Cori R. Dixon-Fyle, LCSW
Cori is a psychotherapist and the founder of Thriving Path, LLC. Cori brings deep respect, personal warmth, strong clinical experience, insight and humor to her practice. She creates a safe, non-judgmental and calming space to pave the way for you reaching your fullest potential.
Cori has over 15 years of experience providing guidance and therapeutic services to individuals (infancy to elderly), couples, and families with a wide array of conditions. Her specialized work includes perinatal mental health, infertility and pregnancy loss, adjustment to parenting, pre/post baby counseling, emerging adults, anxiety, grief, perfectionism and relationship struggles. Prior to private practice, Cori gained experience in community mental health, early intervention, hospital-based social work and independent counseling practices.
Cori works and listens emphatically – blending keen mindfulness with psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral approaches – to create a safe and open experience for each client. Cori also often works from an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) background. She utilizes a strengths-based approach to assist individuals in gaining insight and creating positive, meaningful growth.
Cori earned a Bachelors of Science in Rehabilitation Psychology from University of Wisconsin-Madison and received a Masters of Social Work from Loyola University-Chicago.
When she is not working, Cori loves to spend time with her family, friends and her 100-pound dog, Bauer.
Sarah Yi, LCPC
Sarah Yi is an independent contractor and licensed psychotherapist with Thriving Path. Sarah Yi received her Master of Arts in Counseling at Northwestern University and trained at the Family Institute of Northwestern. During her clinical training, Sarah worked with individuals across the lifespan, including children as young as 3 years old with behavioral concerns to elderly adults with life-stage difficulties. Sarah also gained experience with group dynamics and consultation by working as a staff member at Northwestern’s Tavistock Group Relations Conference since 2015, allowing her opportunities to collaborate with professionals around the Chicagoland area on group-level dynamics surrounding social, political, and cultural issues in modern America. Sarah has spent extensive time working both personally and clinically within the Asian American community to increase awareness of mental health resources, reduce the stigma of counseling services, and help youth and young adults develop their racial and ethnic identities within a culturally diverse society.
Sarah currently provides child and family therapy services that focus on enhancing daily functioning for both the child and their family using collaborative approaches with other service providers (e.g., teachers, school social workers, pediatricians, psychiatrists, etc.). She uses an eclectic strength-based approach to treatment, pulling from psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive behavioral, dialectical behavioral, and family systems theories to promote healthier behaviors, increased self-awareness, and more effective mind-body connections for children and adolescents. Sarah also uses person-centered and culturally diverse approaches towards working with Asians and Asian Americans around acculturation, ethnic identity, racial identity, and cultural boundaries. Sarah works to empower and motivate all clients of all cultural backgrounds towards their own unique growth and progress.
Elvira Pellitteri, LCSW
Elvira Pellitteri is an independent contractor and licensed psychotherapist with Thriving Path. Elvira became a therapist after a career as a language teacher in public and private schools, pursuing her interest in sharing her life experience to help others. She enjoys working with adults and adolescents, assisting them to share their stories while providing a supportive and safe space. Elvira works from a strengths-based perspective, combining psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral approaches, providing non-judgmental and compassionate listening while treating every individual with kindness and respect.
In her ten years as a bilingual psychotherapist, Elvira has worked with people from diverse backgrounds throughout the Chicagoland area, including the Latino population and immigrants from Central America. Elvira’s clinical expertise includes treating depression and anxiety, post-partum depression, complex trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, grief, loss, and intimate partner violence. She has conducted support groups to empower clients to reach their goals, couples counseling, and psycho-education on effective parenting.
Elvira has a Bachelor’s degree from Hunter College in New York, a Master’s degree in Classical Languages from Yale University, and after leaving her teaching career, earned a Master’s in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago. She is fluent in English and Spanish, and has lived and traveled in Europe and Mexico.
In her free time, Elvira enjoys socializing with her children and grandchildren, walking her dog Benson, and working in her garden.
Lauren Prescott, LCSW
Lauren is an independent contractor and licensed psychotherapist with Thriving Path. Lauren listens non judgmentally and treats each client as an individual while working with a strengths-based perspective. She comes from a person first standpoint and believes everyone has the potential to reach their personal goals, when given the space and opportunity to process through challenges they are experiencing. Lauren is very dedicated to her work with each individual and strives to meet each client where they are at when they walk into the office.
In addition to working in private practice, Lauren works full time at an agency supporting individuals experiencing homelessness. Lauren works closely with each participant on their goals and increasing their self-sufficiency.
Lauren earned her Bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in psychology and her masters in social work from Loyola University- Chicago. In her free time, Lauren enjoys spending time with family and friends and traveling.
Sarah Schroeder, LCSW
Sarah Schroeder is an independent contractor and licensed psychotherapist with Thriving Path. Sarah is a licensed clinical social worker and child development specialist and specializes in working with young children and families providing individual, family, couples and group therapy. She has experience working with clients in a variety of settings and capacities including those with severe mental illness, trauma, anxiety, depression, parenting and developmental delays.
Sarah utilizes a developmental framework and family systems approach and modalities including play-based therapy, emotionally focused therapy, parent coaching, CBT, and psychodynamic treatment to help clients reach their desired goals. She strives to create a safe holding environment where clients can feel understood and encouraged to take the next step. When she’s not working she enjoys time with her family, watching movies, and painting.
Dara Altshuler, LCPC
Dara Altshuler is an independent contractor and licensed psychotherapist with Thriving Path.
Dara helps people navigate difficult periods in their lives and achieve meaningful change. She uses an active approach and seeks to help clients address and improve relationship and interpersonal conflict, work-life balance, parenting challenges, self-esteem, stress, and anxiety or mood management. Dara also helps clients with life transitions such as divorce, caring for an aging relative and grief. Dara strives to create a warm, non-judgmental environment in which you’ll feel understood and comfortable exploring issues, while cultivating a deepening self-awareness and coping skills to create positive change.
Dara works with adults, and uses a blend of Cognitive Behavioral, Existential, Psychodynamic and Family Systems Therapies as well as other therapeutic modalities (like breath work and mindfulness) to address your specific needs. Prior to becoming a counselor, Dara earned a masters degree in business and worked in the corporate world, in advertising and marketing, which helped to cultivate her belief that life’s many challenges present the opportunity to improve ourselves and gain more life fulfillment.
Dara has over 10 years of experience in counseling and earned her Masters in Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. When she isn’t working, Dara enjoys spending time with family, playing various sports, reading and enjoying the outdoors, the arts and yoga.
Bauer, CGCU, CGCA
Bauer is a 4-year-old Bernedoodle that attends most therapy sessions with Cori. Through his extensive training at Sit Means Sit Chicago and The Go Team Therapy, Crisis and Airport Dogs, Inc., Bauer is licensed and insured in CGC, CGCA, CGCU, Therapy Dog, Airport Stress Buster, and Crisis Therapy Dog certifications.
Bauer wears a Remote collar, which is used as a cue that Cori is communicating and capturing his attention, which is then followed by praise and reward. This is similar to tapping someone on their shoulder and acknowledging them for their attention. The remote collar does not hurt, surprise or intimate Bauer.
To learn about how Bauer can help during sessions, see more about Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) under Specialties.
Bauer’s off-duty activities include: following his humans everywhere, home security surveillance, neighborhood mayor, playing ball and perfecting the art of falling up the stairs.