Illuminate Mental Health, LLC

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Wooster, OH
Illuminate Mental Health, LLC

We are a mental health private practice serving Wooster, OH and surrounding areas. We provide therapy to adults, children, couples, and families.

We have experience with a broad range of mental health issues.

04/09/2026

Illuminate started accepting masters level social work and clinical counseling interns in 2024. Since then we've had the opportunity to host a handful of outstanding professionals. We appreciate being a small stepping stone towards their career goals!

Susan Shaffer, SWT, is one of our current interns and has been with us since fall of 2025. Susan recently passed her clinical exam and will graduate from Ohio State with her MSW in the spring. Susan has demonstrated a thirst for knowledge throughout her internship and enjoys working with clients to assist them in connecting to community resources. Susan is passionate about providing psychoeducation relating to how social media impacts individuals. She enjoys working with children, teens and adults and is interested in a variety of different areas.

In her free time you can find Susan being active with her family or reading a good book!

We look forward to seeing how Susan's career and skillsets continue to expand after her graduation!

04/06/2026

This week we start off by featuring our newest clinician, Bethany Proudfoot, DSW, LSW, LNHA. Bethany is a licensed social worker with over 12 years of experience in clinical practice, healthcare leadership, and trauma-informed care. She holds a Doctorate in Social Work from the University of Louisville, completed in 2025, and offers a compassionate, client-centered approach grounded in evidence-based therapy and respect for each person’s lived experience.

Bethany works with older adults and individuals navigating chronic illness, anxiety, and depression, as well as grief, life transitions, and caregiver stress. Her clinical approach integrates trauma-informed care, cognitive-behavioral strategies, strengths-based practice, and mindfulness practices, using a holistic person-in-environment perspective. With a background in healthcare leadership, Bethany brings a strong understanding of burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and the challenges faced by caregivers and helping professionals. She creates a warm, collaborative, and nonjudgmental therapy space where clients can build sustainable coping skills, healthier boundaries, and greater self-compassion.

In her free time Bethany enjoys spending time with her family and taking adventures!

To schedule with Bethany visit our website: www.illuminatewooster.com and complete our new client form. Bethany is currently supervised by Angela Workman, MSW, LISW-s. Bethany is available for evening clients during the week.

04/03/2026

Our next featured clinician is Kaylen Ackerman, MSW, LSW.

Kaylen earned her Master of Social Work from The Ohio State University in 2025. Kaylen started her social work career as an intern at Illuminate. Kaylen's positive connection with her clients and her passion for problem solving made her a permanent fixture at Illuminate post graduation.

Kaylen's clinical interests focus on relationships, including parent-child dynamics and couples work. She is passionate about helping individuals and families strengthen meaningful connections. Kaylen has participated in extensive trauma education and enjoys applying her knowledge to help clients prepare essential grounding and mindfulness skills prior to their transition to EMDR therapy with a trained practitioner

In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, and hiking with her dog.

Kaylen is currenting accepting adolescents and adult client Monday through Friday. She is currently supervised by Abby Fischer, MSW, LISW-s.

03/30/2026

This week we can finally start featuring our wonderful team members, starting with Karen Becker, MA, LPCC-s. Karen has been in the counseling field for 34 years. Karen has expertise in the following areas: adults who have experienced trauma, depression, anxiety, grief/loss and marital counseling. Karen enjoys working with couples and older adults.

When Karen is not in the office, she is enjoying staying busy in her retirement! Karen is extremely proud of her grandchildren and enjoys spending time supporting them in all of their activities.

Karen is currently paneled with Medicare, Medical Mutual, Anthem, Optum, United and Aetna. Karen is accepting adult clients and couples on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday before 4PM. To schedule with Karen, fill out the new client intake form on our website: www.illuminatewooster.com.

03/23/2026

We know that up to date images of a therapeutic space and therapy providers can help reduce some of the anxiety associated with attending therapy for the first time. Being able to visualize the space and put a face to a name can really improve a new client's initial level of comfort. With this information in mind, we invited Jessica Pengal of Lilyroot Studio Photography ,, to spend some time at the Illuminate offices to capture some of our recent changes. Jessica did an amazing job focusing on the unique characteristics of our office spaces, as well as the beauty and professionalism of our team. We look forward to sharing her work with you over the next several weeks as we feature our exceptional team members!

03/20/2026

The brain needs sleep to reset and manage every day functions. Check out this article from Stanford Medicine that explains the impact of poor sleep quality on mental health:

https://med.stanford.edu/news/insights/2025/08/sleep-mental-health-connection-what-science-says.html

Anxious thoughts the cause of your poor sleep patterns? Come see one of our providers today!

03/18/2026

Did you know that tackling a task you've been dreading can help immediately reduce anxiety? Taking one step forward today might look like:

- Scheduling an appointment.
- Returning a call.
- Setting a boundary.
- Purging the junk drawer.
- Finally donating those clothes- (we all know which ones).
- Eating more protein.
- Drinking more water.
- Taking a walk.

Breaking down any task into smaller, more accomplishable tasks is called "chunking". Doing any daunting task with a friend or partner in the same space is called "body doubling". Both skills can help you get past the "freeze" of starting a task you've put off.

Cleaning the closet might be the task you've avoided forever. If you break that task down into smaller, more manageable steps, it becomes easier to take the first step. Start with clothes, organize them by season, decide which ones to donate, put donations into bags, put items back in an order that make sense for you. Done with clothes? Move on to accessories and repeat the process until you are satisfied. Remind yourself this doesn't have to be done in one day. Still having a hard time getting started? Invite a friend over to hang out while you work, or to help decide what to keep and make the trip together to donate the items.

03/12/2026

Therapy is about meeting people where they are in life judgement free.

03/05/2026

What is a mental health private practice?
A mental health private practice is a solo, partner or group practice that most often functions as a for-profit business. This means we do not receive donations or community funds for the services we provide.
Do I pay more at a private practice than at a public mental health facility?
Because private mental health practices do not receive funds beyond the money they receive for the services they provide, you may pay a higher out of pocket cost for services if you elect to not use insurance. Insurance rates are determined by whether or not the practice and its providers are in network with your insurance company. Once a practice is in network with an insurance company, the insurance company determines the cost of the service. The cost of the session depends on whether or not insurance is in network and your individual health insurance plan. Some plans require you to meet your deductible before they cover any cost. Some companies may require you to pay a copay per session.
Why would I choose a private mental health provider over a public agency?
The biggest priority when seeking mental health treatment should be to find a provider you feel comfortable with! Private practices often allow their therapists more freedom regarding their schedule and may not have strict productivity requirements for their therapists. This gives therapists more freedom to connect with clients during the week and can reduce the risk of burnout. The benefit of a public mental health agency may be a lower out of pocket cost, a larger array of insurances accepted and the opportunity to work with an interdisciplinary team (psychiatry, case managers and crisis intervention) at the same agency.
Is one better than the other?
No. While we believe we provide the best services possible for our clients, we know that our community is full of excellent providers at other practices. We want to see our clients thrive in the best environment for THEM, even if that means referring them to an agency that isn't ours. We are always happy to connect with your psychiatrist, case manager or general practitioner to coordinate care if you choose to work with us. We are also happy to refer you to another provider for services we don't provide such as equine therapy, art therapy or intensive outpatient services. Illuminate Mental Health exists to reduce the stigma of mental health in our community. Part of reducing stigma is having open conversations about other resources available around us!

If you feel we may be a good fit for you or someone you know, check out our website and fill out a form to become a new client today! We provide services to individuals age 6 and up.

www.illuminatewooster.com

03/04/2026

We often tell clients to "sit with their feelings", but what does that really mean?

It means:

Acknowledge emotions as they come up, try your best not to avoid them.
Practice mindfulness so you remain in the present.
Notice how your body feels when emotions come up.
Observe your body sensations, thoughts, and emotions without judgment.
Explore your feelings with openness; what triggered this feeling?
Consider how you would respond to a friend who is going through something similar and turn that same compassion inwards.

Need some help sitting with your feelings?
Come see one of our amazing providers today:
www.illuminatewooster.com

02/19/2026

Two things can be true at the same time; I can be angry with someone and still love them; I can be doing my best and want to try harder; I can want to change but be afraid of changing.

Even when life seemingly tells you there is only one way to go, another path may exist in the opposite direction. It doesn't mean either path is wrong, they are just different paths. Mental health therapy can give you the tools to see those paths more clearly, come see one of our team members today to learn skills to think dialectically!

www.IlluminateWooster.com

02/17/2026

Exciting news that we want shout from the mountain tops: We now have providers paneled with Medicare! We always recommend checking with your insurance prior to your first appointment to see if we are in network, but here is an updated list of major insurances we are paneled with:

- Caresource
- United
- Aetna
- Anthem
- Medical Mutual
- Cigna
- Optum

Medicaid and Medicare plans are limited to plans provided by the entities listed above.

Address

132 S Market Street, Suite 205
Wooster, OH
44691

Telephone

+13302278110

Website

http://www.illuminatewooster.com/

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