Head Heart Therapy

Head Heart Therapy "The longest journey that a man must take in his lifetime is the 18 inches from his head to his heart." -Anonymous

Head/Heart Therapy is a group therapy practice specializing in the treatment of adults and adolescents struggling with shame, addiction, mood/anxiety disorders, and many other difficulties of life. We aim to increase our clients’ capacity for self-compassion, empowerment and efficacy by helping diminish unnecessary suffering. We use an eclectic variety of modalities to address the unique needs of

each person who seeks our support, whether they stem from psychological, emotional or spiritual dis-ease. Head/Heart Therapy provides a foundation of serenity, understanding and balance. Our therapists offer a unique set of skills to provide integrative, holistic care in a healing environment. Sarah Buino, LCSW, RDDP, CADC, CDWF is a speaker, teacher, therapist and the founder of Head/Heart Therapy in Chicago. She is a licensed clinical social worker, registered dual diagnosis professional, certified addictions counselor, NARM Therapist and a Certified Daring Way facilitator. She holds a masters degree from Loyola University in Chicago and specializes in shame, trauma, and substance use disorders. She has trained in a variety of therapy modalities including: NARM (neuro-affective relational model), sensorimotor psychotherapy, comprehensive energy psychology, psychodrama/experiential therapy, and shame-resilience. She uses these modalities as a framework to support resilience within her clients and create a space for self-knowledge and growth. Sarah is a member of the adjunct faculty at Loyola University Chicago, Fordham University and presents on topics such as shame, trauma and addiction to therapists all over the country. She’s also the host of two podcasts: Conversations With a Wounded Healer which examines the role of one’s own healing while being a care-giving professional. And Transforming Trauma, a podcast by the NARM Training Institute about thriving after trauma. Sarah integrates her knowledge of complementary healing modalities such as music, yoga, reiki, and the chakra system into her clinical practice to help clients enhance connection with their authentic selves. From an early age, Sarah began to share the stage with her mother who was a professional singer. She sings in a local Chicago band and has utilized her musical skills in therapy interventions at various addiction treatment centers in the city.

Happy Birthday, Anna ✨May this year feel a little softer, a little freer, and a lot more like you!
05/28/2026

Happy Birthday, Anna ✨
May this year feel a little softer, a little freer, and a lot more like you!

Exhausted but can't stop. Calm but not okay. Present for everyone except yourself.That's not just burnout. That's what h...
05/27/2026

Exhausted but can't stop. Calm but not okay. Present for everyone except yourself.

That's not just burnout. That's what happens when your body has been running on high alert for so long that rest stopped feeling like an option.

That experience has a name. And it deserves real support, not another wellness tip.

We're here in Illinois when you're ready. 🌿

05/22/2026

The mouth said no. The nervous system immediately filed a complaint.

Tag a recovering people-pleaser who is absolutely still negotiating with themselves in the parking lot after holding one boundary.

05/18/2026

You learned early that your needs were too much.

So you made yourself smaller. More agreeable. Easier to love. And it worked. People stayed.

But you're still waiting to find out if they'd stay if you actually showed up as yourself.

That's the wound underneath people pleasing. And it deserves more than a boundary tip.

DM us if this hit home. We're here in Illinois when you're ready.

05/14/2026

Asking for help is one of the hardest things to unlearn being ashamed of.

Somewhere along the way, needing support got tangled up with not being strong enough. But strength was never about carrying everything alone. It was about knowing what you actually need and being willing to honor that.

You deserve the same care you give everyone else. That's not weakness. That's self-respect.

Therapy in Illinois for people ready to take that step.

Drop a 💛 if this resonates, or DM us when you're ready to talk.

If you are constantly hypervigilant, it’s not because you are broken. It’s because you are paying attention.For Minority...
05/11/2026

If you are constantly hypervigilant, it’s not because you are broken. It’s because you are paying attention.

For Minority Health Month, we have to talk about the trauma that therapy usually ignores. It’s easy for us in the therapy world to tell you to "manage your stress," but that advice is completely useless if we don’t first acknowledge that the stress is coming from systemic trauma and daily oppression. Real statistics show that in the US, individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups often experience worse health outcomes and a higher burden of psychological distress, directly linked to discrimination and socioeconomic barriers. You cannot "self-care" your way out of systemic racism. The constant vigilance that comes with being a person of color, LGBTQIA+, or any marginalized group in Chicago is a form of survival, but it is also exhausting and deeply traumatizing.

At Head Heart Therapy, we are not interested in helping you "adjust" to an unlivable situation. Our practice works from a liberation-focused orientation. We validate that your anxiety, your shame, and your complex trauma (C-PTSD) are valid responses to external forces. By using therapies of depth and a skillful balance of empathy and accountability, we help you understand the difference between what you are carrying that is yours, and what you are carrying because a system placed it on you. Our goal is to increase your capacity for self-compassion and agency, allowing your heart to act in alignment with your own authenticity, rather than performing for a world that refuses to see you.

If you are looking for an inclusive, anti-racist, and welcoming space to begin your personal healing journey in Illinois, our healing village is here to support you. You deserve to heal without having to leave any part of yourself at the door. Tap the link in our bio to learn about our services and schedule a consultation.

You were never taught that your feelings were allowed to take up space.For many AAPI individuals, silence wasn't chosen....
05/08/2026

You were never taught that your feelings were allowed to take up space.

For many AAPI individuals, silence wasn't chosen. It was inherited. Passed down through generations of survival, sacrifice, and the unspoken rule that struggle stays private. That kind of conditioning doesn't disappear just because you understand it.

Affirming therapy in Illinois for AAPI adults navigating intergenerational trauma, identity, and the cost of always being fine. You deserve space to exist fully.

DM us or visit the link in bio when you're ready. 🌿

The version of you that existed before kids deserves to be grieved, not forgotten.Maternal mental health is so much bigg...
05/06/2026

The version of you that existed before kids deserves to be grieved, not forgotten.

Maternal mental health is so much bigger than what gets talked about. It's the identity loss, the invisible labor, the way old wounds resurface when you're running on nothing. It's loving your child and mourning yourself at the same time.

That experience is real. And it makes sense.

If you're in Illinois and need support that actually goes there, we do that work. Reach out whenever you're ready.

05/04/2026

Boundaries don’t mean “proceed with caution.”
They mean “you’ve been warned.” 😅

Double-tap if you’re learning to be honest instead of palatable.

You can have all the insights in the world and still be standing in the exact same spot you were thirty days ago.We’ve s...
04/30/2026

You can have all the insights in the world and still be standing in the exact same spot you were thirty days ago.

We’ve spent this entire month talking about the heavy stuff, stress, the roots of addiction, and how C-PTSD lives in the body. Maybe you read a post and had a "lightbulb moment" where everything finally clicked in your brain. But then, Monday morning rolled around and you found yourself falling right back into the same old survival strategies. That isn't a sign that you aren't trying hard enough or that you're failing at therapy. Usually, it just means your heart hasn't received the memo that it's actually safe enough to let go of the guard you’ve been carrying for years.

At Head Heart, we are deeply familiar with that exhausting gap between "knowing" and "doing." We work with folks who are tired of intellectualizing their pain and are ready for their heart to finally catch up. Whether you are navigating complex trauma, shame, or the difficulties of life that keep you on high alert, we focus on that specific alignment. We use somatic therapies and therapies of depth to help you move past the logic so you can actually start living the changes you’ve been thinking about.

As we wrap up April, take a second to be really honest with yourself. What is that one thing you figured out weeks ago that you're still waiting to actually feel in your bones? We are here in Illinois to help you bridge that distance.

Tap the link in our bio to see how our inclusive, liberation-focused practice can support your next steps.

04/28/2026

You probably learned how to read the tension in a room long before you ever learned how to read a book.

A lot of people think of trauma as one loud, terrifying moment that changes everything. But complex post-traumatic stress disorder is usually a lot quieter and more persistent than that. It is the result of spending your entire childhood as a self-taught weather specialist for the adults around you. You learned to monitor every sigh, every heavy footstep, and every shift in the atmosphere because your safety depended on anticipating someone else's storm before it broke.

When you grow up in that kind of constant vigilance, your own needs and feelings start to feel like a dangerous luxury. You might find yourself today still living in that same survival mode, exhausted by the weight of a world you feel like you have to constantly manage. At Head Heart Therapy in Chicago, we know that these strategies weren't a choice. They were how you survived.

Our approach is about moving past the logic of your past and into the reality of your present. We use NARM and somatic therapies to help you slowly let down the guard you've been carrying for decades. We want to help you reach a place where you can finally stop tracking everyone else's climate and start tending to your own.

If you’re in Illinois and you’re tired of the exhausting performance of staying safe, we are here to support your healing journey. Whether you are navigating C-PTSD or the heavy weight of shame, our trauma-informed care is built to meet you exactly where you are. Tap the link in our bio to learn how we can help you bridge the gap between your head and your heart.

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Chicago, IL

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 9pm
Tuesday 7am - 9pm
Wednesday 7am - 9pm
Thursday 7am - 9pm
Friday 7am - 6pm
Saturday 8am - 5pm
Sunday 8am - 5pm

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