OUR TEAM
NOVO’s team includes professional counselors and facilitators with a wealth of knowledge and experience to help you grow, succeed, and find JOY in life!
Vicki Alden, Ph.D., LCSW
Dr. Alden is founder of NOVO:Renewing Joy in Life, LLC. She holds a Master of Social work degree from Loyola University Chicago and her Ph.D. from the Institute for Clinical Social Work.
Dr. Alden has over thirty years experience in the social service/mental health field. She has provided services in a variety of settings including an inpatient mental health center, two community mental health centers, and three medical center outpatient clinics.
Her focus for the last decade has been her private practice for adults. Her specialties include Grief & Loss and Life Transitions. Dr. Alden’s services include individual, couple, and group psychotherapy, and one-session, weekend, and multi-session education seminars and workshops.
Dr. Alden can be reached at (630) 297-3617 or Vicki@novocounsel.com.
Becky Gosain, MA, LCPC
Becky holds a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Loyola University Chicago and has been a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) since 1998. She has been serving the mental health community since 1994 in a variety of settings, including a community mental health center, specialized foster care, an inpatient psychiatric hospital , and employment as a behavior therapist by the parents of an autistic child. She has worked with children, adolescents, adults and families throughout her career.Becky has clinical experience in crisis intervention and stabilization, depression, stress, anxiety, parenting issues and adjustment issues. She enjoys using a strengths-based and solution-focused approach in treatment and feels that therapy is a collaboration between herself and her clients. She believes in setting realistic and manageable goals in treatment to help clients maximize their potential. She is passionate about meeting the unique needs of each client while she assists them in addressing life’s difficulties. Becky continues to partner with her clients to address a variety of clinical issues such as low self-esteem, depression, behavioral and social issues, anxiety, parental stress and many common adjustment issues. She also has had her own business for over eight years. Her background in running her own business and working in the mental health field gives her a unique perspective in business. This enables her to also work with clients who wish to explore having a more positive mindset in their own businesses.
Becky can be reached at (630) 297-3617 or Becky@novocounsel.com.
Judy Thomas, LCSW
Judy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Masters from Jane Addams School of Social Work at the University of Illinois. She has additional training in EMDR, DBT, Anger Management and Substance Abuse Treatment.
Her more than 15 years of experience in the social service/mental health field has included work in Outpatient Community Mental Health, Day Treatment Programs, Inpatient Substance Abuse Treatment and Child Welfare and Support Programs for Teens.
For the past year, her focus has been on developing a private practice for adults and adolescents. Specialties include mood disorders, trauma, substance abuse, and anger management. Judy's services include individual, couple, and group therapy, as well as one-session, weekend, and multi-session education seminars and workshops.
Judy can be reached at (630) 297-3617 or Judy@novocounsel.com.
Michelle Durpetti, LCSW
Michelle’s motto is to empower individuals, couples and families with strategies to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.
Michelle possesses a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Southern Illinois University and a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has been working in the Human Service field for over 20 years with experience in a wide range of outpatient settings. Michelle has worked the last 11 years managing and practicing within an Employee Assistance Program providing counseling to adults, couples, families and adolescents. Michelle has received special training in the areas of domestic violence, working with law enforcement and crisis management. She has a passion for working with couples to help them achieve marital satisfaction and to help each individual thrive in a healthy relationship. Her other areas of specialty include treating individuals with depression and anxiety ranging from adolescence through adulthood. Michelle has been a highly recommended speaker on topics such as bullying in the workplace, conflict resolution, leadership skills and success over stress. She has spoken to various schools, businesses and professional organizations who have described her as “dynamic” and “very engaging”.
Michelle can be reached at (630) 297-3617 or Michelle@novocounsel.com.
Sue Underhill, MA, LPC
Sue holds a Master of Arts in Counseling Degree from Northeastern Illinois University and is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Life Coach. Her specialties include working with adults and adolescents with eating disorders; including bulimia, binge eating, and obesity and weight reduction. Sue also specializes in working with parents of adolescents with eating disorders, offering mental and emotional support, education, and stress relief. Sue has worked in the fitness community setting as a health and wellness counselor, personal trainer, and fitness specialist for over five years. Her specialty has been working with individuals to overcome obstacles that affect health and wellness. Included in her services are weight management, stress and anxiety, weight reduction, personal growth, self-esteem, and life transitions. As a Life Coach, Sue helps clients build the capacity for ongoing improvement, development, and success. Her Life Coaching is based on developing a relationship that supports you in learning how to best use of your own knowledge, insight, vision, creativity, awareness, external resources and innate ability to learn and develop.
Using a combination of cognitive therapy, short and long term goal setting, and focus solution therapy, she helps clients learn how to plan and implement health-promoting lifestyle changes. She encourages self-responsibility, good nutrition, physical fitness, effective stress management, relaxation and healthy relationships to achieve a positive mind/body connection. Sue believes that learning to change your thoughts, changes your outlook, and finally changes your life. Her clients learn to set and accomplish health and wellness goals in a way that is empowering and exciting. Her personal commitment is to your health and success!
Sue can be reached at (630) 297-3617 or Sue@novocounsel.com.
Jennifer Cleckner, LCSW
Jennifer is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and holds a Master of Social Work degree from Aurora University. From 2006 to 2008 she studied Art Therapy at Adler School of Professional Psychology.
Jennifer has over 10 years experience working in social services. Certified as a school social worker, she has worked with individuals from the age of three to twenty-one, while maintaining a private practice working with children, adolescents and families. In 2006 she founded the Art of Reflection, P.C.
Her focus currently is developing the Roots Family Project at Novo. Specialties include providing support on an individual and group basis.
Jennifer can be reached at (630) 297-3617 or Jennifer@novocounsel.com.
Katy DeHaven, Program Coordinator
Katy graduated from Eastern Illinois University in May 2009. She now holds a Bachelor Degree in Family and Consumer Sciences with a concentration in Family Services. She is currently in Aurora University's MSW Program. Katy is researching and coordinating NOVO’s clinical program.
For more information about NOVO, Katy can be reached at (630) 297-3617 or Katy@novocounsel.com.
Lori Lain, Workshop Facilitator
Lori Lain is the ThinkUThin Coach and distributor for Chicagoland’s No Diet Weight Solution.
She is passionate about Health and Wellness, and believes that we can control our health with the choices we make. The first step is getting in the right frame of mind. For most of us, busy lifestyles, committments and our environment have taken control over our health. It’s time to take the control back! The first step to making any change is “awareness.” Lori’s mission is to peak “awareness” of your present lifestyle and the impact it has on your overall health and wellness.
Maintaining a healthy weight is the single most important factor in your overall health and wellness. You can control your weight and No Diet Weight Solution® can help you achieve a healthy weight permanently.
Shirley Lyles, Workshop Facilitator
Shirley Lyles has had a lifelong passion for developing human potential. Her guiding principles are to treat everyone with dignity and respect, inspire hope, and renew confidence. Shirley earned a Masters degree in Administration and Supervision at National-Louis University and has been certified for Leadership and Customer Service training. For over twenty years Shirley developed and facilitated leadership, customer service, and technical training for Fortune 300 corporations. She engaged participants with interactive practical programs that reduced turnover, increased sales, and assisted in earning many prestigious business awards for the organization.
