Dr. Penny Brower

Dr. Penny Brower offers warm, experienced guidance to people navigating difficult stretches of life. She invites clients to consider where they are in a metaphorical carnival of experience - whether riding sudden ups and downs, moving through repetitive patterns, feeling tossed by outside forces, facing distorted perspectives, or being overwhelmed while others seem unaffected. Her approach helps people examine the decisions and events that led them to that point and to build practical skills and supports for moving forward.

With 34 years of clinical work, Dr. Brower emphasizes empowering clients to choose healthier, more adaptive ways of living rather than applying reductive labels. She prefers to explore the conditions that make difficult feelings more intense and what helps them ease, offering collaborative, tailored interventions that shift patterns and increase functioning and enjoyment of life. She also welcomes ongoing feedback about what is and is not helpful so treatment can be adapted for the best fit.

Dr. Brower holds a doctoral degree from The University of Iowa and is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois - a credential that reflects advanced training and state licensure (IL LCPC 180.001847). Her clinical career began with in-home therapy for complex, multi-problem families and has included roles in community mental health centers and private practice. She also spent eight years working with the Air National Guard to develop a program aimed at reducing suicide risk, increasing resilience, and decreasing the stigma of using mental health services.