Khoa Ngo, MA, LCPC

Hoffman Estates Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor

Hi, I’m Khoa

I provide a safe, neutral, and supportive environment where you can enact the changes you desire to make in your life.

Do you feel tired? Tired of living a life you did not choose for yourself. Tired of the constant struggle of being misunderstood. Tired of your emotions being dismissed or minimized. Tired of the easy solutions and endless advice that never seems works.

So was I and one day I decided to do something about it. From as early as I can remember I had constant anxiety and in my first years of college it peaked to where I would have anxiety attacks almost daily. I decided to go to therapy and it took me down a journey that forever changed my life. It wasn’t easy but it made my life better and gave me a passion to help others change their lives as well.

My approach to therapy

I believe that therapy can be beneficial to anyone and everyone who wants to change something in their lives or wants to learn more about themselves. I see myself as a helper. Together we will explore your thoughts and emotions, build insight, identify fresh perspectives, and try new behaviors to enact the change you desire. You dictate your journey and I assist you in seeing different possibilities and paths to reach your goal.

Being centered around your interests, I am open to using both evidence based scientifically researched approaches as well as new (or less traditional) methods to address obstacles. It’s all about what you will most be willing and able to do in real life that works best. So if it’s a combination of medication with therapy, I can help you find a psychiatrist to collaborate with; but if you’d rather avoid medications, we can explore lifestyle changes like diet, exercise, supplements, and other alternatives in combination with therapy.

Couples therapy: Working together

Committed romantic relationships require compromise and work. It’s not easy to jump through life’s hurdles with someone tethered to you. It can feel like your partner is holding you back or maybe you feel like you’re holding your partner back. Sometimes it can even feel as if you’ve hit an un-ascendable wall in your relationship with nowhere to go.

Every couple has problems, personalities, values, and backgrounds completely unique to them. Most couples who come to me start out with very different views of their relationship, often one person is on the brink of separation and the other not. They feel stuck in a never ending cycle of negative or indifferent interactions. All hope does not have to be lost on these difficult relationship obstacles. It is possible to change the negative or indifferent into neutral and even positive interactions.

Common problems addressed in couples therapy:

• Challenging poor communication patterns. Learning to both listen and speak to your partner in a new way is, in my opinion, the quickest way to affect positive change in a relationship.
• Rekindling feelings of warmth and love. Especially with couples who have been together for a long time, it can be easy to lose that spark that was once there.
• Creating safety, security, and respect. In couples where a partner has cheated, there is a lot of instability that often goes unaddressed because it feels overwhelming. It does not have to be this way.
• Establishing each partner’s worth and responsibility. Relationships often feel imbalanced which leads to much resentment. It can help to have someone assist in addressing these imbalances with a more neutral eye.

Relationships can benefit from couples therapy at any point whether brand new or not and whether in turmoil or not. I believe the possibility of creating a positive, loving, and respectful relationship is always present. I’d love to help you and your partner take positive steps to a healthier and more secure relationship.

Counseling children and adolescents: The transitional years

Being a parent is one of the most emotionally and physically taxing roles you may ever have in your life. There are endless parent handbooks, articles, and people giving well-meaning advice but where do you start, which approach should you try, and how do you do it? I am here to help you figure out what will work best to address your child or adolescent’s issues.

I look at each child’s concerns as well as their chronological and emotional age to decide how to set up their therapy appointment. The younger the child, the more time I spend with parents. Over the age of 12 (sometimes younger) parents may attend little to none of the therapy time.

With younger children, most parents are wanting to address maladaptive behavioral issues. I find that the most effective approach is to teach skills to both the child and the parents. Parents have the most influence on their young child’s environment and the more supportive the environment, the more effective the change for each child. Parents are also the ones who know their child the best and can be the best at identifying what is working or not for their young child.

Pre-teens and teens are in the midst of transitioning between dependence to independence. With this in mind, I find most want to spend the majority (if not all their time) privately with me as they are learning more about themselves as a separate being from their parents. Most often issues with depression and anxiety revolve around difficult relationships at home, with friends, and at school. Teens look to therapy as a way to vent and figure out how they want to resolve their problems independently and in a safe and private environment.

Adult individual therapy: A healthier and more content you

It feels like people are always judging you or maybe you judge yourself. Either way, most of the time it feels like you could be doing something better or that you are not enough. Most adults come to therapy with low self-esteem and a combination of depression and anxiety. I create a space where adults can feel safe at opening up freely about difficult emotions, negative thoughts, and problematic behaviors.

Together, we explore what is standing in the way of you meeting your goals, why you are doing what you’re doing, and then try different ways to address your problems. Sometimes, insight alone is helpful but other times we need to change the way we think about the situation or change the way we are living our lives. Those can be difficult tasks but I move at a pace that you will be most comfortable and successful. If something doesn’t feel authentic to you then I am always open to trying something different.

My professional journey as a therapist

As stated before, I went to therapy as a college student and it helped me become more self-aware and reduced my anxiety so much I felt like a huge burden had lifted off my shoulders. I was always attracted to the helping field so I decided to help other people enact the change that I know is possible to lead a happier, healthier, more fulfilled life.

I started working in mental health in 2004. I have worked in psychiatric hospitals, emergency rooms, community agencies, in schools, and private practice. During those years, I worked with children and adults as individuals, in groups, as couples, and in family therapy. My greatest passion has come from helping those who are in relationships overcome hurdles and reconnect on a deeper loving level.

Counseling and therapy approaches 

• Client-Centered Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
• Gottman Couples Therapy
• Mindfulness
• Parent Education
• Positive Psychology
• Psychodynamic Therapy (Insight Oriented)
• Stress Reduction Techniques

Education and certifications

• S. Psychology, Bradley University, Peoria, IL
• A. Clinical Psychology with an Emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA
• Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor

In closing

Congratulations on taking this first step to change. It can be scary. However, therapy can help the process exponentially if you are ready to take that step. Know that I will move at the speed you are most comfortable and in the way that you feel safest. If you feel like I’d be a good fit as your therapist, please call and make that first appointment. I’d be honored to help you start a new path to a better life and healthier you.

Contact Khoa Ngo to start taking steps to change. Call (888) 870-1775.

Khoa Ngo provides individual counseling and couples counseling in Hoffman Estates in the Central North Western Suburbs of Chicago. You can make an appointment to see her at the Hoffman Estates, Illinois office.

Make an appointment today by calling us on (888) 870-1775 or by filling out our Contact Form.