Rev. Sergio Ayala, LCPC, LMHC
Iowa · 10 years in practice
Rev. Sergio Ayala is a licensed counselor practicing in Illinois with ten years of clinical experience.
License and registration
- LMHC, Iowa
- 094835 · expires September 2026
- LCPC, Illinois
- 180016866 · expires March 2027
- NPI
- 1619535002 · national provider identifier
- Years in practice
- 10
- Languages
- English, Spanish
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the license with the issuing state board, and the NPI with the national registry.
About Sergio
Rev. Sergio Ayala is a licensed counselor practicing in Illinois with ten years of clinical experience. He holds a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling and a Master of Divinity, and brings a long history of ministerial and pastoral work to his therapeutic practice.
He approaches sessions in both English and Spanish. Sergio focuses on everyday struggles like stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and addiction. He also helps people manage relationship strain, intimacy-related concerns, anger, career stress, and the fatigue that comes from caring for others.
Background and approach
He listens for strengths clients can use to make change. In sessions he blends Emotionally-Focused Therapy with client-centered and cognitive behavioral ideas. That means he pays attention to feelings, builds on what matters to the person, and helps people notice and shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.
He aims for clear, practical steps alongside deeper emotional work. People working with him can expect a calm, direct style that acknowledges spiritual and life experience when it’s relevant. He draws on pastoral experience to support conversations about meaning, loss, and life transitions.
His approach is collaborative - he helps people set goals and tries methods that fit their life. Sergio also works with issues connected to attachment, adoption and foster care concerns, chronic illness and caregiver stress, and separation or divorce.
He offers a steady presence for those facing big life changes and seeks to empower people to move forward one step at a time.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Sergio lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Depression
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Intimacy-related issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Phobias
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Traumatic brain injury
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Sergio names
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Existential Therapy
- Jungian Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Narrative Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
Approaches that guide online work
Emotionally-Focused Therapy focuses on identifying and working with core emotions that shape how people respond in relationships and personal struggles. It helps bring clarity to what someone feels and why those feelings lead to certain actions or patterns. Client-Centered Therapy centers the person’s experience and pace. The therapist listens without judgment, reflects understanding, and supports people as they find their own solutions to stress, grief, or life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behavior. It offers concrete tools to test unhelpful thoughts and try new behaviors that reduce anxiety, depressive symptoms, or addictive patterns. Choosing a therapeutic approach is a shared process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what feels useful, then try methods that match those needs. That collaborative planning makes it easier to adjust direction if something isn’t helping. Online sessions let people meet from wherever is most convenient, and they offer several ways to connect. Video calls work well for deeper conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can be easier when internet bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging allow ongoing support between longer sessions and can fit around busy schedules. These options make it practical to build consistent care into a life that already has many demands.We will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you. It does not change what you pay or the order of the listings.
Questions people ask
What kinds of concerns does he help with?
He helps people with stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma, grief, and depression, along with relationship and intimacy-related issues. He also supports those facing caregiver strain, chronic illness concerns, and life transitions.
What is his therapy style like?
His style blends emotionally-focused listening with practical strategies. Sessions aim to notice feelings, build on strengths, and try new thinking or behavior patterns.
How much clinical experience does he have?
He brings ten years of clinical work plus over 15 years of ministerial and pastoral practice. His background includes a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling and a Master of Divinity.
What licenses and where is he based?
He holds LCPC and LMHC credentials and practices in Illinois. License details include IL LCPC and IA LMHC.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English and Spanish, and international clients are accepted.
What session formats are available?
Sessions can take place via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How does pricing work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and uses a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with him?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button and completing a short matching questionnaire, then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
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