and Colombian-American born and raised in Chicago, IL. She recently adopted two guinea pigs, Peanut and Brownie and has a black Labrador named Leah. During her free time, Veronica enjoys trying out new cosmetics and coffee shops, decorating her home and watching documentaries. Veronica was introduced to social services at an early age as she shadowed her mom, a former WIC nutritionist during the summers. She acknowledges her upbringing to lead her into her current career in Social Work and therapy.

Experience


Veronica is a bilingual English-Spanish Master of Social Work clinician. She attended Northeastern Illinois University for her undergraduate degree in Social Work and completed her Master of Social Work concentrating on mental health from Loyola University Chicago. Veronica has extensive training and experience in working with prenatal/post-natal moms, maternal depression and early childhood development. She has experience in working with Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, educational concerns, relationship conflict and self-esteem conflict. In addition, Veronica has 5 years of previous work experience with the DuPage and Kane County social services and child welfare systems and is certified in working with domestic violence.

Veronica uses Solution Focused Interventions, motivational interviewing and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. She enjoys working with individuals to help them remove the obstacles blocking their path so they can move towards growth and freedom.

About

Voichita Moldovan is of Romanian descent. She speaks both English and Romanian. She values family and those closest to her and enjoys traveling. She is someone that believes that hard work and dedication can help one achieve desired goals and outcomes.

Experience


Voichita received her master's degree from Judson University with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Previous to her master's degree, Voichita obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Legal studies from the University of Vasile Goldis, In Arad, Romania. She works with an Eclectic framework grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and is goal-oriented in her work. Voichita has worked with adults, adolescents, young adults, and children. Due to personal and past experiences, Voichita developed a passion in working with men, women, and families that have dealt with and continue to deal with issues of social migration, acclimation, adaptation, and other related hardships. She strives to be an agent of change in her profession and in the lives of those that she works with.

About

Ms. Tamayo is a Master Social Worker who is bilingual in English and Spanish. She is Ms. Tamayo earned both her Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work degrees with a fellowship in Trauma Behavioral Health from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. After graduating from college, she was able to gain experience in crisis management, teaching life skills to adolescents and young adults with learning disabilities, and working with children and families within the immigration system. Ms. Tamayo’s experience varies from working with adults in a solution-focused approach to adolescents who are struggling to manage their depression and anxiety symptoms.

Experience


Ms. Tamayo uses a person-centered approach to therapy; this allows her to meet each client where they are at in their mental health and focus on everyone’s individual mental health needs. She enjoys watching her clients grow in their mental health journey and acknowledges all accomplishments, big or small along with providing the tools to help clients manage their mental health.

About

Maria Valdez, a native of Mexico who immigrated to the United States with her family at a young age, embodies the values of hard work, education, and loyalty instilled in her by her close-knit family. Raised in an environment that emphasized the importance of making a difference in the lives of others, Maria developed a deep curiosity for learning, leading her to pursue a career in psychology and the helping profession. Outside of her professional endeavors, Maria finds joy in spending time with her family both locally and in her native country, Mexico. She also enjoys activities such as jogging, hiking, music, movies, and relaxing in nature.

Experience


Maria Valdez holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and Spanish from Augustana College. She furthered her education at Northern Illinois University, earning a master’s degree in counseling psychology. Maria embarked on her career in 1999 in community mental health, where she gained extensive experience working with diverse clients and addressing various issues. Her expertise extends to assisting clients in psychiatric hospital units, aiding them in achieving stability and improving their level of functioning. For the past 17 years, Maria has dedicated herself to private practice, honing her skills and providing tailored support to her clients.

Maria is an English-Spanish bilingual therapist. She specializes in fostering a safe and trusting therapeutic environment where clients feel comfortable sharing their struggles and obstacles, with the goal of enhancing their quality of life and relationships. Drawing from a diverse range of interventions, Maria tailors her approach to optimize client growth and change. With experience in individual, couples, family, and group therapy, she addresses various issues including mood disorders, substance abuse, anxiety disorders, marital and family issues, and trauma. Maria’s genuine curiosity about her clients’ life stories, coupled with her warm personality, sense of humor, and extensive experience, guides her in facilitating meaningful change and growth in her clients’ lives.