My name is Umair Tarbhai and I am a Multilingual (English/Hindi/Urdu/Gujrati) Psychotherapist. I serve my clients through building trusting relationships founded on empathy and understanding.

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The foundation of a meaningful therapeutic experience is centered on the relationship between therapist and client. I work tirelessly to build, maintain, and grow this relationship. With this as the “backbone” of our work we can collaboratively build toward achieving all of your short, intermediate, and long term goals for therapy. I employ a client-specific approach when utilizing modalities and am comfortable incorporating facets of all different perspectives. These can include Psychodynamic, Cognitive-Behavioral, Relational, Humanistic, and whatever else may be appropriate given client goals and challenges.

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My clients are diverse in age, ethnicity, background, strengths, dreams, and challenges. I have worked with children, adolescents, adults, refugees, families, couples, and groups from a wide variety of backgrounds. I employ a multi-cultural lens of practice and provide clients with a safe environment through an appreciation for their unique cultural differences. My current areas of expertise include life transitions, trauma-informed care, crisis and intervention, family and relationships, and issues related to anxiety and depression. 

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I graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Xavier University in Psychology and Clinical Counseling. Upon completing this degree I worked as a Mental Health Counselor at Maryville Academy Psychiatric Hospital providing services for adolescent wards of the state of Illinois suffering from severe mental illness. I received my Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University in 2015 where I was also a Harris Scholar. My internship experiences during training were at The Family Institute at Northwestern University and Turning Point Behavioral Health center. During my time at Northwestern I also worked with refugee populations serving individuals fleeing violence and oppression and seeking asylum in the United States. Upon graduating I worked at the non-profit organization After School Matters, the largest providers of after school programming for teenagers in the Chicagoland area. Most recently I enrolled at University of Illinois-Chicago's Jane Addams College of Social Work to pursue Master of Social Work and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Additionally, I provided counseling services to individuals, families, and groups impacted by police violence through the Chicago Torture Justice Center.

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My passion for pursuing work as a therapist has always been grounded in my empathy. This personality trait and skill was first ignited as I learned to cope effectively with the influence of addiction in my family system. In pursuit of aiming to help others I have amassed experiences I would not trade for the world. Staying emotionally and physically active has also been a big part of my life. My first true passion was basketball, which I played for three years at the collegiate level at Saint Xavier University. I still continue to play now whenever I have a chance. My other interests and hobbies include weightlifting and strength-training, reading a good book (a huge fan of Ta-Nehisi Coates!), and relaxing with friends and family.

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Umair trained at the following institutions:

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

The Family Institute, Evanston, IL

Turning Point Behavioral Health Center, Skokie, IL

Chicago Torture Justice Center, Chicago, IL

Saint Xavier University, Chicago, IL

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Umair is a member of:

National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC)

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Languages Spoken: English, Hindi, Urdu, Gujrati

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If you feel like we would make a great team, e-mail umair.tarbhai@onelifehealing.com, call 312-586-8721 or click the button below.