Marlene Pena, LCSW

Senior Therapist

Marlene is a bilingual therapist who provides culturally affirming therapy in both English and Spanish for teens and adults. She is especially committed to supporting Latine, Black, and other people of color. As a first-generation Mexican-American therapist, she understands how culture, family expectations, identity, and generational experiences shape how people see themselves and move through the world.

She works with clients navigating anxiety, perfectionism, life transitions, relationship concerns, identity development, and relational or intergenerational trauma. Marlene is especially interested in helping first- and second-generation clients explore the tension that can arise between cultural expectations, family relationships, and their own evolving sense of self.

Her approach is relational, compassionate, and culturally responsive. She draws from attachment-based therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, DBT, and ACT to help clients better understand their emotional patterns, strengthen relationships, develop practical coping skills, and make choices that feel more aligned with who they are..

Credentials & Licensing: LCSW— Licensed Clinical Social Worker (Illinois)

Insurance Accepted: Aetna, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Carelon Behavioral Health, Cigna

Specialties: Anxiety, Perfectionism, Life transitions, Relationship concerns, Identity development, Intergenerational trauma

Approaches: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT); Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT); Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), particularly for complex anxiety and OCD; Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)

Ages Served: Teens and Adults